My three year old grandson is proof of that! He has never attended a public or private school, and has never been taught by a "certified" teacher, yet he can (and will) carry on a conversation with anyone he meets - young or old, stranger or not. He is so friendly and out-going that he makes quite an impression on everyone he comes in contact with. Strangers, especially! In grocery stores, he will speak to any and everyone that he passes. If they pause to respond to him, my grandson will talk about whatever interests him at the moment, and then tell them that he will go to their house to visit them. If he sees other young children, he is quick to become friendly with them. An introvert he certainly is not!
Recently, some distant relatives (whom my grandson had never before met) came to visit his great-granny. My grandson was there, as well, and he did not hesitate to make himself known to these relatives. It is probably correct to say that he soon became the center of attention, and had them all enthralled. At one point, one of the visitors spoke up and said something to the effect of, "Boy! What a big personality in such a little body!" lol!
My grandson does have a socialization problem, though. He is TOO social!
On the flip side, I've seen kids who've attended public school and graduated from public school that are terribly shy and introverted. Going to public school certainly hadn't helped their social skills any.
Then there are the gangs, cliques, and bullies that are so prevalent in the public schools. Studies by the U.S. Justice Dept. and the Dept. of Education show that between 34% and 54% of children in our public schools are bullied in the classroom. (101 Reasons to Homeschool , reason #13, by: Mary Pride.) Do public school officials want to take credit for the "social skills" (or lack thereof) of those bullies? No? Why not? Aren't those bullies attending the public schools?
When I first began homeschooling my own 7th grade daughter in 1996, the only negative comment that school officials said to me was: "What about socialization?" They thought that my daughter would not be exposed to proper social skills if she was educated at home. What?!!!!!! I found their concerns laughable. After all, the very reason I was bringing my daughter home was because of the (negative) social "skills" she was learning from her friends at public school and then practicing at home! Needless to say, I have never regretted my decision to homeschool.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Homeschooling enables your child to "avoid the drama" in the public schools...
Recently, while my youngest son was undergoing training for a new job, he was asked by his supervisor where he attended high-school. When my son replied that he'd been homeschooled, his supervisor said, "That's good. You were able to avoid the drama (of public school)."
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Outlaw or Good Guy? You decide...
Playing dress-up / make-believe is loads of fun...Especially when you visit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN! My grandson had a blast! He didn't want to remove his costume after the photo shoot. lol!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The importance of Freedom of Speech...
"If freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
- George Washington, First President of the United States.
- George Washington, First President of the United States.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Update on my homeschooled nephew...
My nephew, end of grade K, is already reading and doing multiplication! Wow! Now, how many Kindergarteners do you know of who can do that? Double wow!! Is he smart or what? (Okay, I know I'm sounding like a cackling mother hen, but hey! What can I say? I'm proud of my nephew's accomplishments, and I'm proud of my baby sister for being brave enough to attempt homeschooling. It's working!) Typically, reading doesn't begin to take root until well into First Grade, and multiplication isn't even begun until the second semester of Second Grade. Congratulations on a job well done! You've already come too far to turn back now! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Homeschooling: A great tool for fighting against the possibility of future tyranny!
He who controls the schools, controls the culture...
"Let me control the textbooks and I will control the state." - Adolph Hitler
"When an opponent declares, 'I will not come over to your side,' I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already...What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.' " - Adolph Hitler in a speech given on November 06, 1939.
"Let me control the textbooks and I will control the state." - Adolph Hitler
"When an opponent declares, 'I will not come over to your side,' I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already...What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.' " - Adolph Hitler in a speech given on November 06, 1939.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
"Flowers in My Garden" craft project...
This is such a cute art project (made from construction paper or card stock) that also visually depicts the height of each child at the age in which his/her photo was taken. At the base of each flower is a patch of grass made out of construction paper or card stock. The grass is taped to the baseboard along the wall and each flower is taped to the wall above the grass. The child is a beautiful flower "growing" up out of the grass. I did not show the grass because on the grass below each flower is the name of the child, his/her age, and height in inches. (Too much information to make public. lol!)
The first and second flowers show my two grandchildren. The third flower shows their mother (my daughter) when she attended pre-school. When she was small I taught pre-school classes at a local day care center. I have kept her flower all of these years, never knowing that I would end up using it, as well as the flowers of her children, to decorate my own homeschool classroom.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Public School (Institutionalized) Education Wastes Time...
"Of a 6 hour school day, an average of 3 hours or less are spent on actual instructional time."
A report by Kennesaw State University (Georgia, USA) says that "50% of classroom time is lost due to misbehavior and being off task."
Read more about it here:
http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com
Click on the link: "A few of our best posts" ; then scroll down.
Note: Perhaps this is the reason that many public middle and high school kids are having 2 to 3 hours of homework several nights per week! They don't get it done at school, obviously.
A report by Kennesaw State University (Georgia, USA) says that "50% of classroom time is lost due to misbehavior and being off task."
Read more about it here:
http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com
Click on the link: "A few of our best posts" ; then scroll down.
Note: Perhaps this is the reason that many public middle and high school kids are having 2 to 3 hours of homework several nights per week! They don't get it done at school, obviously.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Homeschooling Dads - It's not just a "mom" thing!
Although homeschooled children are typically being supervised / taught by 'stay-at-home' moms, there is a growing number of dads taking on that role. The mothers are going to work to support the family, while the fathers are staying home to care for and educate their children. I applaud these fathers who are taking such an active role in the care and education of their children, and I applaud these mothers who have taken on their shoulders the responsibility of providing for their families.
I know one such family. Mommy ( "K") and daddy ("D") are a devout Christian couple and friends of mine. "D" is a 'stay-at-home' dad who cares for and educates their 2 young sons while "K" works to support the family. They have set up a classroom in their garage - a great idea, by the way!
(My own classroom was originally an attached carport that we have built in to make a large room.)
Way to go, Daddy "D" and Mommy "K"! You have found a way to make homeschooling work for your family. May God richly bless you and your boys on your homeschooling journey.
I know one such family. Mommy ( "K") and daddy ("D") are a devout Christian couple and friends of mine. "D" is a 'stay-at-home' dad who cares for and educates their 2 young sons while "K" works to support the family. They have set up a classroom in their garage - a great idea, by the way!
(My own classroom was originally an attached carport that we have built in to make a large room.)
Daddy "D" perusing the day's lesson.
A son listening to instruction from his teacher...
Daddy "D" giving guidance to his young student...
Way to go, Daddy "D" and Mommy "K"! You have found a way to make homeschooling work for your family. May God richly bless you and your boys on your homeschooling journey.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Homeschooling Saves American Taxpayers Lots of Money!
From Mary Pride's 101 Reasons to Homeschool :
"Every homeschooled child saves the taxpayers between $12,000 (Phoenix, AZ) and nearly $27,000 (NYC metro area). Check out this study: http://ow.ly/9h8UE ."
"Every homeschooled child saves the taxpayers between $12,000 (Phoenix, AZ) and nearly $27,000 (NYC metro area). Check out this study: http://ow.ly/9h8UE ."
Monday, April 23, 2012
Family Rituals - Making Memories...
My 3 year-old grandson (who lives next door to me) and I have started our own family ritual. Just before going to bed at night, he calls me on the phone and tells me to go out onto my front porch so he can see me as he talks to me. So, I flip on my porch light, and go outside. I look towards my grandson's house and I see that his bedroom light is on. Then, I see the shade covering his window being raised by my daughter, and my grandson's head outlined in the bottom portion of his window. I begin waving to him.
"Mammaw...Mammaw," he says.
"I'm on the porch, Baby. I'm waving to you. Do you see me?"
"I see you, Mammaw!" He begins waving back. "I gotta get some rest so I can come see you tomorrow."
"Okay, Baby. Mammaw loves you!"
"Mammaw...Mammaw," he repeats.
"What, Baby?"
"Mammaw..."
"Do you love me? Tell Mammaw you love her," I say.
"I love you, Mammaw!"
"I love you, too, Baby!" We continue to wave, as we talk to one another on the phone.
Then, I hear my grandson say to his mother, "Open my window so I can talk to Mammaw." (I guess talking on the phone to me just wasn't quite enough for him.) His mother opens his window.
My grandson then begins to holler across the yard to me, all the while his phone is still pressed to his ear. "Mammaw!" he yells.
I hold my own phone away from my head to lower his volume in my ear, as well as to lower mine in his. "What, Baby?" I holler back. (Let us remember that it is approximately 10 p.m. and we are probably disturbing the neighbors!)
"What's Sadie doing?" he yells (one of our dogs), and so our loud exchange continues on for several minutes. Sometimes, his baby sister will holler at me from the window. "Muh-muh!" I hear her say.
Finally, I say that I must go inside. (When the neighborhood dogs begin to chime in, you know it's time to wrap things up!) "I don't want you to go in," he protests. "I want to see you!"
"You can come see me tomorrow after you've gotten some rest." I tell him. I wave to him again and assure him of my great love for him. "You've got a big day tomorrow!" I say.
Finally, my grandson accepts the end of our conversation. After a final "I love you - goodnight!" I see his mother closing the window and lowering his shade. I end our phone connection and go inside, pleased with the memories we are creating and with the bond between us that is becoming stronger with each day that passes.
"Mammaw...Mammaw," he says.
"I'm on the porch, Baby. I'm waving to you. Do you see me?"
"I see you, Mammaw!" He begins waving back. "I gotta get some rest so I can come see you tomorrow."
"Okay, Baby. Mammaw loves you!"
"Mammaw...Mammaw," he repeats.
"What, Baby?"
"Mammaw..."
"Do you love me? Tell Mammaw you love her," I say.
"I love you, Mammaw!"
"I love you, too, Baby!" We continue to wave, as we talk to one another on the phone.
Then, I hear my grandson say to his mother, "Open my window so I can talk to Mammaw." (I guess talking on the phone to me just wasn't quite enough for him.) His mother opens his window.
My grandson then begins to holler across the yard to me, all the while his phone is still pressed to his ear. "Mammaw!" he yells.
I hold my own phone away from my head to lower his volume in my ear, as well as to lower mine in his. "What, Baby?" I holler back. (Let us remember that it is approximately 10 p.m. and we are probably disturbing the neighbors!)
"What's Sadie doing?" he yells (one of our dogs), and so our loud exchange continues on for several minutes. Sometimes, his baby sister will holler at me from the window. "Muh-muh!" I hear her say.
Finally, I say that I must go inside. (When the neighborhood dogs begin to chime in, you know it's time to wrap things up!) "I don't want you to go in," he protests. "I want to see you!"
"You can come see me tomorrow after you've gotten some rest." I tell him. I wave to him again and assure him of my great love for him. "You've got a big day tomorrow!" I say.
Finally, my grandson accepts the end of our conversation. After a final "I love you - goodnight!" I see his mother closing the window and lowering his shade. I end our phone connection and go inside, pleased with the memories we are creating and with the bond between us that is becoming stronger with each day that passes.
Friday, April 20, 2012
How many legs does an insect have?
In pre-school class over the past few days, my 3 year-old grandson and I have been learning about insects. Recently, I asked him this question: "How many legs does an insect have?" He replied, "All of 'em!" lol!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
"There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly" (make your own) Flannel Board Story Visual Aid...
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Quotes from John Taylor Gatto, former New York (Public School) Teacher of the Year, and promoter of homeschooling:
"The example [of homeschooling] is so glaringly positive compared to the example of the other side that inevitably more and more people will be drawn to do this, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it's the best thing to do..."
To homeschoolers, Gatto says:
"What you should be doing is exactly what you are doing now: spending about 90 percent of your time solving the problems of rearing your family decently and bringing the best out of your kids, and giving them a sense of religious purpose and civic purpose and personal power and strength. I've come to believe that most of the power that this other side has is not through their armies; it's through our fear that if we don't do what they tell us to do that somehow we'll lose out. Ignore these people's attempts to infect you with fear. If your kid knows how to read well (I think that's very important), count well, has a good attitude, loves work (sees that work is a grace and not a curse), your kid is practically impregnable."
- from an interview published in Homeschooling Today magazine, January/February 2001
To homeschoolers, Gatto says:
"What you should be doing is exactly what you are doing now: spending about 90 percent of your time solving the problems of rearing your family decently and bringing the best out of your kids, and giving them a sense of religious purpose and civic purpose and personal power and strength. I've come to believe that most of the power that this other side has is not through their armies; it's through our fear that if we don't do what they tell us to do that somehow we'll lose out. Ignore these people's attempts to infect you with fear. If your kid knows how to read well (I think that's very important), count well, has a good attitude, loves work (sees that work is a grace and not a curse), your kid is practically impregnable."
- from an interview published in Homeschooling Today magazine, January/February 2001
Friday, April 13, 2012
Rabbit Mask craft project...
We used white card stock paper and colored construction paper. Simple!
"Let Mommaw take a picture of you in your rabbit mask. Hold the carrot. Rabbits like carrots."
"Put the carrot to your mouth and let Mommaw take a picture."
"Awwwww! You're not supposed to really take a bite! Eeeeek! Stop chewing!"
lol!
A close-up view of the end results.
Doing pre-school with a 3 year old is sooooooooo much fun!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Springtime Literature & Art Project...
Walt Disney's THUMPER'S LITTLE SISTERS (book)
Thumper's three little sisters loved their big brother very much. They followed Thumper everywhere.
One day, Thumper accidentally led his sisters into danger, but he figured out a way to keep them safe.
Art Project: SPRING THUMBPRINT BUNNIES (paint thumbprints for bodies of bunnies, cotton swab tips for ears, cotton from swabs for tails, construction paper grass, sun, and background, sun rays drawn with a yellow crayon) This picture portrays Thumper, on the right, being followed by his little sisters.
Phonics: "R r" is for rabbit.
Numbers: 1 (Thumper) + 3 (sisters) = 4 rabbits
Science: Rabbits are mammals. Discuss the characteristics of mammals.
Calendar: Month of April, Season is Spring
Social Studies: Family life - the role of a big brother/big sister.
Traditional (government-run) schools separate the family...
Bethany M Gardiner, MD (Pediatrician) says:
"Homeschooling becomes a lifestyle that will draw your family together, while traditional schools are a separating force, from the physical separation during the school day to the hours of homework at night."
Dr. Gardiner also says the following about homeschooling and college readiness:
"Colleges complain that many children come to them ill-prepared for collegiate level studies and have begun to actively recruit home-schoolers, realizing that home schooled children have the skills necessary for independent learning because they are built into the home schooling lifestyle..."
Read the full article by going to http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/10/my-view-why-i-chose-home-schooling/?hpt=op_bn4
"Homeschooling becomes a lifestyle that will draw your family together, while traditional schools are a separating force, from the physical separation during the school day to the hours of homework at night."
Dr. Gardiner also says the following about homeschooling and college readiness:
"Colleges complain that many children come to them ill-prepared for collegiate level studies and have begun to actively recruit home-schoolers, realizing that home schooled children have the skills necessary for independent learning because they are built into the home schooling lifestyle..."
Read the full article by going to http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/10/my-view-why-i-chose-home-schooling/?hpt=op_bn4
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
We finally got around to making those "Baby Chick Cookies"...
Rather cute, wouldn't you say? And so simple to make! (Yes, I know you're not supposed to begin a sentence with the word 'and', but hey, that's how we talk here in the south! lol!)
For added fun, we visited family members (great-grandparents, great-uncle, cousin, etc.) and made 'special delivery' gifts of these cute, little cookies. Everyone was thrilled to receive these treats!
Cover a vanilla wafer with yellow frosting. Use chocolate chips for eyes and candy corn for the beak.
For added fun, we visited family members (great-grandparents, great-uncle, cousin, etc.) and made 'special delivery' gifts of these cute, little cookies. Everyone was thrilled to receive these treats!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The 'Disease' of Millions of Years - Ken Ham, Answers Update, volume 19, issue 4...
"Many Christian leaders think that as long as they reject biological evolution, then it doesn't really matter about the age of the earth...The reality, however, is that by allowing for millions of years, these Christian leaders have kept a 'compromise door' open...This compromise has led to a catastrophic loss of biblical authority in the church (and culture as a whole) - which includes the devastating consequence of moral relativism permeating the church...Why is the issue of time so important in the secular world? Well, without supposed millions/billions of years, secularists cannot even propose biological evolution. An old age is absolutely crucial for the secularists in their attempt to explain life without God...When Christian leaders try to add millions of years into God's Word, then they are making God responsible for death, disease, thorns, carnivory, and suffering millions of years before sin. The Bible makes it clear such things are the result of man's sin!"
For more in-depth articles about how true science actually confirms the Bible's claim to a young earth, to to:
www.answersingenesis.org
For more in-depth articles about how true science actually confirms the Bible's claim to a young earth, to to:
www.answersingenesis.org
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