Has your preschooler ever asked you the question, “What can I do next, Mom”, and your mind just goes blank? If this has ever happened to you, it may be to your advantage to have some simple activities on hand. Here is a suggested activity that may prove to be an answer to your child’s request.

This activity can serve to teach your child some simple readiness skills while he is having fun. The activity takes only a few minutes to do but is an activity that a child often delights in doing over and over again. The beauty of it all is that the activity only requires simple materials found at home.

Hint: You may have to do the activity first to show the child how to do it. This will build his confidence and also aid in motivating him to participate in the activity and do it again independently.

To begin the activity, “Put It In A Line”, use a piece of yarn, string or masking tape approximately a yard long. (A yard stick or a tape measure could also suffice for the activity). Lay it in a straight line that is facing the child from left to right. Give the child a paper bag containing about five to ten assorted items such as a small block, key, small sponge, clothespin, large button, small rock, spool, small toy, spoon, cup or whatever items you have on hand..

Start on the left and place one of the items from the bag on the yarn, string or tape. Show the child the left and right movement that he can follow by sweeping your hand across in this direction. Encourage the child to continue moving from left to right placing the objects chosen from the bag on the yarn or tape until the bag is empty. The objects should be in a line.

Next, encourage the child to pick up each item one at a time from left to right until all of the objects are back in the bag. The words, “left” and “right” need not be emphasized; just the movement with the hand is sufficient to enable the child to under left to right direction.

This teaches the child to clean up and not leave assorted items on the floor when not being used. This activity also helps to make the child aware of left to right progression, (a preliminary step in beginning to read and spell).

This activity also enhances the sense of touch in handling the various shaped objects in the bag and improves eye-hand coordination. The child also can develop skill in following directions and completing a task. The concepts “on” “off” , “one” (item or object) as well “empty” (when the bag has no more objects) may also be emphasized.

This activity may be repeated on different occasions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

June R. Oberlander

The book Slow and Steady Get Me Ready is a wonderful resource for those of you with young children! This book would also be great for those with”special needs” children who are developmentally delayed and a unique gift for a baby shower. This book was written by June Oberlander, a retired kindergarten teach with over 25 years of teaching experience. This book started out as notes written to her daughter who was looking for interesting learning activities to do with her first baby. What has evolved is a thick book with five years worth of learning experiences. If you are not one who goes for pushing a small child to learn, then you will discover that this book avoids that. It is very practical, can be done inexpensively with items found around the house, doesn’t take a lot of time and helps to increase a good parent/child bond through close interaction… Best of all it is FUN!

Starting from the first week of a child’s life, there are activities to do to insure good development. This book covers it all from awareness skills as an infant, progressing on up through readiness skills for school at the age of five. It is divided into 260 weeks with a different activity for each week. The book also includes an outline for the approximate age that a child will be ready to learn specific things which will be helpful in preparing a child for formal learning in school.

Visit June Oberlander site!

You have decided to home school your children. You have been thinking and praying about it for some time. As September approaches you know it is time. Where to start? The choices seem overwhelming.

How well I remember those days. My children had spent the previous year in a new rural public school. They had completed 1st, 3rd, and 6th grades. They were unhappy with school. I was unhappy with school. I knew there had to be a better way. I asked questions of everyone I could find who had home schooled. I read every book in the library on the subject. I prayed without ceasing. I ordered curriculum catalogs. I went to the home school fair. I read even more.

Once my husband and I made the decision there was peace. I knew that I would be stretched tremendously, but I knew it was the answer. God was faithful to encourage us over and over. Now the decision was made, but where to begin.

I felt we needed a structured program with accountability for the first year. I needed to know what to teach and how to teach. We selected a complete program from Christian Liberty Academy. This program provided diagnostic testing, all books and manuals, and the record keeping. It made me feel secure.

The curriculum choices are staggering. I really suggest you pick one provider for the first year. At the end of the year re-evaluate what worked and what didn’t. I really believe that all curriculum works if you use it. They differences are mostly about style and design. As you grow in confidence you will feel more secure about choosing curriculum

I read about learning styles. I realized that my children did not all learn the same way. My girls were both visual learners. They were also very self motivated. They were excited about home school. My son was a busy, wiggly, distracted, hands-on kinesthetic learner. I understood that could be a challenge to both of us.

The first year proved to be a time of adjustments for everyone. I learned how to teach to all three learning styles. The visual learners loved books, posters, charts, and lists. The kinesthetic learner wanted hands-on projects, manipulatives, and artwork. Auditory learners need to talk about what they are learning. This meant teaching concepts several ways. I learned when I taught to all three styles all the children learned more.

I read about school style and goals. I begin to understand there was not one perfect way to home school. What did we want for our family? We could choose Charlotte Mason method, unit studies, the principle approach, classical education, independent learning, textbook based, history emphasis, accelerated education, or unschooling. So many choices! How to choose what was best for our children?

After reading about each I felt pulled toward independent accelerated education. It was suggested that I home school my youngest because at first grade (age 5) she was already well ahead of all her classmates. She began reading at age 4 and scored 2 years ahead of her classmates. My oldest daughter was also ahead of her age mates by 1-1/2 years. It seemed to fit these children to teach them to work at their own pace . I wanted them to learn how to learn.

I developed a weekly goal chart, which showed the minimum work to be accomplished each day. They were to cross off each assignment as completed. They enjoyed the control this gave them. They could choose to do the minimum or work ahead.

They first year also was used to undo the attitudes and expectations of public school. We worked on attitudes and character traits. I set up an incentive program to reinforce the behaviors I wanted to see. I assigned scripture memorization. The children were allowed to earn points for prizes. They really enjoy this. The younger children especially respond to this method. The prizes were all school related.

Scheduling was also import to our school. I wanted to be sure that all the important things were accomplished each day. We set a starting time and the order for subjects. We also scheduled regular breaks and lunch times. The children were finished for the day when the minimum was completed.

Above everything else my attitude played the most important role. If I was grouchy or insecure or rushed or out of control everything else was effected. If I relied on the Lord and have my attitude and heart right everything ran smoother. I must constantly seek Him, be in the Word, submit my will, and be teachable. When I do that He is able to guide me on the right path.

