Home Education Journal

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

What I Desire to Teach My Son

I came across this recently when I was cleaning out some boxes. It didn't have a date on it, but I imagine I wrote it out before I had my girls...since I only found a page for my son. It inspired me though. I think it's easy to loose sight of what is REALLY important to teach our children. I do think that academic education is important, but what our sons and daughters really need to grow to become healthy adults, they will never glean from a textbook alone. What will enable them to live whole and satisfying lives; they will only learn by example and by God's amazing grace.

I plan to go down my list and do 2 things for each item...1. Come up with at least one comprehensive way I can intentionally teach him or prepare him in that area, and 2. Pray for him.

While my husband and I can and must instruct him...only God can do the work in his heart to establish his character. We can train him how to act...but only Jesus can work in his heart...and mine.

Jesus, give US wisdom as we teach our children each day...whether we are "educating" them at home or not...they learn from us each moment. What a tremendous responsibility.

What I Desire To Teach My Son

Integrity: I desire for him to become a man who consistently makes choices to do what is right and honorable, not only when others may take notice, but when no one sees: not only when he views those decisions as beneficial to himself but even when doing what is right is not the popular or politically acceptable decision, and may be a detriment to his career or reputation, cause him loss, leave him disadvantaged or present a threat of harm.

Confidence: I desire for him to become a man who is comfortable with who God has made him to be and is unafraid to be himself and to boldly use the gifts and abilities he has been given to encourage and instruct others; who recognizes his strengths; who acknowledges his weaknesses, but does not allow them to discourage or hinder him; who is willing to try; who is undaunted by worthless criticisms; who is not intimidated by position or power, but views himself as God’s servant and lives life confidently, understanding his place and role.

Humility: I desire for him to become a man who understands and accepts his function as a servant of Christ, who values others and regardless of the social status others place on him, views himself as no more significant than anyone else; who is willing to be used by God to do great thing and little things alike; who values the life and assignments he is given and gladly and gratefully serves Jesus in whatever he does.

Honesty: I desire for him to become a man whose words can be trusted; who does not have a habit or reputation of lying or recanting his promises; who is able and unafraid to speak the truth both graciously and with confidence.

Generosity: I desire for him to become a man who is concerned for the needs of others; who understands everything he has was given to him from the Lord and belongs to God; who manages his time, possessions and his money with a caring and generous spirit.

Courage: I desire for him to become a man who understands that the Lord is His refuge and strength; who trusts in Him whole-heartedly; who, when faced with danger or difficulty, is prepared to do whatever is necessary and right even though he may be afraid; a man who places his confidence not in himself, or in worldly wisdom, but who places his confidence in the Lord and chooses to act bravely and courageously.

Consideration: I desire for him to become a man who respects others and thinks about their needs and feelings; who is sensitive to others and considers those around him as he makes decisions.

Wisdom: I desire for him to become a man who has the knowledge and education to consistently make informed, godly and healthy choices; who chooses and is able to speak appropriate words at appropriate times; whose advice is sought out and respected and who is able to discern matters both spiritual and worldly; who is not quickly fooled or easily manipulated; who is both smart and insightful.

Discipline: I desire for him to become a man who is not easily influenced or persuaded by popular opinion or coercion; who is accustomed to accomplishing a goal or finishing a task on his own initiative, without necessary oversight and direction; who chooses to control his own body and exercises discipline in his thoughts, not allowing himself to be governed by emotion, desire or appetite, but rather by the Lord; who trains his mind and body and who is not enslaved to impulse or addiction.

Purity: I desire for him to become a man who commits both his actions and his thoughts to the Lord; who guards his heart and his mind; who embraces what is good and pure and holy; who eliminates not only what is impure and corrupt, but also what is useless and unbeneficial; who intentionally seeks out what is wholesome and serves to edify his life; who rejects what is degrading or worthless.

Respect: I desire for him to become a man who regards authority as being given by the Lord; who willfully submits and behaves respectfully out of reverence to God; who recognizes and acknowledges the importance and place of authority in his life and is faithful to honor the Lord above any and all earthly authority; who is able to execute a role of leadership and authority well and is capable of leading and managing others respectfully; who is able to accept instruction and correction from others, especially those he is accountable to, and learn from it; who recognizes appropriate social boundaries and honors them.

