March 6, 2011 by KellyH.

We’re currently in the middle of Volume 2, Chapter 8. It’s a loonnng chapter: 15 Bible Lessons. Normally, that would take 6 weeks to do (Bible every other day–30 days for the chapter) but I teach Bible 3 days a week, so this will take just 5 weeks. I’ve arranged our weeks like this because my oldest student takes science and math outside of the home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have Bible and History on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, when my son is home; on Tuesday and Thursday I teach science to the younger 2 (besides our other “classes,” like math, spelling, reading, etc).

As I was planning this chapter, and trying to arrange the science and history lessons, it became a challenge. I like to follow the flow of the Day by Day as much as possible, but rearranging the science objectives was not easy. Some of them were off track as I gave priority to the history lessons in our daily lineup.  I spent much time in prayer trying to make the chapter as cohesive as possible.

The first day we came across a science lesson that I knew should have been taught a few days earlier, I simply told the children, “Remember last week, when we talked about …” I even pulled out the Bible and re-read the info we covered previously. This was a great review for the children! About a week later I found myself teaching a science lesson the day before the Bible lesson with which it corresponded. As I began the science lesson, I mentioned that we’d be talking about it more the next day during our Bible lesson.

Whether your science and history line up perfectly with your Bible lessons or not, you can always point your children back to the Bible. That’s the whole basis of Weaver: the Bible. Proverbs 16:3 tells us, “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” If you are committed to teaching Weaver, God knows and will give you the words and the insight for the lesson at hand. Keep your focus on Him and you will be blessed!

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February 25, 2010 by KellyH.

Two days ago a Savannah sparrow hit my office window and scared the wits out of me (my computer chair is right next to the window). I looked out and saw feathers floating to the ground and a bird on the ground, obviously dead. He hit hard–didn’t have a chance.

This morning I heard another bird hit a window, this time my husband’s office window (directly upstairs from mine). The sound wasn’t as loud, so I hoped for the best. I looked out and saw a little Harris’ sparrow on its back, legs kicking as it struggled to figure out what happened. Thinking it would have a better chance right-side-up, I went out to see if I could assist it in flipping over. As I rounded the corner, he flipped by himself. Not wanting to cause more stress, I went back into the house and began praying.

Birds are such a fantastic example of God’s care for us. My heart was heavy for the Harris’ sparrow as he struggled to survive in the 31 degree weather. Being on the stone porch probably didn’t help him, and having a dead sparrow two feet away didn’t help me! My heart was breaking.

After an hour, the bird was sitting up, puffed out to stay warm, and his eyes were open most of the time. His head turned in reaction to shadows and loud noises, so I thought he had a good chance of survival. After another prayer for the bird’s safety, I gathered my two youngest and we went grocery shopping. An hour later we arrived home to find the bird still there. As we watched, he turned around. Thinking he would probably fly any time, we had our lunch, checking on him every 10 minutes or so.

Suddenly my daughter was yelling, “He’s on his side!” We rushed to the window to see the little bird about a foot away from his original spot, on his side, motionless. He must have tried to fly and it was just too much.

God had a plan for that bird’s life. He was always watching, always caring for it. He does the same for us: watching over us, guiding our paths, working out His plan. That little sparrow reminded me of that fact at a time when I needed reminding. Sometimes things happen in life that give us an out-of-control feeling. We can’t see the whole picture, so we grasp at what we know and try not to let things change. We can’t see that things are not really changing, or that if they are changing it is for the best.

We often get so caught up in what “might” happen that we forget to live in the here-and-now. We get ahead of God. My children and I enjoyed the nearness of that little Harris’ sparrow while we could. Later, they’ll go out and bury him and the Savannah sparrow (so I don’t have to keep looking at them when I look out my window). We’ll move on with our lives, and give our parakeets a little extra attention. And we’ll keep looking to God for direction and guidance.

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September 4, 2009 by KellyH.

We’re working through Volume 1 once again. We picked up where we left off last, in Chapter 3, and we’ve just completed our second week of school this year. It’s been the perfect place to begin the year: studying about communication and prayer. We’re doing Bible lessons on M-W-F, and since this past Wednesday was my birthday, we took the day off and doubled-up our Bible today.

One particular sentence in Lesson 5 really jumped at me: Just as the Dead Sea has only one inlet and no outlets, and is as its name suggests, so our lives will be if we only take the Word in, and fail to send it out again.  Of course, one of our Bible readings was Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus tells his disciples to go and spread His teaching. I’ve read this verse many times, and emphasize it to my children. But, unfortunately, I don’t practice it.