What are the results? My youngest daughter Allison is 13 She is happy and challenged. She will complete the last part of 9th grade this year. She is taking piano lesson. She loves reading historical fiction and biographies. She loves the Lord and is thinking about becoming a pastor. She wants to use her musical gift for the Lord.

My son Jordan is 16. He started as an unmotivated average student. He scored his highest ever on achievement scores this spring (98th%). He loves the Lord. He witnesses to kids at the park. He loves to roller blade and is playing the bass guitar for adult and youth worship services.

My oldest daughter Melissa is 18. She graduated from American School (an accredited correspondence high school program) in June 1999 at age 16. She went on a mission trip to Mexico in August. She is active in a discipleship youth group. She is in her 2nd year of college to become a preschool teacher.

As you can see, 7 years of home school has brought many dividends. I urge you to seek the Lord, become friends with other home school families, and get involved in your church. If we can do it, so can you.

Take one day at a time and pray every step of the way. Enjoy watching your children learn about this world in which they live.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kay Green and her family live in rural Oregon. They have home schooled for the past 7 years. She loves helping new families start the journey of home school. She has a web page at http://www.preciouskids.org

She has also written the book: HOMESCHOOL-A New Beginning!

Preschoolers can learn many things by learning to listen more carefully and then following directions. Educators have proven that young children learn best through meaningful play experiences. Some young children may even balk at too much structure. Proper guidance and interaction is essential. “Play is a child’s work”. Why not “employ” the child to work by playing games with the child. This will enrich the parent child bond. Simple play listening learning experiences can be initiated at any time of the day, especially when a child is looking for something to do.

A simple game to play could be “I Spy”. To play this game, look around the room and find something that has the red in it. Then tell the child that you spy something “red”. Allow the child to look around the room for something red and ask him to tell you when he/she has spied it. Continue playing the game until you cannot find anything else that has red in it. Then play “I Spy” with the color blue in the same way. Other colors may be taught in the same way.

To make the game more interesting, cut out a cardboard-shaped mirror with a hole where the glass should be. Look through the hole and pretend to locate something “red” or “blue” (introduce other colors later). This will give the child a clue as to the direction of the red or blue object that you spy.

Encourage the child to go and point to something red or blue. Help the child if necessary. If the child is close to the colored object say “You are getting warm”. If the child is going in the wrong direction say, “You are cold”. Avoid teasing the child. Security and success in finding red and blue objects are essential. Be sure to use only one color at a time. Interchanging the colors will tend to confuse a child of this age. However, at a later time interchanging the colors will add advanced interest. This activity involves listening for the color and finding it in a certain place. The child must feel secure with thecolor to find its location.

This simple activity can be used to teach the basic colors, shapes,letters and numbers. It serves to develop skill in using clues for problem solving. It also develops skill in matching colors (shapes, letters or numbers). Language enrichment is enhanced as well as self confidence.

To play the game, make it simple and name something obvious that the child should look for in a room or outside. If the child asked you to repeat what you said. Repeat the command and observe whether the child spied the correct object. Continue until the child can accurately follow the I spy command. Some children can readily do this but others need practice to succeed.

The game “I spy” may be expanded to teach colors. For example, I spy something red. This may be expanded to find many things that are red. Once the child can spy the color red, introduce blue and continue with the primary colors until the child has successfully listened for the correct color name, found something red and has met success.

This game may be further expanded to teach shapes, names of things, letters, numbers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

June R. Oberlander

The book Slow and Steady Get Me Ready is a wonderful resource for those of you with young children! This book would also be great for those with”special needs” children who are developmentally delayed and a unique gift for a baby shower. This book was written by June Oberlander, a retired kindergarten teacher with over 25 years of teaching experience. This book started out as notes written to her daughter who was looking for interesting learning activities to do with her first baby. What has evolved is a thick book with five years worth of learning experiences. If you are not one who goes for pushing a small child to learn, then you will discover that this book avoids that. It is very practical, can be done inexpensively with items found around the house, doesn’t take a lot of time and helps to increase a good parent/child bond through close interaction… Best of all it is FUN!

Starting from the first week of a child’s life, there are activities to do to insure good development. This book covers it all from awareness skills as an infant, progressing on up through readiness skills for school at the age of five. It is divided into 260 weeks with a different activity for each week. The book also includes an outline for the approximate age that a child will be ready to learn specific things which will be helpful in preparing a child for formal learning in school.

Visit June Oberlander site!

Among the obvious benefits of sitting down and playing a good old-fashioned game with your children is the opportunity that games provide to apply and solidify the mathematical reasoning and calculating skills your children are learning in school. Perceptual and verbal skills have both been linked to mathematical achievement levels. That is, math does not only involve strong number skills. It also involves visual-perceptual skills, auditory perceptual and verbal skills, as well as strong logical thinking skills and fine motor skills.

Visual perceptual skills help your child to keep his written computations organized with aligned columns. They also help him to differentiate between the symbols, shapes and sizes found in math. They help him to understand the part-whole concepts needed for fractions, to and understand sequential concepts (e.g., before and after). Auditory perceptual and verbal skills help your child to distinguish between similar sounding numbers (e.g., 13 and 30; 1000 and 1000th), follow directions, follow oral drills and dictated assignments, count on from within a sequence, explain why a problem is solved as it is, write numbers from dictation and comprehend story problems. Abstract and logical reasoning skills help your child to solve story problems, compare sizes using symbols, understand number patterns, understand place-value concepts and apply concepts to symbols. Finally, fine-motor skills are needed for completing written calculations and manipulating concrete materials.

Up until children are 6 years old, their primary way of learning about the world is through their senses. Between 2 and 6 years they are laying the foundation skills needed for learning mathematical concepts. These include understanding concepts such as more- or less-than, before and after, categorizing, making sets, finding pairs and making one-to-one correspondence, sequencing, identifying parts of a whole, understanding cause-effect relationships, recognizing patterns, rote counting skills, and recognizing numbers. Games that help build the concepts of more or less-than include Don’t Spill the Beans and Lucky Ducks. Games such as Candy Land and Shoots and Ladders help to build the concepts of “before” and “after”. Concepts that include balance, cause-effect, making predictions, logical and visual reasoning and fine motor skills include Don’t Spill the Beans, Spaghetti Game and Don’t Break the Ice. Lucky Ducks and Potato Head are two more games that build fine motor skills, as well as one-to-one correspondence, part-whole concepts, matching, and memory. Higher level skills such as memory, concentration, attention, identifying sets, number identification and recognition of dot patterns of numbers can be solidified by playing games such as Bingo, The Memory Game and Cootie. Finally, rote counting skills can easily be incorporated into all of these games by parents.

