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MargaretinVa
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Name: Margaret
Gender: Female
Interests: First: Being a woman who fears the Lord: Proverbs 31:30. Homeschooling - been doing it for about 13 years. Most things domestic - I'm a Prairie Muffin! Reading, reading and more reading. I like lots of different kinds of music and Colonial American art.I have this blog first, to keep in touch with friends and family and second to encourage homeschooling moms-at-home. I hope to especially encourage unorganized homeschool moms.
Expertise: Picking myself up, and trying again. God's mercies are new every morning!
Occupation: HomeMAKER
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
10/19/2005
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| Tips on Homeschooling Preschoolers...Sorry that I have been MIA. Things are very busy here, as we are finishing up the last few weeks of our school year and plan for the next.
I found this little list while cleaning up files on my computer. Hope it encourages someone.
Tips for Homeschooling Preschoolers
by Margaret Doskey
#1 Get thee to a parenting class! The most important thing is to raise our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I highly recommend the materials from Family Ministries- “Child Training Tips” by Reb Bradley comes in book, tapes, or video-terrific resource.
#2 Train him to sit still, quiet and unoccupied. Other words, self-control.
#3 Read aloud, Read aloud, Read aloud! “Honey for a Child’s Heart” by Gladys Hunt. And as an aside, television & video, being a passive medium has been proven to impair language skills, limit it severely!
#4 Talk,, Talk, Talk! Explain what you are doing, tell how God made everything, count, sing, ask questions, use proper English.
#5 Mom & Dad- Pray, Read & Pray! Various homeschool books:
"When You Rise Up" by R.C. Sproul, Jr.
“Home Grown Kids” by Raymond Moore
“Homeschooling, the Right Choice” by Chris Klicka
“ For the Children’s Sake” Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
“ What’s a Daughter to Do?” tape by Doug Phillips of Vision forum
“ Homeschooling with a Meek & Quiet Spirit” by Terri Maxwell
“ Dumbing Us Down; the hidden curriculum behind compulsive education” by John T. Gatto
“ Clergy in the Classroom” by David Noeble
#7 Teach her to read in little bits (5 min.) at a time, knowing the alphabet is not necessary and some say actually causes confusion… Ask, “do you want to take a nap now, or do some reading practice?” “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” by Engelmann & Haddox & Bruner
#8 Math, count, observe. Cuisenaire Rods along with the activity cards.
#9 Writing Readiness- Ready Writer workbook
#10 “Doing School” Rod & Staff Preschool workbooks
#11 Memorize, memorize, memorize! Kids this age are sponges (how quick do they memorize commercial jingles?). Put it to music and they will learn it. Scripture tapes (Steve Green), Catechism (Judy Rogers), Science, history, French & Latin vocabulary. Play the same Scripture CD over and over at Bedtime for a month. Record a tape of things you want her to learn (birth date, address, family mantra, etc.), use it as a timer for an activity. | | |
| Homeschooling in the news...A Secular Newspaper in Mississippi has this to say in an article...
"Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.
Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return. "
Read the whole article here.
Thanks to Stacy at Sacred Calling for the heads up! | | |
| Busy, Busy, Busy! What is it about summer months that make everyday life so busy? We planned to continue school as we always do right on through the summer but the last couple of weeks have been crazy and we are doing well if we get the basic seat work in!
The big news is that our oldest son has gotten engaged to the most lovely young lady. We are all very excited and are working on making a wedding happen the last weekend in October.
I have been putting off posting because I wanted to write something brilliant about courtship and about young ladies who are dedicating their lives to serving others...what a blessing they are. But I'm so busy that words fail me.
Meanwhile, let me just say that it is an amazing blessing to have the two of them continue to seek counsel from their parents and to ask us to do a study on marriage with them! I'm amazed at God's goodness to us, when we have so often been so unfaithful!
The Garden from Doug Wilson's book Her Hand in Marriage | | |
| That Ol' Moloch Box!Television
The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotized by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rate and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
Roald Dahl
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| Back to Meal-Time Sanity
Late Riser's Miserable Breakfast by Carl Larsson
I have been noticing something lately... some of my kids have grown picky. I believe that for one, it is the side-effect of having more grocery money at my disposal; not having to stick to simpler foods… mostly though, I believe the reason is lack of vigilance on my part. In my experience, the answer to this is a sort of meal-time boot camp. No more choices, just thankfulness. (How often does God have to deal with us, thus?)
There was a time when the task of meal planning was much saner in this household. I’m being nostalgic and going back to the way it was, at least to the degree that I’m able.
We are going to have our breakfasts planned according to the routine of the day. For instance on Monday, we “hit the floor running”, it is the day that we have extra mess around the house after the festivities of the Lord’s Day, we usually have laundry piled up because we didn’t do any on Saturday and Sunday, and it is the day that we have a standing appointment in the afternoon – piano lessons. So, on Monday, breakfast is easy, and you must get it yourself - Mom is busy! The kids can choose between cereal, toast, any designated leftovers in the fridge or make themselves an egg, as long as they clean up the mess!
Monday lunch is also about speed and ease, usually grilled cheese. The rest of the week, we will have soup made from “must-goes”, fresh bread and fruit.
So here is what my morning meal plan looks like:
Breakfast: Each day, Kephir Smoothies &
Monday (our crazy day): Catch as catch can!
Tuesday : Oatmeal and bacon
Wednesday: Pancakes or Brown Rice Waffles and sausage
Thursday: Grits and ham
Friday: French Toast & sausage
Saturday: (Grocery shopping early in the morning) Muffins
Sunday: Muffins or other baked goodies, breakfast casserole
(There are some of us who must have protein at breakfast.)
Lunches will be soup, bread & fruit. If the soup runs out, or we have to eat on the run, we will have tortilla wraps or sandwiches.
I’m hoping that going back to this plan will result in healthier attitudes at the table. I’m also hoping that as prices go up, it will make things easier on our budget. | | |
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