What do I practice? Watering. I’ve always believed I was a waterer, like Apollos (see 1 Corinthians 3:5-7). I don’t work outside of the home (except when I take the children somewhere, like the grocery store). The majority (probably 90%) of the people I interact with are saved already. I don’t need to evangelize and plant seeds because they’ve already sprouted. My job is to water them, encourage them, help them grow closer to God. It’s something I enjoy doing, and I believe I’m good at it. I’m not good at planting seeds. But, I know it is something that Jesus expects me to do.

I’ve been praying about writing for a particular website– it’s predominantly secular with a large New Age population, but there are a few Christians there.  It claims to be the 2nd largest women’s site online. But, I’m hesitant because it’s not predominantly Christian. I know we’re supposed to be  a Light in this dark world. I know I can’t plant seeds if I don’t till new ground.

This morning, during my quiet time, I read Matthew 26:1-16. The heart of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus’ head was focused on Him. She loved Him so much, she didn’t care that she could have made money from selling the perfume. Judas, on the other hand, only thought of the money he could make. Do we love Jesus as much as this woman did? Search my heart, O Lord. Why do I not seek out others to share You with?

Does anyone else see the connection here?!

We need to take in God’s Word, and then send it out to others. Not because we’ll get a pat on the back or payment or anything, but because we love Jesus! I am not gifted in evangelizing, but I can still share the love of God with others–even unbelievers. God will protect and provide for us if we follow His commandments. If we use our gifts to do His will, He will be right there to guide us and bless us.

Have you asked God to show you His Truths today? Take in His Word… and then GO!

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July 13, 2009 by KellyH.

There’s a great deal of discussion among homeschooling families at this time of year about filling in the “gaps” left by a curriculum–or if a curriculum will leave gaps in a child’s education. With that in mind, I’d like to address three things about educational gaps: what they are, how they can be filled and how they can be avoided.

What is a Gap?

First we need to address what a gap is–after all, you can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broke.

Some parents feel a gap happens when their child doesn’t know something that another (younger or older) child knows. Some parents base their “gap knowledge” on the Scope & Sequence of the public school system, and yet others use the Scope & Sequence of the curriculum they are thinking of switching to next year. The basic flaw in each of these thoughts is “comparison.”

If you are comparing your child to a friend’s child, you’ll find gaps. Perhaps your friend raised tadpoles/frogs and you didn’t. Your friend’s child will understand the life cycle of the frog in great detail, while your child may not be able to remember the word metamorphosis. But, there will be things your child knows, like the names of all the cloud formations, which your friend’s child won’t have a clue about. Not every fourth grade child knows their state’s history. Just because someone else taught something in sixth grade doesn’t mean you have to… you can teach it in fifth, or even in third if you want!

If you’re comparing curricula you’ll find many don’t match up, which leaves perceived gaps in the education of the child being taught. Why don’t they match up? Because everyone thinks their Scope & Sequence is best. Most are based on years of research and study by the author(s) of the curriculum. The curriculum is then written to be used from K through 12th grade, with no interruptions. If used this way, there will be no gaps, because everything in the Scope & Sequence will be introduced, taught, and reviewed eventually.

If you are following the Scope & Sequence of a specific publisher, you should be using their curriculum, too. After all, there is no better way to meet all of the objectives than to use the same curriculum. What? You don’t want to use their curriculum? Then why follow their Scope & Sequence? There is a better way!

So, what is a gap? It is a perceived lack of knowledge in a particular subject, or multiple subjects. The question must then be asked, “Does my child really have gaps, or will I be teaching that material at a later date?” To what, or whom, are you comparing your child?

How Can a Gap Be Filled?

Let’s say you feel there is a gap. How can you fill it? This will take work on your part. First, you must decide where your child is lacking. You have to decide what your child should know at this point in his or her life. You’ll also want to decide on basic milestones for the rest of their schooling. When do you want your child to learn about the 50 States, or the Civil War? In what grade should they know the water cycle, erosion, or land formations? When should your child be able to write a research paper? When will you teach exponents?

One way to figure all of this out is to obtain a variety of Scope & Sequences. Lay them out, side-by-side, and see how they compare. Use some sheets of loose-leaf paper (one for each year your child has left in school) to write down major topics you wish to study each year, or goals/objectives you wish to meet. You may decide to follow one of the Scope & Sequences, or you may put them all away and go with your own ideas.  Whatever you decide to do, get it written down. By having each year on a separate sheet of paper, you can spread them out and get a good visual of what you want to teach. You’ll also be able to see if you’re missing anything.

Congratulations! You’ve just written your own personalized Scope & Sequence!

Now look through the curriculum you’ll be using next year. Does it meet your needs? Will you be teaching what you want your child to learn next year? If you feel something is missing, check the Scope & Sequence of the curriculum. Was that topic taught last year, before you started using the curriculum? Will it be taught next year?

You may wish to adjust your personalized Scope & Sequence to allow for flexibility in teaching, specifically if certain subjects will be taught the following year. Or, you may wish to have your child do a short study on the topics you feel he or she should know already, to get them caught up with the curriculum. Either way, don’t stress! Curriculum is a tool, to be used as you see fit. It’s not set in stone–if it were, you wouldn’t be changing curricula.

How Can a Gap Be Avoided?

This will also take work on your part, but the good news is that most of that work is already finished! If you’ve created a personalized Scope & Sequence, as mentioned above, all you need to do is refer to it throughout the year to be sure all the objectives are being met. If you are following a Scope & Sequence from a specific company, you can refer to that throughout the year as well.

What if your curriculum just isn’t working for your family? What if your kinesthetic learner is struggling to get through a textbook? What if your child can’t seem to sit still long enough to fill in all of the blanks? What if you don’t like the world view of your current curriculum? Then, obviously, you’ll be switching–and you’re bound to notice gaps, either in what you’ve been using or in what you’re about to use. Don’t worry! Take out your personalized Scope & Sequence and make adjustments to the curriculum or to your teaching timetable.

The best way to avoid gaps is to be in complete control. Isn’t that why you’re homeschooling–to control your child’s education?  Chances are good your child does not have gaps. You just haven’t gotten to that objective yet.

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June 20, 2009 by KellyH.

Often when someone writes in with a question about Weaver, they’ve already asked about it somewhere else (another blog, another forum, etc). Many of the people who answer them have never used Weaver, or don’t care for the unit study method of educating their children.

I spent this past school year using Alpha Omega LIFEPACs with my children, instead of Weaver, and I’ve used the SOS computer programs in the past as well. Do I think unit studies take more time? Not really.

Picture these two scenarios:

1) You sit down with your Day by Day and Volume and spend 2-4 hours planning out two weeks of studies for one unit. During the two weeks you teach this unit, you spend 15 minutes each morning going over what you’ll teach to refresh your memory. After you’re finished teaching each day, you put your books away and go about your other tasks, interacting with your children and discussing things that relate to your studies. Based on the things you discuss, you know whether or not they are understanding what you’ve been teaching.

2) Each day for about three weeks you place a LIFEPAC in front of your child and they work through the required 3-5 pages in order to finish the booklet in the allotted time. At the end of each day, you take time to correct what they worked on that day. Depending on the number of kids you are teaching, that can be anywhere from 5 booklets (for one child) to 20+ booklets (for four or more children). Since you are the teacher, you must judge whether or not your child understood the question and answered properly. (Your child usually isn’t nearby for you to question further.) If you have more than one child, this process can take 2-4 hours! And, if you feel your child isn’t understanding the question, you will probably require he or she re-read the section and re-answer the questions–either than night or the next day, before they can continue on in his or her booklet.

The question I must now pose to you, reader is this: Do you want to spend more time before the lesson or after the lesson? Do you want to know what you’re teaching, and teach it to everyone at once, and have family discussion about it? Or, do you want to try to keep track of who is studying what and reteach what they don’t understand the next day? Two to four hours every other Sunday afternoon, or an hour every evening?

Hmmm… you do the math.

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February 3, 2009 by holly cowie.

     Isn’t that how the old song goes…”I’m in the mood for love, simply because your near me. Well, I’m in the mood for love simply because it is February and that is usually when the winter blues are really taking their toll on homeschooling moms. The children get frustrated more easy, the last break was in December, outside looks like ….yuck! And face it, as a mom we face burnout time just about now as we see the end of the school year approaching and testing or portfolios start to nag at us.

Well, the good news is God is always in the mood for love and He can melt away all our winter blues. I went to bed the other night determined to wake up and  have a great day. Of course I awoke with a migraine, slept later than I wanted,and the children were grouchy. But I was not going to let it get the best of me. I simply started just praising the Lord.  I praised Him with my headache, and I praised Him through breakfast with 8 grumpy children, and I praised Him while trying to frantically catch up from sleeping in. By the afternoon I stopped in awe as I realized my headache was now bearable, my children were getting along and all our schoolwork was completed early AND the laundry was done. God loved this homeschooling mom of many enough to give me a peace that passed ALL understanding and I never asked for anything….I just loved Him.

Next time you are at your wits end and the frustrations of the winter blahs are getting you down simply sing out to God “I’m in the mood for YOUR love” .

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