Starting around 6 years, children begin to attach meaning to the numbers they have previously learned by rote. For example, 7 is 1 more than 6, not just the number that comes after 6 when you are counting aloud. They can use objects and manipulatives to understand mathematical concepts and numbers. From the ages of 4 to 11 children need objects in the physical world to learn about abstract mathematical concepts. Their memory for math facts can be reinforced in any game by incorporating the rule of answering one to three flash cards correctly before taking a turn. Games such as Chinese Checkers, Checkers, Connect Four and Battleship all build the visual perceptual organization skills needed to read and build charts and graphs and to align columns in long mathematical problems. Planning, cause-effect, and logical reasoning skills are also addressed by those games as well as games such as Clue Junior and Guess Who. Card games, including games like Uno, and any card tricks, build sequencing, memory and number pattern recognition, as well as mental computation skills such as addition and skip counting. Dominos is another good game to build visual memory for number patterns, as well as fine motor skills. Games such as Monopoly Junior begin to build basic money skills and doubling skills, while games such as Clue Junior and Guess Who build the problem-solving skills that will become increasingly important as your child progresses through his school math classes.

Starting around 11 to 12 years, children begin to reason and think about numbers and concepts at the abstract level. The games children this age can play become significantly more complicated, and the games’ connections to math skills become more obvious. However children continue to benefit from the multisensory, interactive and experiential nature of the game format for learning well into their young adult years. Reading large numbers and building place-value concepts are skills exercised in games such as Masterpiece, Careers and Life. It is at this stage that many games incorporate money skills into their formats. Careers, Life, Monopoly, Easy Money and Pay Day incorporate money skills that range from the very basic such as counting money and determining correct change, to advanced concepts and skills such as bankruptcy, inflation, taxes, rent, salary, accounting, bartering and bidding, interest, mortgaging, bills, loans and budgeting. Many games incorporate higher thinking skills. For instance, games like Masterpiece, Careers, Monopoly, Life, Clue, Backgammon, and particularly Master Mind all exercise logical and deductive reasoning, predicting and planning, problem solving, and visual perceptual and organizational skills. Some of these games even build higher level math concepts such as fractions, ratios, and percentages into their formats.

Professional educators disagree about many theories. However, most educators agree that children learn best by becoming actively engaged in experiences that allow them to interact and discuss ideas and concepts with other learners. Games are a great way for parents to provide learning experiences for their children that are engaging, interactive and most importantly, fun! Board games are especially good for building mathematical concepts and skills. They are fun and engage all the senses (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and motor). Because learning is a social process, children learn best through fun activities that involve interaction with other people, all the senses and the opportunity to act out concepts using physical representations. There are many commercial games that offer all of these, making them ideal learning tools. So, go ahead and turn off your TV and even the computer, and try a good old-fashioned board game with your kids. A price can not be put on the quality of the time you will have spent with your children. They will have fun while learning, and they will remember those times with greater fondness than the times they spent playing the educational computer games or watching the educational TV programs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julie Tiss is the Director of Tiss’ Tutoring and Testing, a member of WISER and the mother of two. You can reach her by e-mail at: jtiss@gmu.edu.

A parent’s reasons for choosing homeschooling are probably as individual as the parents, but I thought I would share with you some of the reasons why I chose to educate my children at home.

1) I like having control over what my children are learning.

This may be important to you if you have strong religious, moral or even political views. When your children are in public school you have no control over what they are being taught…if you can even figure out what they’re being taught at all!

You may be able to review their schoolbooks and worksheets but as far as knowing what goes on in their day to day interactions with teachers, it’s almost impossible to know what that is past the preschool and Kindergarten levels. Your child’s teacher may be imparting subtle influences to your child that you would rather they not be exposed to…at least not yet, and not without the opportunity to impart those ideas through the screen of your own beliefs.

I remember a lot of “fluff” and busywork in school…time that had to be used up somehow until the bell rang. Homeschooling cuts out all the fluff. You can keep your curriculum limited to the basics if you want, or you can tailor the curriculum to fit your family’s priorities. A lot of homeschool families include Bible and religious studies, character development, gardening, crafts and handiwork in their day. Useful life skills and entrepreneurship are often a priority of homeschooling families.

This leads me to reason #2…

2) It’s in my child’s best interests to be their primary teacher.

Since it’s my responsibility to decide what’s best for my child, I want to be the person to teach them. I know my children best…their learning style, their individual strengths and weaknesses as people, their age and level of development. I can build a homeschool curriculum that is best suited for them as individuals.

3) Homeschooling is not new or cutting-edge…it’s ancient.

As a parent who is trying to do things the natural way, I can’t help but notice that the entire idea of sending children off somewhere to be “schooled” is a new concept. I tend to shy away from things that are supposed to be so necessary and important for my kids that are actually new behaviors for human beings!

When did we get the idea that we needed to shuttle kids off somewhere to learn how to grow up to be successful, intelligent adults? Since the beginning of time, parents have taught their children the necessary life skills, character traits, stories, songs, history, and more that they needed to know in order to grow up well in their environment.

I believe that as a parent, that’s my job. Just as a Mother is equipped to grow her baby in her womb, feed her infant from her body, she is also capable of teaching her child important life skills.

4) I homeschool my kids because I love them and want to keep them near me.

No, I’m not an overprotective “smother”. I relish an hour or two spent away from the responsibilities of childrearing, as does any honest Mother! But it does concern me that sending my kids to school would mean having them away from my protective eyes at a very young, impressionable, tender age. The weekly (daily!?) news reports of child molestation in schools, bullying, racial strife, gangs, violence, etc. deeply offend me. I can only protect my children so much from these dangers in this world. Homeschooling is one thing I can do. Children are young for such a short time. They grow up so fast and soon fly away from the nest.

Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, and public and private education have their place, but for my family, home is where it’s at!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carrie Lauth is a work at home mom of (almost) 4 children. She has an informative newsletter for Natural Moms at http://www.natural-moms.com

We adopted the classical model for homeschooling our five children a number of years ago for many reasons—the study of the good, the true, and the beautiful; the study and discussion of the Great Books; the chronological study of history; the study of classical languages; the gentle and flexible rigor model; and the application of a biblical worldview to all of our studies and to all of history, to name a few. Now our oldest is 14, and the reality of the college years is on the horizon! If God has put college in the future for our children, and it seems at this point that He has, then how can we be sure that we are preparing them for success? What qualities are important to colleges in their incoming students? What preparation is expected? What words of wisdom would they offer as we look into the process of college applications?

We sent these questions to representatives of five different colleges, and we got some very interesting answers. We received helpful responses from Dr. David Whalen, Dean of Faculty at Hillsdale College; Dr. David Noe, Assistant Professor of Classics at Patrick Henry College: Terry Stollar, Director of Admissions and Development at Gutenberg College; Dr. Roy Atwood, President of New St. Andrews College; and Rosemary Harty, Director of Communications at St. Johns College. Each school has a unique vision, varying expectations, and widely divergent views about faith and truth. But, there is much in the way of expectations and advice that they all have in common.

A Teachable Spirit and Strong Work Ethic

At the top of the list of qualities they think are important for incoming freshmen is a teachable spirit and a willingness to work hard. Dr. Noe says, “We are looking for students who have a strong work ethic … a teachable disposition, one willing to take direction. A high opinion of oneself that is unwarranted is the greatest impediment to successful learning.” Dr. Atwood writes, “We seek students who have a teachable spirit and know how to work hard with joy.” Mr. Whalen wants students with “an intellectual hunger, a sincere desire to study for its own sake, not just jump through academic hoops. Students need to be alive to the wonder of the created order …” I love this; one of the things about classical Christian education is this delightful emphasis on the worship of a God of wonder, a God of order.

Reading, Writing, and Thinking about the Great Books

Also high on the list of what these schools expect is an interest in reading, discussing, and writing about ideas. All these schools will expect their students to be eager to read the great works and to write about them. At these colleges, students are not expected to sit back and watch the professor; instead, they are highly engaged in discussion, exploration, and discovery. St. Johns is an extreme example. Rosemary Harty writes that St. Johns students are “directors of their own education. Their teachers will be a hundred plus great books, from Plato and Aristotle to de Tocqueville, Twain and Einstein…. We call our faculty members ‘tutors.’ Their role is to be model learners.”

It is a little different at Patrick Henry College. Students have a little less freedom but are still expected to be greatly engaged in writing and discussion of the Great Books. Dr. Noe writes, “The best preparation for succeeding at PHC is one in which the student does not shy away from difficult subjects, reads the Classics, and learns to write with precision and accuracy…. In addition, students should follow the advice of Pliny to read, not many works, but a few important works carefully. In other words, carefully reading Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Herodotus’s Histories, four or five of Plato’s Dialogues, Virgil’s Aeneid, and a few of Cicero’s speeches is far better preparation than any one hundred titles, fiction or nonfiction, from the last fifty years.”

At Gutenberg College, Terry Trollar says, “The best preparation … is to read voraciously and discuss good and great literature.” Students have “an interactive education where they can read works and then talk about what they learned with others who long to do the same.… Gutenberg offers a unique program that encourages them to learn and to ask deep-seated, scary questions without flinching. At Gutenberg, we feel Truth can stand up to tough scrutiny.”

Goodness, Truth, and Beauty

Also common to these classical and Great Books schools is an expectation that students will have a keen interest in what is good, true, and beautiful. Mr. Whalen writes, “students should also have a well cultivated and encouraged love of good, beautiful, and true things, so that their education does not become the mere acquisition of data or the mastery of information.” Students should give careful attention to being well rounded Christians who delight in truth, goodness and beauty, and not be myopic eggheads,” according to Dr. Atwood.

Academic Preparation

Most of the colleges expect between two and four years of foreign language, preferably Latin, and at least three years of math. Three years of science is also expected, preferably with lab work. Dr. Atwood adds, “Our students will read mountains of challenging books each year, so prospective students should develop their reading speed and comprehension.”

Nontraditional Students

Some Great Books and classical schools are uniquely appropriate for students who may not have been successful in high school, but who have a sincere desire to learn and a willingness to engage and interact over ideas. At Gutenberg College, some freshmen—says Mr. Stollar—are older students who did not do well in high school and became disillusioned with education, but later realized that they had some questions that could be answered through studies of the Bible and the classics. They are ready for a rigorous academic program after figuring out what their questions are and after a few years of maturing. St. Johns also offers a program that may appeal to a unique type of student. Students take few tests; grades are not highly emphasized; and competition with other students is not part of the culture—students work together.

Do Your Homework: Visit the College

Each school strongly recommends that prospective students do careful homework as they choose which college they would like to attend. Students should visit the colleges, talk to students and professors, even sit in on classes. Dr. Atwood writes, “Don’t trust all the glitzy brochures or slick advertisements. College recruiters, even Christian ones, have become as notorious as used car salesmen. Too many students and families rely on what others say or think rather than doing their own careful study.” Rosemary Harty urges that students come for “an overnight visit, and a visit to a seminar and other classes. That way, prospective students can talk with faculty members and current students.”

Each School Is Unique

We have a brief survey here of only five colleges, each with some commonalities, but each with a very different vision. At Patrick Henry, the vision is “to train young people who, by God’s grace, will lead the nation and shape the culture.” Students are trained to get involved in the culture—government, policy-making, and education. At Gutenberg, the goal is to prepare students “to engage our culture and to be personally prepared to face the difficult questions that life throws our way without seeking trite, proof-texted simplistic answers. We are truly like L’Abri, except a L’Abri that has students for four years rather than two weeks or three months.” New St. Andrews has a focus on community interaction and church involvement. Students are encouraged to board with Christian families or share apartments together, and student service and accountability “strengthen their Christian experience and spiritual growth in a way that cannot occur in a cloistered, age-segregated campus setting.” At St. Johns, the vision has little to do with job skills and employability but rather “the ability to think critically, to write and speak clearly, to be prepared to assume the responsibilities of an educated citizen in a democracy.” Hillsdale is more traditional with their vision: “A place where excellence is expected … where students are highly sought after; truth is pursued and a traditional liberal arts education is still a reality.”

Pray and Do Your Best

Mr. Whalen has some great closing advice. He writes, “Applying to college is important, but not nearly so important as what happens in college. Select the right school or schools, pray, do your best on the application, then commit yourself to four years of incredible intellectual, moral and even spiritual formation. This four-year span is like no other. It will remain a great period, remembered with delight and wonder, for the rest of your life.”

Each of our children is being prepared for a unique purpose, so the search for the appropriate place for college is one that requires prayer and plenty of homework. I hope that our brief peek at these five institutions gives you hope for the possibilities that are available. May God grant that we might someday be able to look back with our children on their college experiences and say, as Mr. Whalen did, that it was filled with delight and wonder.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Diane Wheeler, chief contributor to TOS’s Home Ec column, and her husband John have five children. Diane enjoys gardening, photography, working in her art journal, corresponding with friends, reading, staring out her favorite window, and laughing – all with a mug of dark roast decaf withing reach.

Copyright 2005. Used with permission. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Right now, 19 free gifts when you subscribe. www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com

My husband and I have worked hard to make ends meet with one salary. Just recently, though, we have found the expenses starting to stretch the seams of our carefully sewn budget. For that reason, I was excited to interview Jonni McCoy, author of Miserly Moms. She has great suggestions and practical wisdom. Jonni is also joining our home economics column as a regular contributor. In this issue, she will give us ideas for the holidays, and future columns will include getting out of debt, fun vacations, and teaching children financial responsibility We are pleased to have her expertise here in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Welcome Jonni!

TOS: Jonni, I am glad to get a chance to talk with you. We have lived frugally for years, but it doesn’t seem to be getting easier. I know our children are getting older, which impacts the food budget, but I think it must be more than that.

Jonni: It is easy to lose your momentum—to get stuck in thinking, “I need to have this,” or “I have done without this long enough.” We get tired. It is hard work, and it takes a lot of commitment.

TOS: Can you tell me the story of how Miserly Moms began?

Jonni: Sure. I was working full-time, making a little more than half of our income in Silicon Valley. I felt convicted to be at home with my son, but I couldn’t see how I could give up my whole income. I figured I would work part time, but I still had the conviction that I was supposed to stop work completely. I kept putting it off, but finally, the conviction was so strong that I up and quit. My husband and I thought we were going to have to move, and we put our house on the market, found another house and were ready to go. Then I said, “I don’t want you commuting that far, and I don’t want to live there.” We took our house off the market, and my husband asked, “What do you want to do now?” I said, “I don’t know. I’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

Then, my husband challenged me, “I’ll give you four months to realize it won’t work, and then we will move.” I scrambled to find every way to save and make it work. I hadn’t been raised frugally, so this was a whole new journey for me. I started keeping a notebook, and every time I read something or thought of an idea, I wrote it down. Groceries were going to be the biggest area, so I worked on that a lot. I showed my husband that it was going to work, and we stayed put.

About a year or so later, I was in a playgroup with other moms. They had a newsletter, and they asked me if I would like to share what I had learned by writing a column. Over the years, people kept asking for copies of the newsletter, and my husband said, “We could put all of those columns in a little booklet.” We self-published a sixty-page booklet, ran ads across the nation, and did very well. We had advertised with Great Christian Books, and they asked, “We are going to start a publishing division. Would you like to be one of our first books?” I added some more information to make it more than sixty pages and off it went. Bethany House is now the publisher.

TOS: You were able to cut half of your costs?

Jonni: Yes, and all in expensive Silicon Valley. We lived in a tiny townhouse, with only one bathroom for the four of us, and we owned older cars with no car payments, but we did it.

TOS: What advice do you give to families that are trying to live on one income?

Jonni: The largest place we were able to save money was groceries, so I would spend a good portion of time there. That is why I spent half of the Miserly Moms book on groceries. We found a couple of hundred dollars there, and used that money for other expenses that we couldn’t trim. There are smaller ways that you can make dents: with your cars, entertainment, and educational choices. I would begin by taking a hard look at where the money is going. Keep track of all your expenses, every single receipt, for two months.

For tracking, use whatever works. If you already own Quicken software, that is a great way to keep track. Remember, every check and every ATM receipt needs to be categorized. If you don’t own software, I would just throw every receipt in an envelope and at the end of the period, you can just take a piece of paper, choose your categories, and put each expense in the right category. Ask the questions, “Is that where you want to be spending your money? How can we be trimming down? Where do we need to sacrifice?”

TOS: I imagine it is an eye-opening exercise.

Jonni: It is amazing. The first time we did this was eleven or twelve years ago. Back then, I was spending $35 a month on fast food. I was just getting one hamburger for my son and one hamburger for me, but, it is amazing how much it adds up. When I saw that, I said, “We can eat at home, not run errands during lunch or bring something with us if we are going to be out.”

TOS: What about families that have a large debt or that have a large purchase they need to save for? What kind of strategies do you recommend?

Jonni: It is pretty much the same. You are going to have to use frugal tips in order to get that money out of the budget. Another thing to remember is to buy only what you need.

TOS: One of the biggest parts of frugality is defining what a true necessity is.

Jonni: People do think they need things they can easily get by without. I know friends that do not have mini-vans, even with kids, because they know they can get by with a four-door sedan.

TOS: Let’s talk about your book, Miserly Meals. Why did you write this particular book?

Jonni: It was to dispel the myth that frugal food is gross. I spend so much time talking about groceries in Miserly Moms, and there are people who say, “I am not going to go there because I am not going to feed my family unhealthy food.” I wrote Miserly Meals to prove that you could have tasty, nutritious meals that don’t cost very much. Each meal had to be seventy-five cents or less per serving, plus there had to be a nutritional analysis to show that they were sound. Then, they had to go through five taste chefs in order to pass the test. I often get asked, “Well, what do you eat? How can you feed your family on that much money?” I have to say, I probably eat the same things they do. It is just that I let the sales dictate my menu and I will stock up on sales and freeze the extra. I am still having chicken, rice and broccoli, but I am probably paying $2.00 for my meal instead of $7.00 for a meal.

TOS: You talk about the food ads in the newspapers. Is it safe to assume that everything on the front page of a food ad is a good deal?

Jonni: Yes, the front and the back of those ads are called “loss leaders.” The middle pages may or may not be, but the front and the back pages are usually really good deals. Sometimes the stores are even losing money on those items in order to get you in the store.

TOS: So, if I am starting to keep a book of food prices, I can use these ads for good prices?

Jonni: Yes, it is a great place to begin.

TOS: Do you recommend shopping at warehouse clubs?

Jonni: I have been able to do as well—or better—with sales at the grocery store. There are a few items—like computer supplies, office supplies, clothing, and batteries—whose prices I cannot beat anywhere else. However, if you have a problem with self-control, don’t go. It is not worth it.

You can purchase Jonni’s three books, Miserly Moms, Miserly Meals, and Frugal Families from her website at www.miserlymoms.com. There you will find a lot more information on frugal living. Some of us need cost saving assistance and some of us need help with debt reduction, but all of us can find ideas in Jonni’s books that can save us money immediately.

We have included some of Jonni’s favorite suggestions for savings, and a couple of recipes from Miserly Meals, published by Bethany House. I think we can all see that she will have great things to contribute to our Home Economics class in the months to come.

1) Don’t eat out—you will pay five or six times more for it.

2) Find free or inexpensive entertainment ideas. Go to free factory tours, free museum events, walks in the park, bike rides, picnics, rent free movies from the library, or save money by going to the first showing of the day at the movie theatre.

3) Give up convenience foods. They can cost up to four times more than if you make it yourself.

4) Buy in bulk.

5) Buy your paper products on sale at the grocery store, not in the warehouse stores.

6) Buy clothes at the thrift store.

7) Go to garage sales in the richer neighborhoods.
Re-think your vacations. Try to avoid trendy vacation spots and find the local historical things in your state. They are much closer and usually cheaper.

Additional suggestions from the Wheeler family:

We live in the historic gold rush area of California. Each Christmas season, our town has a free stagecoach ride through the main street and alleyways of downtown. We have dressed up in Western costumes and enjoyed every minute of our free ride. My guess is that many towns and cities have free Christmas programs or activities to take advantage of.

We try to participate in giving to those in need each year. We have participated in Operation Christmas Child, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, and we give annually to our Compassion children. We have provided home-baked rolls for food closet recipients and sent secret gifts to friends experiencing hard times. These all remind us that we have so much to give, and that there is great joy in the giving.

Our annual Christmas breakfast is a puffed oven pancake called Dutch Babies. We make up an oven-full, and they bake while we are opening our stocking presents. Our favorite topping is powdered sugar and lemon juice, although for our daughter’s recent birthday, we added fresh peaches and blueberries for a colorful and delicious addition. The ingredients are inexpensive and the puffed pancake is dramatic—have everyone seated when you bring it to the table.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Diane Wheeler, chief contributor to TOS’s Home Ec column, and her husband John have five children. Diane enjoys gardening, photography, working in her art journal, corresponding with friends, reading, staring out her favorite window, and laughing – all with a mug of dark roast decaf withing reach.

Copyright 2005. Used with permission. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Right now, 19 free gifts when you subscribe. www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com

Considering homeschooling? Get ready for a wild ride!

I remember attending public school as a kid. Honestly, I was bored silly. Everyone had to do the same things. Everyone ate lunch at the same time, hungry or not. Everyone flopped down on their mats, closed their eyes tightly and tried to nap, sleepy or not. Everyone dabbed white glue on their popcorn and stuck it to their “sheep art thing” we all did. Everyone learned from the same lesson plans. Everyone was presented with the same material, and subsequently, everyone asked the same basic questions. Then, year after year, everyone moved on to the next “level.”

When I would arrive home at night, I pretty much kept to myself. I was loaded up with enough homework to keep me occupied for hours, and my parents and siblings were not high on my “to do” list. They were not my top priority; school had to be.

Plenty of times I was so exhausted at the end of the day—yet not finished with all of my assignments—I would let myself just doze ’til 4 or 5 a.m. and then drag myself out of bed to finish everything before trotting off to school to repeat the cycle. I felt like a sheep. Baaa-aaaah; better hurry, the bell’s about to ring… again. That is not the school life I want to give my own children. I don’t want to have them gone all day only for them to come home and keep their distance from us. Why have kids? So we decided to homeschool. Then they turned five. Now what?

I was not trained to be a homeschool mama. Who is? But hey, it’s fun. I like having my kids with me, and they are learning! However, I must say, it’s all the questions that drive me batty.

A question here, a comment there—this is fine; don’t get me wrong. But imagine the never-ending question. The answer that just won’t satisfy. The conversation that has no finale. One of my sons in particular has questions for me that he fires from a vocal cannon which once loaded can discharge for hours. When they begin to flow, my eyeballs start twitching. My hands sweat and my hair rises. Hide me.

This boy (we have three) has asked us the oddest things (and I paraphrase, below) since the day he could talk. He somehow learned to chatter early, and quite well—definitely before I was ready.

Once, he spotted a spider in the upper left corner of our hallway and set out to explain to any soul who would listen, in his two-year-old voice (and logic), that the spider was crying. How he came to that conclusion, I’ll never know. The spider wasn’t making a sound!

Every time he saw any little eight-legger from that point on, he jumped up and down and exclaimed, “Pider cwying. Pider cwyyyying!” Our homeschooling adventure with him had begun!

I should have known that the wacky questions from my little fireball of energy would follow. Many of you, with your own kiddos, can relate, I’m sure. My son has an imagination that will not stop:

Age two:

“Mommy, do chickens eat cookies?”

“Ummm…no. I don’t believe they do.”

“Why not?”

“Well, they were not made to eat cookies. The opportunity doesn’t often present itself, I guess.”

“Yes, but do chickens have lips?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. No, they have a beak. Hey, look, we’re almost at the park. Do you have your water bottle?”

“I want to be a racecar when I grow up. Can I?”

“You can drive a racecar, perhaps, but no, really you can’t become one. You are a human being.”

“But I want to be a racecar.”

“Son, you’re two years old. Give your career goals some TIME. Oh, look! There’s the park.”

Conversations with a nine-year-old can be just as offbeat. Like the time this same funny boy came to me extremely concerned that our dog, Liesel, possibly thought that he was just a fellow canine.

He said, “But Mom, how do you know that she knows I’m a person? Maybe she thinks I am another dog. I don’t want her to think I’m like the other dogs around here. I’m really human. Do you think she knows?”

“Yes, Son, she knows.”

“But how do you know that she knows? She can’t see herself, so she may not know what she is, or what I am.”

“Trust me. She knows that she’s a dog and you are a boy. A human boy.”

“But how do you know that?”

“I just do. She is quite aware that you are NOT a dog like her.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Go clean your room.”

Years later…

“Can my hen climb down a tree?”

“No, that would be impossible.”

“I put her up there and she’s cackling.”

“What on earth … how high?”

“Really high.”

“Which tree?”

“You know … that pine tree out front. And the rooster is at the bottom, all nervous.”

“Well, I’d be, too, if my spouse were trapped in a tree! Go get her down!”

Now that he is older, the questions aren’t so unbaked. Instead, they’re really intense. Lately I hear myself saying, “Go ask Dad. That’s a ‘dad’ question.”

I don’t remember being this inquisitive in school. Nor do I recall my friends with imaginations like his. And it’s not just my family.

This “ever-curiousness” seems to be somewhat the norm in homeschool families. The kids are hanging out with their parents, so they ask grown-up questions earlier. They are afforded individual attention, so their time is better spent learning.

They get enough sleep, avoid threats from bullies (usually, anyway), and can relax. They have the freedom to learn without worry of peers, worry of teachers, worry of what’s to come.

A homeschool house does not have a “sheep mentality.” It’s a living, breathing “think tank” that will challenge you in more ways than you can imagine. And across the board, homeschooled students carry on very well; you know this. And while I was not trained to be a homeschool mama, my kids are being trained to be homeschool mamas and papas. They’ll do it even better than we are!

Keep up the good work and when you are at times tempted to rip out your hair, or if you are afraid of the upcoming “school years,” remember that your little talker will someday be a brainy adult … an independent thinker who will make a positive societal impact. To be sure, you are giving him an opportunity that is unmatched.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gena and her husband Paul reside in Dandridge, Tennessee, where they homeschool their four children: Paul (15), Luke (13), Levi (11), and Julia Rachel (8). They enjoy long country drives while listenting to books on CD, hanging out with good friends and staying up late. Gena and Paul are publishers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com Visit Gena’s blog at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/TOSPublisher.

From an interview with Chris Klicka, Senior Counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association

By Lorrie Flem

Knock, knock.

“Who’s there?”

“CPS.” [Child Protection Services]

You dread the thought of visitors like this, but reality is it could happen to you. The Home School Legal Defense Association has helped 1,069 homeschool families with social worker contacts and investigations during the past year (June 2004-June 2005).

Are you ready if they do knock on your door? Here are seven basic principles to employ if the answer to your “Knock, knock” is “CPS.”

1. Do not let them into your home or allow them to talk to your children unless they have a court order signed by a judge. Beware. CPS employees have been known to claim they cannot tell you the allegations against you until you admit them into your home. This is not true.

2. Immediately ask for a business card. Check to confirm they are who they claim to be, and keep the card to give to your attorney. At this point you can ask them to wait outside while you call your attorney or HSLDA if you are a member.

3. Ask what the allegations are. HSLDA drafted and helped pass a federal law that requires social workers to disclose all allegations “at the initial time of contact.”

4. Tell them you will be glad to talk to them further but that they will need to make an appointment after you have spoken to your husband and attorney.

5. If you are HSLDA members, HSLDA will talk to the social worker and set the boundaries for a future meeting with the parents in a neutral location. CPS will normally send a letter and “battle for your front door” to get in. The contact needs to be homeschool related.

6. Know you have a Fourth Amendment right under the U.S. Constitution to be free from unreasonable seizures and searches. This means you don’t have to let a social worker into your home without a court order or warrant. HSLDA successfully drafted and passed a federal amendment requiring all social workers in the country to be trained in their duty to protect your constitutional rights.

7. Bring a witness or tape recorder to all future contacts with social workers, and make sure meetings take place in a neutral location. Warning: every social worker situation is different, and social workers don’t always follow the law or their own procedures. It is best to immediately contact an attorney or HSLDA to get advice for your situation.

Join HSLDA and get professional legal representation for your homeschooling: www.hslda.org/join/apply.asp

Chris Klicka, Senior Counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association:

“ No probable cause, no search warrant. HSLDA has won cases against social workers clearly stating that anonymous tips or mere suspicion are not sufficient to rise to the level of probable cause. The only way to get probable cause is when a crime is being committed. Further, HSLDA has found that most tips are anonymous, so normally a social worker cannot get a court order. This does not stop them from trying to bluff you by threatening to take you to court or getting a police officer.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lorrie Flem is the happy rib of Randy, loves staying at home, homeschooling and being “Mama” to their eight children. Lorrie has authored a number of books, publishes TEACH Magazine, speaks nationally, and is known for her humorous and gentle words of encouragement. www.TEACHMagazine.com

I was three, and there was never any doubt in my mind that I was the Center of the Universe. So when other people, namely my older sister, didn’t recognize my position of sovereignty, it needed to be dealt with swiftly and sternly.

I threw open the door to the basement of our small house in Fairbanks, Alaska, and glided down the stairs. My sister was tearing around in circles on her pretty, shiny red tricycle. I stepped onto her expressway as she rounded the bend and with one hand on my hip I signaled with the other for her to HALT. Out of sheer curiosity, my 6-year-old sister screeched to a stop within inches of my imperial toes. I laid hold of the handlebars and announced, “See this bike? It’s mine now. Get off right now and don’t touch it without asking me.” With a glint in her eyes, she revved up and promptly ran me over. Then she put it in reverse and ran me over again to make sure I got the message. The gentry rebel.

Fast forward. I was 5 and she was 8 when I gave it another go. I barged into her room and started unplugging her Holly Hobby lamp. “See this lamp? You’ve had it long enough. It’s mine now. It matches my curtains and you’re gonna let me have it.” She grabbed the other end of that lamp and let me have it, all right. Have you ever actually seen stars after a blow to the head? They’re pretty.

Fast forward. Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. I was 7, she was 10, and it was time once again for our Saturday Morning Breakfast War.

“ I get the first pancake,” she announced.

“ Bull Honky you do. You watch. I’ll get it because I’m littler, cuter, and everyone likes me better,” I countered.

As the spatula bearing the golden circle made its way toward the table, we both mentally willed our mother to drop the prize upon our plate. I smiled evilly at my adversary as it landed in front of me. I was the victor. Without hesitation, my sister stretched across the table and licked the length of my pancake from top to bottom and said, “Enjoy.”

The only thing I could do at that point was sneeze on it twice and slide the plate over to her. Then we both waited for my mother to bring the next pancake over for us to fight over.

Fast forward to 1982. Greenham Common Air Force Base, England. I was 10 and she was 13. As the school bus pulled onto our street, Gena leapt up before me to beat me off the bus. Taking this as a challenge, and wanting our large audience on the packed bus to know who was in charge, I pushed her down and clambered over her, then ran out onto the green field to jeer and dance at her. Within seconds, the entire busload shifted, and all the kids were pressed up against the windows to see the retaliation. And then suddenly I was airborne, being swung around and around in circles by my long stringy brown hair while the bus crowd marveled at my sister’s strength—and at the distance she was able to hurl me. Such impudence. It was unfair that the bus pulled away before they were all able to witness the bloody nose I gave her. Yet, such was life.

Fast forward. Back in the state of Washington. I was 12 and she was 15. We became more psychological in our warfare. Whenever our parents would flee the home for a few hours of peace, the bell would ring, and the rounds would begin. Somehow she was always able to lock me out of the house first. I was a wiry little thing, though, so I could generally find a basement window to pry open and stuff myself through. Yet she was becoming more savvy. When I found a bathroom window that had been brainlessly left unlocked, I cheered my good fortune. Rather, I should have been suspicious of the obvious trap she laid. Once my body was wrenched in halfway, she flew out from behind the shower curtain with a battle cry and hit me dead on, full force in the face with a frying pan. There were those stars again—circling birdies, too, that time. Yet my rage had been invoked, and she was smart enough to flee the house. I locked all the doors and then set up butcher knives around each of the windows to let her know I meant business. When she somehow managed to sneak back in (I still don’t know how she did it; we didn’t have a chimney), she charged at me like a wild banshee and kicked me down the flight of stairs before I could kill her. As I went tumbling, banging, crashing down the stairs I nearly giggled with glee as a plan formed. I had just watched an episode from Little House on the Prairie that gave me a splendid idea. As I hit the bottom, I lay still for a good thirty seconds, as if I’d been knocked out. Then slowly as I began to stir, I saw her staring down at me from the railing. I shook my head and pretended to be dazed, then started to sit up—but suddenly froze, put on a look of abject terror, and began shrieking, “I can’t feel my legs … I CAN’T FEEL MY LEGS!” Boy, that was fun. I carried that on even several hours after my parents got home. She got it good.

This went on and on and on. We actually had to attend different high schools. I truly hated my sister. I despised her to the core, and she me. It is one of the unquestioning feats of God’s true power that either of us got saved and that we ended up becoming better friends than any best friend could be. Where at one time we would have just as soon murdered each other dead, God changed us both and blessed us with a David/Jonathan relation. How merciful, gracious, and patient He is. And I don’t take it for granted. Most of my grownup friends have little, superficial, or even no relationship with their siblings. And how sad that is.

Now that I’m a mama and have a troop of children to contend with, I know that I want more for my sons and daughters. God perhaps did a miraculous work in my sister’s life and mine, yet is it possible, or even feasible, to create an environment in my home that would foster friendships among my children like the one I now enjoy with my sister?

I think it is. It’s been only recently that I’ve been realizing how incredibly annoying, and grievous, it is to hear my children bicker, taunt, or make one another feel bad about themselves. So I’ve decided that they won’t anymore. After all, we are Christians. We are called to be kind, compassionate, slow to anger; to build one another up in love; to get rid of all bitterness, malice, and/or envy; to look to others’ needs above our own. My children all claim Christ, and so I will hold them accountable. A while back we were in the car, and my wide-awake daughter Ryann was showering my oldest, sleepy daughter, Coie, with questions. Finally, in some frustration, my Coie snapped at her a bit and asked her to please stop talking.

I turned around and asked her, “If your friend Jessica or Tori or Natalie was in the car and they were the ones asking you questions, would you speak to them like that?” Coie was embarrassed; she knew that she never would have.

“ Ryann is your very best friend,” I told her. “God has given you such a gift, and you should at the very least treat her as well as you would your friends from church.”

About a week later, my Coie came to me and let me know that she had been praying that God would strengthen the bond between them, and that they were, indeed, becoming closer. She also confessed that while she was praying for God to change some of Ryann’s habits, it suddenly struck her that God was more interested in changing her (Coie’s) heart, rather than Ryann’s personality. That actually made me tear up. YES! My daughter got it. She got it! And they continue to strive to be very best friends.

The years that Gena and I wasted are shameful. Others witnessing our behavior—even by the world’s standard—surely must have thought us disgraceful and disgusting. We were unbearable to be around.

I want so much more for my children. I have been given a gift of time—a very short time—to encourage them to build life-long, godly relationships. They do love one another, and as Christians they have such an opportunity to practice kindness, love, grace, patience, peace, self-control, gentleness, and joy every day in our home. What a treasure! How foolish I’d be if I did not use this time to train them in these. God help me to remember to build my family up by example. These, above all, are the lessons I want to be learned in our classroom.

*Printed with permission from best friends Coie and Ryann Igarashi

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jenefer Igarashi, TOS’s Senior Editor, lives in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with her husband, Geoff, and their six children, ages 16 years to 1 year. Jen enjoys writing fiction and has won two awards from Writer’s Digest. The whole family enjoys construction projects, good books, and jumping on their trampoline. Come say hi to Jen on her blog page at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/JenIg.

Copyright 2005. Used with permission. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Right now, 19 free gifts when you subscribe. www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com