Excellence: I desire for him to become a man who is diligent, determined and focused; who succeeds in not only accomplishing what is before him, but finishes well; who is able to prioritize what is important and determine what is trivial, and who commits to devoting his energy on what is significant; who is unsatisfied with lackadaisical and whose life and accomplishments both large and small, are marked by quality, consistency and excellence.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Practicing Letter Recognition

Now that my daughter has begun recognizing more of her ABC's, I decided to have her practice "spelling" words.

I have a set of animal flashcards we look at together. I ask her what animal is pictured on each card; then ask her to "spell" the word. She reads the letters to me. If she doesn't recognize a letter, she will say, "I don't know this one." Then I tell her, and ask her to look at the letter again while she says its name. At the end of her "spelling" she repeats the word she just "spelled".

I do this for a couple reasons. First, when my son spells words I have him say the word, spell the word then say the word again. I want her to be familiar with this process when the time comes for her to spell words too. I also hope that saying and hearing the pattern of sounds the letters make and then studying which letters make those sounds will prepare and teach her as she begins learning her letter sounds. And it gives me an opportunity to listen to how she pronounces words and correct or reaffirm her annunciation. It is critical for her to be able to hear and discern the difference between subtle sounds. I don't emphasize this to her, our focus is on naming the letters, but the other steps are practice and preparation for her, whether she realizes it or not.

The deck of cards I have is illustrated with bright colored photos and bold letters. I like it, but I came across this set and think I might like it better. I don't really like some of the photos they used in the set I have...like the dog on the cover...it's just his head. It's not a big deal, but I prefer a picture of a whole dog. Plus, I think these illustrations are pretty. You can also purchase these in an English/Spanish set. The same company also sells Picture Word flash cards.

But you really don't even need flash cards. You can do the same thing with a simple board book. Ideally you want to choose a book with only a word or two per page...like this one for example.

It is a DIY first words book. How fun is THAT?! I think I want to make one for my girls! I just found it at Sara's Party Perfect. I think it's a great idea.

Sara is a graphic designer, illustrator, mom and a former art director for Martha Stewart Baby and Kids magazines. No wonder she has such great ideas... You can find out more about her here.

ps...I'm just passing on info I found - I'm not gettin' paid to advertise her or anything...

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Labeled

Part of my children's education includes things like cleaning up their toys after playtime, clearing dishes from the table after dinner, bathing themselves and folding laundry.

These are some basic life skills...necessary for them to eventually be able to function independently as adults...and also for my sanity during their childhood. I need them to help me out. It is healthy for them to learn responsibility and to take ownership of their belongings. And they gain confidence and feel that they are a valued and important part of our family when they are included.

One way I try to make it easier for them to be involved with these chores is by marking where items belong with labels. Now that my son is reading, this is a simpler task. When everything has a place, items are easy to find and easy to put away. It eliminates the stress of wondering where "that thing" is as I'm heading out the door, 10 minutes late, crying children in tow. Labeling allows me to hold my oldest a little more accountable when it comes to properly stowing his toys and clothing; no more "I didn't know where to put it" excuses. It say's right on the drawer: "shirts". And it is useful for my husband too. Since he's not here as often as we are, he is sometimes unsure of where to find their clothes, toys or school books, and where to put them away.

Actually, I also kind of have an infatuation with letters and words...so I happily label whatever I can, I think words are pretty. [Is that weird? Idk...I've always liked words...I can't be the only one, right?] In fact, I've often joked that it would be great to label EVERYTHING in our house sometime and invite our parents or friends over. [You know, for fun.] Could you imagine walking into a home where the tissue, the couch, the sink, the toilet, the door - everything - was labeled? That would freak. me. out. I label more than normal people do I think, and maybe freak some people out. Anyways, I think my idea is funny...and I'm sure, one day, when I'm bored - you know maybe in 20 or 30 years, I will actually do it.

Ok, back on track...

I do not have a label machine. So, what I do is format a document with text [for each item I wish to label] aligned in columns. I set the font to a size that will allow me to cut my labels about 1/4 inch thick.

I print the page and cut each label out.

Next, I cut a piece of plain, clear tape just slightly longer than my label and center my label with the face of the label against the sticky side of the tape.

Then I press the tape onto my drawer [or wherever its destination may be] and that's it.

When I label items in our wooden drawers, I place the label inside, or along the top edge of the drawer, so it can't be seen. You could also purchase hardware made to hold labels, and fix that to the front of your drawers. However, most of my children's items are stored in clear plastic drawers...so the tape is less obvious and the look of it doesn't bother me at all. [Remember, letter fetish...]

The labels come off easily, so I can change them when I need to. Because they are easily removed, I am cautions about labeling with tape when I have little ones around who will put things in their mouths - it can quickly become a choking hazard if a toddler removes the tape.

Well, it's nothing fancy, just a quick and easy organizational tip that is helpful to us...

What do you do to stay organized?

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Curriculum Recycling Project

My mom recently purchased this work book for my 2 year old.

The assignment on the pages we completed yesterday was to circle the items of a specific color from each line. This photo was from the "blue" and "green" pages.

The work didn't take long for her to complete...and as I was admiring the cute illustrations, I had an idea. I could cut out the images and we could continue learning with them.

So, here is what I did:

First, I cut the pictures out.

This was sort of a long process, because I wanted to cut as many images as I could, but the pages are two sided. Some of the pictures were repeated on several pages, and I only needed one of each. So after spending too much time organizing and arranging and evaluating where to cut, I finally managed to extract all the illustrations I wanted from the book.

I happened to have several empty cereal boxes on hand.

I used these to attach my paper illustrations to, in order to make them more durable and also because the paper was printed on both sides. I wanted a plain back, so that my kids would not be confused or distracted by the images on the reverse side.

So I cut along the folds of the boxes and then glued my pictures to the printed side of my box.

First I applied the glue to the cut-out images, but I later found it easier to spread a thin layer of glue across the cereal box board, working in small sections at a time, and then carefully laying my pictures down.

I found that I needed to smooth them out once or twice while the glue was still wet in order for them to adhere without bubbling.

Once my images were in place and the glue had dried, I covered the pictures with clear packing tape to protect the surface.

Then I cut each picture out.

Ta-da!

I store them in a plain ziplock bag, which goes in a shoebox I also keep my daughter's shapes and ABC's in. That way I can store her learning activities all together.

So far, we have sorted them by color...

...and by kind. [Which picture doesn't belong in the group? Why?]

I also want to use them to group beginning and ending sounds...

[pig...pants...pansy]

...and for my older child to practice spelling. He can write each word in a notebook and then check his spelling on the back of each illustration.

But so far, they have received the most use during playtime! *smile*

Birthday Cards for Dad

From our boy...

It is a "tiger in the grass".

From our girl...

Can you find the hippopotamus?

Take a closer look...

Do you see it yet?

...

Here it is!

Eyebrows...eyes...smile...feet [um lots of feet]...and a tail, cute Hippo!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Addition Flash Cards

I've been using flash cards to practice addition with my 5 year old. The set I've been using contains 42 cards, printed on both sides, providing 84 equations. The facts include numbers up to 12. The cards are printed both vertically...

and horizontally...

...which I love, because it encourages him to learn the solutions, regardless of the arrangement the question is presented in.

We've been timing each flash card quiz session...and it has been delightful to see his progress. Not only are flash cards a great learning tool, but it's fun for him too. It's exciting for him to see if he can beat yesterday's time and accuracy.

The experience of being timed also gives him opportunity to practice performing under pressure...which I don't think he necessarily needs much of at this point; but I know that in my own educational experience there was a HUGE amount of pressure in my public and private schools, and next to none in my home studies.

Thoughtfully calculated and purposeful pressure is, in my opinion, healthy and necessary for a child to develop the skills he or she will need to operate as an adult. So, a limited amount of age-appropriate intensity is useful - and I think timed flash cards are about all the stress he needs to navigate for now.

We began using addition flash cards the second week of June, so it's been nearly 2 months; although, I have not quizzed him every day. Here is how we use the flash cards: