Thehomeschoolmagazine201301 DL

Gianna Jessen: Aborted, Survived, Homeschooled and Loves the Lord
January 2013
The Budget Preschool

Egg Carton Math
The Family Education Magazine
Global Threats to Homeschooling
Build Your Own Computer for $
Fun Flight Lessons!
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Section January 2013 117
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Cover
Tina Rice
Home Room
The Little Red Schoolhouse
PUBLISHERS Paul and Gena Suarez, Tennessee ASSISTANTS TO THE PUBLISHERS April Brooks, Alabama Liz Koon, Colorado Wendy Hilton, Mississippi SENIOR EDITOR / DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Deborah Wuehler, California MANAGING EDITOR Donna Rees, Florida EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Heather Mader, California MAGAZINE GRAPHIC DESIGNER David Borrink, Michigan DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Angela Quigley, Missouri ASSISTANT TO DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Lori Lynn Lydell, Pennsylvania DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Tami Fox, North Carolina DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING SALES Donna Campos, Oklahoma ADVERTISING SUPPORT MANAGER Amy Osborn, California DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT REVIEWS Kate Kessler, California DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER RELATIONS Julie Ott, Nebraska CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES Stephanie Ziemba, Kansas Pam McCormick, Kansas DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR Laura Fox, California DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Pat Marcum, Tennessee BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT Luke Suarez, Tennessee
he Little Red Schoolhouse, the one-room schoolhouse on our cover, has gone by several names, including the Silver Creek School and College Place. Although it was never formally named The Little Red Schoolhouse, most local residents called it that. It is located at 1635 Sierra Road West in Helena, Montana. The school was built in 1888 on land deeded by Wendelin and Caroline Miehle to School District No. 6 in April of that year. It provided education primarily to students of farming families until 1921. During its tenure it was used as a gathering spot for the community. Activities such as picnics, meetings, and political gatherings were held in the building. In 1980 the building was listed on the National Historical Record, and the members of The Little Red Schoolhouse, Inc. established a restoration program. Journalist Ann Conger wrote an article about the school for the Independent Record newspaper in 1967. In the article she recounts a brief history of the school and writes about the recollections of two of the schools students: John Brass, a Helena valley rancher, and Clara Johnson Munger, Deputy County Assessor. Conger reported that between nine and twenty students attended Silver Creek School, most of whom walked a mile or more to school and spent noon hours and recesses playing baseball, Kick-the-Can, and Fox and Geese. In addition, Conger wrote: . . . (Mr.) Brass recalls that the teacher, who had a long beard, pulled pupils ears if they were late for school. Mrs. Munger remembers that a belfry housed a large bell which could be heard for miles on a still day. It peeled forth at 20 minutes to nine so if we were still quite aways away we knew it was time to hurry, she said. Brass, who attended the school from 1895 to 1900, said sometimes he rode horseback the three and a half miles and stabled his horse in a barn that sheltered four horses. Munger, who attended the school from 19061916, recalled in the article a shed where wood for a stove was kept, students chairs circling the stove on cold days, a water bucket and tin dipper, and a well and iron pump. The complete article can be found at www.helenahistory.org/little_red_school_house.pdf. Helena is located in Lewis and Clark County and is the capital of the state. Montana, our forty-first state, asked for statehood in 1884 but was not admitted until November 8, 1889. The land that became the state of Montana was mainly gained through the Louisiana Purchase.
Our photographers are Matthew and Catrina Higgins of Birches Photography. Matthew was raised on the Pacific Coast and in the Rocky Mountains. His interest in photography was sparked in college and has continued to grow as he travels with his wife, Catrina. Together, they strive to share their world experiences with a glimpse through the viewfinderone photograph at a time. Please visit their website, birchesphotography.com, to view photos of more of their adventures.
Did you know that you can submit a photograph of a school for cover consideration? Send us several dead-centered photos with natural surroundings. The front or front/side view is best. If we select your photo, we will need a 9 x 11 photo, negative, or digital image (300 dpi). If your photograph is used, we will pay you $50 and feature your name as cover photographer. Send a digital image of your photograph to Publisher@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com. If you are unable to send a digital image, mail your photograph and details about the school to Cover Photo Search, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, P.O. Box 8426, Gray, TN 37615. Be sure to include your name, email address, and phone number.
ExECUTIVE EDITOR SCHOOLHOUSETEACHERS.COM Robert Irvin, Ohio SCHOOLHOUSE ExPO MANAGER Erin Long, Missouri
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About Our Cover January 2013 1
Do you want to Do more than just your call to homeschool? in the pleasure of GoDs callinG on your life!
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God-centered to help maintain focus on his plan and intentions for your family Student planners work with the moms planner to help students take more responsibility for their schedules Thorough step-by-step Users Guide with visuals to help prioritize using Debras proven five-step planning system Inspiring two-page Lords Day planning grid to reflect upon and recount his grace and faithfulness as each week begins Designed with maximum flexibility to help you prioritize and plan for up to six children Fully customizable daily, weekly, monthly, yearly planning formsbecause each family has their own homeschool calendar! Bonus articles by Debra Bell Other helpful forms include: field trips and outside activities, Grades and records, reading list, high school planning Guide, and year-end review Attractive layout and sturdy construction
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2 January 2013 Section
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Classrooms
In
This Issue
January 2013
From the Cover:

The Budget Preschool Global Threats to Homeschooling
Because of Gods love for you, all of your preschool homeschool needs will be met. Tons of free resources listed here!
56
Gianna Jessen: Aborted, Survived, Homeschooled and Loves the Lord
Life is precious, and perseverance and faith need to be developed in our own lives and in the lives of our children.
106-107 98-99 76-77 94-96 40-41
106 76 40
4 January 2013 Classrooms
We must educate ourselves on the plight of our international brothers and sisters and assist them in their struggle for fundamental parental freedoms.
Egg Carton Math
Math is an essential subject that our children need to understand. What better way to help than hands-on math activities!
Build Your Own Computer for $50?! Fun Flight Lessons!
If somebody in your family is ready to get into a fascinating computer project, this may be a great way to get started.
Every detail in flying can be predicted through the laws of motion, physics, aeronautics, and math. Jessica Hulcy shares lessons with a focus on Who created the laws we can trust every time.
January 2013
Contents
14 28 30 42
1 The Little Red Schoolhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tina Rice 10 Meet Our Contributing Writers and Columnists 14 I Cant Forgive ThemIts Impossible! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deborah Wuehler 20 From Our Readers
About Our Cover
Homeschool Faculty Editorial
Teachers Lounge The Factual Homeschooler Show & Tell
22 The Cost of Homeschooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Heather W. Allen 24 Our World, Our Classroom: Finding Direction in Christ . . . . . .Amy Blevins 26 Allowing Our Kids to Experience Lifes Hard Knocks
Homeschooling for Impact His Joyful Homeschooler
Mom, Dad, Will You Pass the Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denise Mira
28 A Battle We Must Surrender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Campbell 30 Math: Dads Opportunity to Shine in the Homeschool . . Marlin Detweiler 32 What My Kids and I Have Learned Through Drama . . . . Mary Hood, Ph.D. 36 Homeschooling a Struggling High Schooler
Leading Your Homeschool Family The Ordinary Homeschooler
The Struggling Homeschooler
Credits, Curriculum, Diplomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dianne Craft
40 Airplanes: Trust in Flying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jessica Hulcy 42 Frankenstein vs. Jekyll & Hyde:
The Unit Study Homeschooler The Literary Homeschooler
Asking the Right Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Andrews
Classrooms January 2013 5
44 The Lost Tools of Math: The Art of Studying Well . . . . . . . Jennifer Courtney
The Classical Homeschooler
44 52 68 84
6 January 2013 Classrooms
46 Homeschool Expeditions Abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Barr 48 Speaking of Math
Academic Spotlight The Artistic Homeschooler We the People
52 The Mystery of the Lascaux Caves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat Knepley 54 The U.S. Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Gibbs III 56 Gianna Jessen: Free to Be Beautiful . . . .Bonnie Rose Hudson and Kelly Barr 62 Its Going to Be Okay! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Susie Knight 64 Free resources for the asking! 66 Dramatic Teaching: Recognizing the
Special Feature: To God Be the Glory!
Freebie Directory Drama
Importance of the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joy Kita
68 Acting for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deslie McClellan 70 Math for Maths Sake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindy Abbott 76 Hands-On Math Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marcia Washburn 78 The Worlds Transportation Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cindy Downes 82 Planes, Trains, and to the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Hutton 84 Sea Thunder: The Viking Longships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Terry 88 Transportation in Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff Ober 92 A Penny Saved and a Lesson Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Nicholson
Math
Planes, Trains, Ships, and Automobiles
Homeschooling on a Budget
94 Build Your Own Computer for $50! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andy Harris
The Tech Homeschooler Legally Speaking
92 94 98 102
98 Global Threats to Homeschooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Antony Kolenc 102 Enrichment Activities on a Shoestring Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molly Green 106 You Are Loved! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kendra Fletcher 108 Product Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kate Kessler 114 The Only Resolution You Need to Make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike Halpin 115 Business Rules
The Frugal Homeschooler
The Littlest Homeschooler The Old Schoolhouse Lab Haptoon
Principals Office Advertiser Index
116 Alphabetized List of Advertisers
Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter!
114
Classrooms January 2013 7
Everything You Know About School Is Wrong

ays who? Former New York State Teacher of the Year, John Taylor Gatto, in his latest book, Weapons of Mass Instruction. So What?! Who is John Taylor Gatto? Wasn't he only a public junior high school teacher in Manhattan for 30 years? Who listens to them? What chutzpah! Well, Gatto must have worried School District Three enough that it terminated his teaching license without notifying him in 1987 while he was on medical leave; he must have infuriated Highland High School in Hudson, New York, enough to summon police to stop his lecture to seniors there in 2004. Harvard's Kennedy School Conference on April 3, 2008, credited him as the mysterious figure who added the biting metaphor "Dumbing Us Down" to global thinking about schools. In the past two years he was invited as keynote speak to South Korea, China, Australia, Pakistan, Egypt, Canada, Scotland, Holland, Hungary, England, Brazil, Colombia, and Malaysia. In 1991, his former students rented Carnegie Hall as a venue for his resignation speech, which was printed in the Wall Street Journal on July 25, 1991. Why haven't you heard of him before now? He's spoken at NASA Space Center, Apple Computers, the Western White House, the Senate, Smith and Sarah Lawrence, Cornell, Penn, Harvard, M.I.T., Stanford, Columbia; gave the graduation address at Evergreen; and has been called "education's most original thinker" by Daniel Pink. Phyllis Schlafly said, "Your book is splendid." Michael Farris said (of an earlier book), "The most important educational book of my lifetime." Thomas Moore called Gatto "a Socrates of the educational world." Chris Lasch said, "Your ideas are splendid." Robert Bly counted him "among my heroes."
Why haven't you heard of him before? Is it because the school empire would prefer that you didn't?
You have a right to demand from public schools what elite private boarding schools offer students.
12 Secrets of the Boarding School Curriculum of Power

1. Strong competencies in the active literacies of speaking and writing persuasively. 2. Insight into all institutional forms. 3. A theory of human nature drawn from history, philosophy, literature, law, theology, etc. 4. Mastery of the social forms/manners. 5. A physical regimen specifically aimed at personal grace, health, beauty, and self-discipline. 6. An emphasis on independent work. 7. Familiarity with master creations in music, dance, painting, design, architecture, literature, drama, etc. 8. Powers of observation and recording. 9. Developing and testing of judgment. 10. The ability to master your own natural aversions. 11. Accepting significant challenges: a horse to care for, a hundred mile bike trip to make, starting a business, etc. 12. Theories of access to anywhere.
t would be easy and inexpensive to build public schooling in such a way as to deliver the same quality of value that Groton, St. Paul's Episcopal High, Milton, Choate, Hotchkiss, or Hill do. Look at the "twelve secrets"; they don't cost anything extraordinary to achieve. But the Germanic logic of mass forced schooling has no intention of delivering such a product, for that would lead inevitably to a social and economic world, one poisoned by the toxins of overpopulation and hyperdemocracy, turned upside down in whose deadly embrace neither corporate capitalism nor class-based social status can service easily. Forced schooling has nothing to do with education. It is a workshop of habit and attitude training; it divides the common populace from its natural alliances, artificially
extends childhood, cripples the imagination, as Spinoza and Fichte said it should; it addicts ordinary people to meaningless competitions, broadcasts self alienation, weakens the family, misdirects the attention of the young from what really matters. As a nation, we can't afford this school vampire draining our national vitality any longer in these dangerous times.
John Taylor Gatto at Carnegie Hall
8 January 2013 The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
How to Order the Book: Send check to the author for $29.00 (postpaid) to: John Taylor Gatto, 235 W. 76th St., New York, New York 10023. How to Order the Author as a Speaker: Write to Mr. Gatto at the address above, or fax him at 1-212-721-6124, or e-mail info@johntaylorgatto.com.
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The Old Schoolhouse Magazine January 2013 9
Homeschool Faculty
Deborah Wuehler Senior Editor

California Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor for TOS, participating author in The Homeschool Minute, wife to Richard, and mom to eight gifts from heaven. She loves digging for buried treasure in the Word, reading, writing, homeschooling, and dark chocolate! senioreditor@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
New Mexico
Heather Allen Columnist
Heather and her husband, Steve, live in Edgewood, New Mexico, where they have homeschooled their five children for the last fourteen years. When not homeschooling, doing things with her family, or writing for TOS, Heather works as a Human Factors Engineer in her home-based consulting business. www.hippityhooves.com
Donna Rees Managing Editor and

Contributing Writer Florida Donna and her husband Timus were blessed with the privilege of educating both of their children at home (19831999), depending daily on Gods grace for wisdom and strength. They take great delight in encouraging families who are currently enjoying that adventure!
Adam Andrews Columnist

Washington Adam Andrews is the Director of the Center for Literary Education and a homeschooling father of six. He and his wife Missy are the authors of Teaching the Classics, the popular reading and literature curriculum. They teach their children at home in Rice, Washington. www.centerforlit.com
California
Kate Kessler Director of Product Reviews
Amy Barr Columnist

North Carolina Amy Barr is a homeschool mother of three and a fulltime instructor of other home-educated students as co-founder of The Lukeion Project, www.lukeion .org. As an archaeologist, she spent more than a decade excavating sites throughout the Mediterranean and teaching Classics at the college level. Amy and her husband Regan lead annual family tours to the Mediterranean and invite you to join them for a tour.
Kate Kessler and her delightful husband Mark, an IT mastermind, enjoy their five splendid children. As a Classical/Charlotte Mason homeschooler, she enjoys a varied curriculum, historical fiction, and the many discussions that come up as a result of learning together. myblogcalledunderthesky.blogspot.com kkessler@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
North Carolina
Leigh Bortins Columnist
Leigh A. Bortins is author of the recently published book The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education. In addition, Ms. Bortins is the founder and CEO of Classical Conversations, Inc. and host of the weekly radio show, Leigh! At Lunch. www.classicalconversations.com www.1SmartMama.com
Sheila Campbell Columnist

Texas Sheila Campbell began homeschooling in 1991, and after the death of her husband in 2001, she homeschooled as a single parent. She also was the parent of a special needs child whom she cared for at home until his death in 2004. pausingtopraise.wordpress.com
10 January 2013 Homeschool Faculty
Jennifer Courtney Columnist

Oklahoma Jennifer Courtney and her husband have been homeschooling classically since 2003. She currently serves as the Director of Training and Development for Classical Conversations. She is the co-author of the Classical Acts and Facts History Cards series and of the book Classical, Christian Education Made Approachable. She and her husband Tim live in Oklahoma, where they home educate their four children.
David Gibbs Columnist

Texas Attorney David C. Gibbs III has represented Americans across the country in issues of life and liberty. For twenty years he served as general counsel at the Christian Law Association and is the current president of the National Center for Life and Liberty (www.ncll.org and www.homeschoollegaladvantage .com), with offices in Texas, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Mr. Gibbs is the father of four children and husband to Mrs. Carin Gibbs.
Dianne Craft Columnist

Colorado Dianne Craft has a masters degree in learning disabilities. She speaks widely at homeschool conventions across the country. Her books and CDs have helped hundreds of families remove learning blocks in their struggling children at home. Visit her website, www.diannecraft.org, for many articles on children and learning and to download her free Daily Lesson Plans for the Struggling Reader and Writer.
Michael Hap Halpin Cartoonist

California Michael F. Halpin (Hap), creator of cartoons since he could pick up a crayon, seeks to use his abilities to glorify Jesus and edify His Body. Subscribe to Haps mailing list by emailing him at Haptoon@juno.com, or find his work on www.haptoon.tumblr.com.
California
Cathy Diez-Luckie Columnist
North Carolina
Amelia Harper Columnist
Cathy Diez-Luckie, author and illustrator at Figures In Motion, is thankful for being able to educate her three children at home and loves to study history and literature along with them. Her award-winning childrens book series (Famous Figures) integrates art and history and engages children with hands-on activities and movable action figures as they learn about the great leaders of the past. www.FiguresInMotion.com
Amelia Harper is a homeschooling mother of five and a pastors wife. She is the author of a complete one-year literature curriculum for secondarylevel students and freelance writer for newspapers and magazines. www.HomeScholarBooks.com
Andy Harris Columnist

Indiana Andy Harris is a homeschool dad, father of four great kids, and husband to the greatest homeschool teacher ever. Andy teaches at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Andy is also the author of a number of well-known books on computer programming. www.aharrisbooks.net
California
Kendra Fletcher Columnist
Kendra Fletcher is the homeschooling mother of eight, aged 19 down to 4. She has never known what it means to homeschool without the presence of preschoolers and loves to encourage other moms who are beginning their homeschool journeys with little ones underfoot. Kendra is the author of a popular E-Book about creating a Circle Time for your homeschool. www.preschoolersandpeace.com
Mary Hood Columnist

Georgia Mary Hood, Ph.D., and her husband, Roy, homeschooled their five children since the early 1980s. Mary has a Ph.D. in education and is the director of ARCHERS for the Lord, Inc. (The Association of Relaxed Christian Home Educators). She is the author of The Relaxed Home School and The Joyful Home Schooler and is available for speaking engagements. www.archersforthelord.org
Homeschool Faculty January 2013 11
Jessica Hulcy Columnist

Texas Jessica Hulcy, co-author of KONOS Curriculum, the first curriculum written for homeschool, is an educator and author. Mom to four grown sons, and Grandear to grandchildren, Jessica lives with her husband Wade in Texas. www.homeschoolmentor .com, www.konos.com
Oregon
Brian Ray Columnist
Pat Knepley Columnist

California Pat has a degree in art education, a teaching credential, and has taught art. In addition to being the master artist for the See the Light ART CLASS and ART PROJECTS DVD series, Pat teaches art and chorus at a charter elementary school in the Los Angeles area. Pat lives in a windy part of southern California with her husband and two almost-grown sons. www.seethelightshine.com
Brian D. Ray, Ph.D., is president of the National Home Education Research Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization, and is internationally known for his research on homeschooling. Brian is married to Betsy and they have eight children and four grandchildren. Please feel free to send your questions about research related to home-based education and raising children to mail@nheri.org. www.nheri.org
Georgia
Tina Rice Columnist
Tina Rice and her husband Tim homeschool using an eclectic mix of classical and relaxed materials. She is in her sixteenth year of homeschooling, with nine more to go. When Tina is not schooling, reading, or writing, she is busy making tie-dyed clothing and gifts. www.Tinastiedye.com
Antony Kolenc Columnist

Florida Antony B. Kolenc (J.D., University of Florida College of Law) is an author, speaker, and law professor at Florida Coastal School of Law. He is also a retired U.S. Air Force officer. He and his wife have homeschooled their five children for over a decade. www.antonykolenc.com. If you have a law-related homeschooling question that you would like to see Tony address in a future column, please email TL@TheHomeschoolMagazine .com.
Malia Russell Columnist

Kentucky Malia Russell is the blessed wife to Duncan, thankful mother to five children (newborn to 21), and an author, conference speaker and director of www .homemaking911.com and www.wheatnthings.com.
Diana Waring Columnist

Indiana Diana Waring, author ofBeyond Survival,Reaping the Harvest,andHistory Revealedcurriculum, discovered years ago that the key to education is relationship. Beginning in the 80s, Diana homeschooled her children through high school providing the real-life opportunities to learn how kids learn. www.dianawaring.com
Denise Mira Columnist

Washington Denise Mira, author of No Ordinary Child: Unlocking the Leader Within Your Child, has been married to Gregory for thirty-one years. They are the parents of five sons. Denise has traveled extensively, both nationally and internationally, inspiring change as she shares the message God has given her for families. www.denisemira.com/blog.php contact@denisemira.com
Anytown
Molly Green Columnist
Oklahoma
Andrew Pudewa Columnist
Andrew Pudewa is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (www.excellenceinwriting .com) and a homeschooling father of seven. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students skills. He and his wife Robin currently teach their two youngest children at home in northeastern Oklahoma.
Molly Greens purpose and passion is to empower and encourage keepers at home during this tough economic downturn. She is learning that while the challenges may be great, the opportunities to learn productive ways to care for our homes and families are even greater. Molly welcomes readers questions and comments. Email MollyGreen@Econobusters .com. Visit her website at www.Econobusters.com and sign up for her free E-Newsletter, A Minute with Molly. She also publishes a monthly Mollys MoneySaving Digest.
12 January 2013 Homeschool Faculty
Homeschool Faculty January 2013 13
Editorial
Deborah Wuehler, Senior Editor
I Cant Forgive Them
Its Impossible!
On my own, forgiveness is not easy; its impossible!
of one of these types of individuals: the relative who spoke evil of you; that friend you had for years who did something very hurtful; that one who has turned her back on you; that person who abused, neglected, or rejected you; or the person who falsely accused you and caused you to be unjustly ostracized. Maybe its as simple as harboring bitterness because your husband has not been more helpful with the school load you are carrying or just doesnt seem to love you the way you think you deserve to be loved.I have walked through each one of these scenarios, and do you know what I have learned?On my own, forgiveness is not easy; its impossible!
ver feel that it is impossible to forgive? I have. I have been so full of anger and bitterness that I have had a very difficult time figuring out just how I can forgive. Going to the extreme of actually loving those
VIDEO: More from Deborah here

who have hurt me seems even more impossible.Im sure youve gone through it at some time or another in your life too. You are probably familiar with one or more of these scenarios at the hands
I am so glad that God is the God of the impossible. Its actually something He specializes in.I have been depressed, hurt, and consumed with all manner of imaginary (and rather ungodly) conversations I want to have and all manner of justifications for all of my bad attitudes.I have been anything but saintly. How can we react the seemingly impossible way and respond lovingly to those who have hurt us?Here are some areas to consider.
Hate or HealingIts a Choice
Whenever I am angry, I can usually find the root cause to be hurt.So, look at your feelings honestly and determine
14 January 2013 Editorial
Paid in full. This is the wonder of the cross.

if you have been hurt.Now, you have a choice to make. Will you allow the hurt to turn to hate, or will you allow your heart to be healed? If we find ourselves full of anger and bitterness, we must repent. We do not want to be seen as a bitter force to be reckoned with; rather, we want to be seen as those who represent Christ. I have found that crying out to the Lord helps hasten the time between hurt and healing.As we pour out our hearts to the Lord, we start to recognize and confess our own sin and then can begin to intercede for our enemies. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. Consider mine enemies; for they
are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in Thee (Psalm 25:1520).
Love Them or Leave Them?
Ready to Forgive
Okay, so we cry out to the Lord. Now what? In my own life, I am praying always that I would become more like my Father.He is always good and kind and always ready to forgive. He desires in me a heart that is always ready to forgive. Being ready to forgive is an important key here. We may never hear these words, Please forgive me, from the person who has hurt us, but we can have a heart that is always ready to forgive and abundant in mercy at all times. We can only be full of those things if we are full of HimWho is all those things! For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me (Psalm 86:57).
There are times when we would just rather run or hide from those who hurt us. Ultimately, the goal is to go from wanting to leave them to loving them. A man who was tortured in a communist prison and found a way to forgive his torturers was once asked, What do we tell the person who feels like they cant forgive? His answer was simple yet profound: If they cant forgive, tell them to make a cake. In other words, dont wait for your feelings to catch up with your actions. Start actively loving whether you feel like it or not. Make that cake. Make that invitation. Make that phone call. The actions may or may not bring on the feelings, but in loving our enemies and doing goodhoping for nothing in return, we become true sons of our Father, for He is kind to the unthankful and evil. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil (Luke 6:35).
Editorial January 2013 15
Within the verses in Matthew below, the word forgive in the Greek means to send away or to let go. And the word trespasses means to fall or to lapse or deviate from truth and uprightness. So basically, the verse is saying this: Send it away! Let it go! Because when you choose to do that when men fall or even lapse or deviate from truth and uprightness, then your Father will also let it go when you fall or lapse from what is right. It is good to know God is not keeping a record of wrongs I have done against Him; all He asks is that we throw away our own accounts of others sins as well. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. . . . For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:12, 1415).
Letting Go
all mankind, and we see it drenched in pain.What we tend to forget is that He has not only paid the price for our own sin but for any sin committed against us and for any sinner who committed that sin against us. His mercy at Calvary stretches its arms around both sinners. Whenever I feel that someone owes me, I look at the cross and see that Christ Himself has already paid the debt.What does your offender owe you? Jesus took His own blood and wrote paid in full over whatever that is. My own sinful nature wants others to pay the price for
heard Jesus offer forgiveness continued to gamble over His earthly possessions, not realizing what they were doing or what was happening eternally. Even so, we are to pray the same prayer to our Father for those who dont know what they are doing or where they are going as they continue in sin: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Pour out your heart to the Lord and repent of any anger and bitterness. Be filled with Him so that you are ready to forgive. Start doing good and actively loving those who have hurt you. Throw away that list of offenses. Spend time at the cross. Embrace the pain of forgiveness as fellowshipping with the sufferings of Christ. Rise up and extend mercy. Yes, forgiveness may be completely impossible on our own, but through the precious blood of Jesus, He offers forgiveness to all, and if we let Him, He will offer it to others through us!Miracle of miracles! Remember, He specializes in the impossible: And He said, The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God (Luke 18:27).
Lets Review:
We do not want to be seen as a bitter force to be reckoned with; rather, we want to be seen as those who represent Christ.
their sin: They should have known better. They took something away from me! They should pay! But Christ took the pain of their unjust sin upon Himself. He will pay back what is owed youwith His own blood. Its unjust because He did nothing to deserve that pain, but its what forgiveness looks like. Paid in full. This is the wonder of the cross.
Forgiveness Has a Price
However, letting go does not always lessen pain. Pain is part of the gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness looks like the unjust pain Jesus endured on the cross. To forgive others for the unjust pain in our lives is what Christlike forgiveness looks like. By letting go of the offense, and joining Christ as He suffers the pain of forgiveness, we dont lessen the impact of the crime against us; we nail it to the cross. We suffer with Christ, we die with Christ, and we are raised with Christ. Its a new life of mercy. To become merciful as Christ is merciful, we must begin at the cross.We usually take such a brief look at the cross that we forget what it was that we were looking at.If we look again, we see complete forgiveness and mercy for all the sin of
While We Were Yet Sinners
Notice that even though Jesus offered forgiveness, those around Him continued in their sin: Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted His raiment, and cast lots (Luke 23:34). We need to realize that although we have a change of heart, those who oppose us may not change. The men who
Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor for TOS, participating author in The Homeschool Minute, wife to Richard, and mom to eight gifts from heaven. She loves digging for buried treasure in the Word, reading, writing, homeschooling, and dark chocolate! You may contact her at senioreditor @TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.
16 January 2013 Editorial
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Teachers Lounge
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TL@TheHomeschool Magazine.com
From Our
The Homeschool Minute
Dear Deborah, May I just say I believe you wrote this column for me! I have been tired, lonely, and surrounded by the enemy in my homeschool walk. I often enjoy your words of encouragement and benefit greatly from TOS magazine. Although I dont share your philosophy that home is where children ought to be, I share the idea that sometimes home is the best place for a child and parent. Sometimes not. But semantics aside, I gratefully read your latest words and it is a reminder that God is faithful and loving and All and Only. He will sustain me when I do not have the strength (and when I do!). Thank you for your obedience in listening. It is obvious in your writing. Alexandre Fleuren, Military Family, Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, SC
I wasnt sure I would like the new digital TOS format as Im more of a person who wants to hold it in my hands and flip through it. Now that Ive downloaded the iPhone app and tried it out, I love it! Shalynne Addison, Clinton, IN
Readers
Facebook Fans Share . . . Funniest Homeschooling Memories
few.Your children will find something fresh, new, and fun every single day to make this your most exciting and productive homeschooling year yet.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
You have convinced us that you are a budget savings and after the election anything not a savings is no longer an expense. Deborah Todus-White, Charleston, SC Editors Note: Want to save more than you spend? Here are just a few ways that uninterrupted membership to ST.com benefits you. First, if you maintain a continuous membership to the site, you will receive all five of our new 201314 Planners FREE when they come out next summer; otherwise, the cost for those planners is more than $100. Additionally, continuous membership allows you to build an entire library over the course of time as seen here. The value of these E-Books adds up to over $600.At $5.95 per month, the value of the Planners and E-Books alone make your membership a wise economic choice, and that doesnt even begin to cover the unlimited access you have to hundreds of lessons. For example, we have daily lessons in all the major subjects, and tons of fun extras, such as Everyday Explorers or French lessons or guitar lessons, just to mention a
We asked our Facebook Fans to share their funniest homeschooling memories. Wed love to share them with you. . . . Probably the time I asked our oldest, who was about 7 at the time, if he knew who Lewis and Clark were. He thought about it a second and he said, Yes, they are on Superman! Chastidy Garner Buttram, via Facebook . . . When we were talking about Presidents last week and I asked my 6-year-old who our current President was and she responded, The guy you arent voting for. Beth Ryan, via Facebook My son was complaining he was bored one day. I said, Why dont you go read one of your new books from the library? He replied, Now? I said, Sure, why not? To which he said, Reading is what they did before fun was invented. Annette Wuest, via Facebook
App Appreciation
I so enjoy reading the digital magazine on my iPad. Keep up the great work! Alana Adams, Shuqualak, MS I was very disappointed when the magazine went digital. I have to admit though that reading it on the iPad is great! I love the flexibility and being able to look things up right away. Emma Figuerado, Raleigh, NC
20 January 2013 Teachers Lounge
. . . When my husband left some brisket meat in the oven for a few days and I didnt know. By the time I found it, there were maggots all over it. Instead of getting mad I quickly called my daughter over and voilascience class. I did tell him how fortunate he is that we homeschool or this situation could have turned out not to be pretty! Darlene Dykstra-Champion, via Facebook Last week, we got a vermicomposting bin. The kids were really excited about it. We will need to keep the worms warm through the winter, so I have been shopping for a birdbath heater. On Saturday, we were at a farm show and saw some new acquaintances. My son looked at the patio heaters and told our new friends, My mom needs one of these heaters. She has worms. Rebecca Flannery, via Facebook We are working on studying classical music. Two of my sons were listening to Bach. One son said that he enjoyed listening to Bach. The other son said that he liked Bach and Velveeta (Vivaldi). And I was worried that they werent listening and learning. Diane Ryks, via Facebook
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Teachers Lounge January 2013 21
The
Homeschooler
Dr. Heather W. Allen
Factual
Costof
. . . If you truly want to successfully homeschool your children, you can succeed whether you have a meager budget or a generous one.
The
Homeschooling
have been researching the cost of homeschooling, and my findings are interesting but not surprising. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, cost is defined as follows: (1) the amount or equivalent paid or charged for something, and (2) the outlay or expenditure (as of effort or sacrifice) made to achieve an object.1 Considering these definitions, the thing that strikes me is that we have an internal budget that is available to us to expend in effort or sacrifice for our children and our family, and we have an external budget that is our monetary outlay. As I searched for data concerning the cost of homeschooling, what I found
was that the amount spent was as varied as the number of families interviewed. How do you really put a price on homeschooling? There are so many variables to consider when attempting to calculate the amount of money a family spends on homeschooling, and each family seems to calculate the total cost differently. Let us first consider the external cost of homeschooling, that is, our monetary outlay. Some families report that they spend $140 per child. Others spend $500 per child, and still others spend $1,000 to $2,000 per child. In response to the same question, some families will say they spend $360 per year for their family, without specifying the number of
children. Others will report that they spend $2,000 to educate two children. The numbers are all over the board, and there is no defensible way for me to arrive at a range, let alone the mean, median, and mode. Suffice it to say that if you truly want to successfully homeschool your children, you can succeed, whether you have a meager budget or a generous one. Anyone can homeschool, regardless of cost. Are these dollar amounts the actual cost of homeschooling? Probably not. What about the cost of membership in a local or state homeschooling organization? What about the cost of joining Home School Legal Defense Association
22 January 2013 The Factual Homeschooler
(HSLDA)? Are field trips factored into the cost? How about incidental costs such as paper, pens and pencils, and other supplies? How about mandated testing? Music lessons? Sports teams? If a spouse left a job to homeschool, has the cost of the lost wages been factored into the cost of homeschooling? Curious, I checked to see how many homeschooling families have one spouse who does not have outside employment. According to an article published by Utah State University, the traditional roles of the husband as the main breadwinner and the wife as the homemaker are no longer a reality.2 Supposedly, less than 1/3 of U.S. families are traditional in the sense that they have a working father and a stay-at-home mother.3 More than 70% of married couples report that both the husband and wife have fulltime jobs outside of the home.4 A family first makes a decision to homeschool, which is a monumental, life-changing decision. They then have to consider their resources and develop a plan. Some families spend very little; others spend significantly more. Does their specific monetary decision affect the quality of the education of their children? I have found no evidence that it does. Some families use the library for their educational resources. Others purchase their resources. Some purchase new materials; others buy used materials. Does this decision affect the quality of the education of their children? I have found no evidence that it does. Some families purchase accredited curriculum. Others purchase structured, unaccredited curriculum. Still others opt to use online instructional material. Does this decision affect the quality of the education of their children? I have found no evidence that it does.
As far as I can tell, the external cost of homeschooling, that is, the monetary outlay, whether it is a little or a lot, does not significantly affect the quality of the homeschool education. The internal cost or the effort or sacrifice made to homeschool must also be considered. Effort can be thought of as the total work done to achieve a particular end, a serious attempt, a hard work.5 Sacrifice is something given up or lost.6 Yes, significant sacrifice
As far as I can tell, the external cost of homeschooling, that is, the monetary outlay, . . . does not significantly affect the quality of the homeschool education.
and effort are required when choosing to homeschool our children, but then again, if that is what we are called to do, do we really think of it as an effort or . . . a sacrifice? Most of the families I know, even during times when the primary educator in the home is tired and just worn out, consider the time spent with their children and the educational path they have taken to be a blessing. I do not remember a time when I have heard a discouraged parent lament the decision to homeschool. When considering the external and internal costs of homeschooling, weighing
those against the alternatives, that is, public or private schools, homeschooling is doable. You can do this. You do not need significant monetary resources to accomplish the goals you have set for your children and your family. You can homeschool on a very limited budget. You can homeschool on a generous budget. Be creative. Share resources with others. Use the public library. You know your children better than anyone else, and you know what they need in terms of an education. Please, do not ever let the perceived cost of homeschooling derail your plans.
Heather and her husband, Steve, live in Edgewood, New Mexico, where they have homeschooled their five children: Edward (19), Joseph (16), Emily (14), Hana (8), and Ezekiel (8), for the last fifteen years. When not homeschooling, doing things with her family, or writing for TOS, Heather works as a human factors engineer in her homebased consulting business. For more information about the Allen family, please visit their website at www.hippityhooves.com.
Endnotes: 1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (September 4, 2012). Version 2.0, itunes.apple.com/us/app/Merriamwebster-dictionary/id399452287?mt=8. 2. The Busy-ness of Work & Marriage. (2008). Husbands vs. Wifes Employment, Utah State University. Found in: ocw.usu.edu/family__con sumer____human_development/marriage___ family_relationships/The_Busy-ness_of_ Work___Marriage_3.html (September 1, 2012). 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (September 4, 2012). Version 2.0. itunes.apple.com/us/app/Merriamwesbter-dictionary/id399452287?mt=8. 6. Ibid.
The Factual Homeschooler January 2013 23
Show & Tell

Amy Blevins
Our World, Our Classroom: Finding Direction in Christ

Blevins children at South Coast Botanical Gardens (Clara,13; Anna, 8; Caleb, 6; Jonathan, 11; Joshua, 3; Peter, 3)
Proverbs 3:6: In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. hen my husband and I made the decision to homeschool ten years ago, we defined three basic goals for our children: (1) We want our children to love God. (2) We want our children to love reading. (3) We want our children to be able to think well. Thats it. It seems like a short list, but it wasnt long before we ran into some challenges.
VIDEO: Meet the Blevins family!

The first challenge was in finding material. We had no idea what we were doing. We had been convinced to homeschool
after hearing some very basic information presented by Dr. Dobson on a Focus on the Family broadcast. We immediately began talking to a few friends and searching the Internet. What began as a vague description of our priorities rapidly became my engulfing passion. Its a good thing my oldest daughter was only 3 years old; I had time to complete my task. Defining our homeschool style as an eclectic one that includes elements of the Charlotte Mason philosophy and the literature-rich, classical approach did not come for several years, as our practical experience and exposure to the homeschool world increased. We started out with Sonlight Preschool, and that certainly helped form a wonderful foundation for our children to love to read. My third child was the first to hit a snag in the reading department. Today, she is 9
years old and reading is still a struggle. In spite of our best efforts, she may never love to read. I have not given up. Our second challenge: My children are not onesize-fits-all. In keeping with our desire that our children love God, we spend considerable time outside examining Gods creation. We take our children on hikes, put spiders under the Discovery Scope, and study science from a creation perspective. We expect our children to participate in AWANA and spend some time each day memorizing Gods Word. Each student also goes through a series of worldview studies from Apologia Ministries. We talk about what we are learning from Gods Word ourselves and do our best to model an imitation of Christ. It probably comes as no surprise to you that you cannot make a child love God.
24 January 2013 Show & Tell
. . . As I teach my children I find myself learning far more than I expected.

Accepting this truth was my third challenge. Even with the best of examples (which we are not), everyone has to make an eternal choice for himself. Its just so hard to let go! We define our style as eclectic largely because each of our children learns so differently. While one child has blossomed with a certain phonics material, another child learned to read without any phonics curriculum, and yet another child has required an entirely different, unconventional approach. One of my children loves hands-on note-booking, such as creating lapbooks. Another child prefers lectures and note-taking. Yet another child learns astonishing amounts of information just from reading. My collection of curriculum has grown into a library, and as I teach my children I find myself learning far more than I expected. I cannot imagine anything else besides a literature rich homeschool. My husband and I are both avid readers, so it comes very naturally. In 2006, I was diagnosed with an idiopathic growth in my trachea. It is basically untreatable, and I require surgery every few months. Shortness of
Feed My Starving Children event with Clara, Jonathan, Amy, Anna, Caleb
breath limits my ability to read aloud to my children, so we use audio books to bridge that gap. We also have chosen to fill our home with a collection of wonderful books so that one can always find something good to read. A purely classical education would require studying history in cycles of exactly four years, and we are not a purely classical homeschool. We do study history in cycles from Ancient to Modern. We do place an emphasis on logic and thinking skills. We do require the study of Latin. These are all key components of a classical education, so I think we fit into the loosely classical category. In the beginning, we expected to find a perfect fit within a well-defined homeschool style and purchase curriculum packages that would work perfectly for
all of our children and accomplish all we desired. After ten years, where we have ended up is a very different place than what we expected. We are all learning and growing. God is meeting our every need and directing our paths. That is enough.
Amy Blevins serves Jesus Christ and lives with her husband Daniel and six beautiful children in Southern California, where they homeschool and enjoy the great outdoors. Besides homeschooling, Amy enjoys blessing others, leading AWANA Sparks, hiking, teaching, reading, writing product reviews, and blogging. You can find her blog at Bow of Bronze and contact her through email at amyb@bowofbronze.com.
Peter (3) examines a snail
Blevins family at Easter, 2012
Show & Tell January 2013 25
Homeschooling for
Impact
Denise Mira
Allowing Our Kids to Experience Lifes Hard Knocks

Mom, Dad, Will
You Pass the Test?

The kind of leaders we raise up in our homes and in our local churches will determine how effective we are and how long we remain effective. How do we expect to produce strong leaders if we dont allow strength to be built through trial? Muscle is built by resistance. Patience is produced by painful endurance. Character is cultivated when circumstances bring disappointment. Friends, think for a moment. When have we learned our most valuable lessons and experienced our finest moments along the path of life? This has to be my answer: during trial, hardship, and contrary circumstances. It was truly while traveling along the roads of perseverance and endurance that my leadership capacity was enlarged the most. Why, then, do we long to shield our children from difficulties and rob them of the blessing of true character riches? How will our children remain committed through thick and thin in marriage if they were never required to endure hardships along the way? What kind of parents will they be, having never grown up themselves?
here is a quality and a substance of character that we long for our kids to have but which can be worked into their very fabric only through difficulty. If we remove every trial and tribulation, every hard thing, from their path, then there is nothing left for them to resist, oppose, or endure. We must love them enough to allow them to struggle. As a mom, I want every little thing to go smoothly, nicely, and easily. I want to rescue my children from trials and shelter them from pain.
me wants the best for these young men, but . . . this is not love in truth. Sometimes their best interest means allowing them to experience lifes hard knocks. Sometimes I want to be nicer than God.
VIDEO: More from Denise

When I see others making choices that affect my sons negatively, Im tempted to be critical of those people. I can plot an interception in my mind when Im privy to an imminent correction, however gentle, that my husband is planning to bring to one of my sons. Or, when my answer wont bring my sons pleasure, sometimes I want to soft-soak it to dilute its strength. I want to move things around to make the way easy for them. Everything within
We learn perseverance by pressing on, even though we dont get our own way.
Perseverance
We learn perseverance by pressing on, even though we dont get our own way; its a natural fact of life for everyone. Children must be allowed to experience this most aggravating emotional experience. We dont always have to make things even-steven. Some days the scales will not balance no matter how hard you try; this is simply reality. We must stop trying to be the almighty balancer of the scales for our children if were going to see our kids become the kind of leaders God can use.
26 January 2013 Homeschooling for Impact
The acquisition of character and spiritual maturity through pain and perseverance has been well illustrated in the Mira mens power-lifting pastime. As teens, several days a week you could find our sons in the garage pumping iron with their daddy. It was an environment chock-full of resistance. The noises they made indicated severe struggle, even pain. However, their vision kept them pressing on in the process of building hard-earned muscle, which they knew could be achieved no other way. This passage seems fitting. Perhaps you could tack it up on the wall for you and the kids to memorize: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:24).1
at that very moment, I realized that in different places and in diverse ways, each one was working diligently. And, whether gainfully employed supporting only themselves or an entire family, or earning a college degree while working parttime, theyre young men who are carrying their weight in the world. In addition,
young age. It would have been easy for me to remove the obstacles and irritants that worked such tenacity in them for this marathon called life. Therefore my heart is glad . . . (Psalm 16:9a).
How do we expect to produce strong leaders if we dont allow strength to be built through trial?
each one is pursuing personal goals and dreams along with all the other mundane tasks and day-to-day responsibilities they handle. I took pause to ponderand marvel atGods goodness to have shown me the importance of allowing perseverance to have its way in my sons from a very
Denise Mira, author of No Ordinary Child: Unlocking the Leader Within Your Child, has been married to Gregory for thirty-one years. They are the parents of five sons. Denise has traveled extensively, both nationally and internationally, inspiring change as she shares the message God has given her for families. She would love to have you visit her blog at www .denisemira.com/blog.php, and she can be reached at contact@denisemira.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter!
Endnote: 1. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Reflecting
I woke up today on this rainy, Seattle Monday morning, rolled over, and looked at the clock. My mind began to wander to . . . what else? My kids. As I considered each one, from oldest to youngest, and what he would be doing
Homeschooling for Impact January 2013 27
His
Joyful
Homeschooler
Sheila Campbell
. . . My sacrifice of time and attention, which I thought was being made solely in the best interests of my children, was also a selfcentered sacrifice.
A Battle We Must
Surrender
Long hours passed, and what had started out as concern had become intensifying alarm. When the local authorities asked if he might be a runaway, it was not even considered a possibility. All who knew him considered him a responsible teen, a good kid, and he was well liked by his peers. He wouldnt run away; after all, he was homeschooled. Unable to reach him via cell phone and with no sign of where he had gone, a parents worst fear was unfolding with the deepening dark. Slowly the night passed and morning dawned, and eighteen hours later a wayward and repentant teen called his youth pastor and confessed to having planned his disappearance in the metropolis. Within a few hours, I was on a plane to fetch my prodigal son. His actions came as a shocking surprise to family, friends, and our church members not because he was a Christian but because he was homeschooled, which led many, including myself, to believe he was incapable of such outrageous behavior. How could a child who had been given a steady diet of Biblical instruction since he was a baby rebel so openly? My high expectations had blinded me to a hurting child, a child struggling with rebellion and sin. It was one of the most painful incidents I had ever experienced as a parent. However, looking back, I am deeply grateful for that eye-opening event, because it not only revealed the wounded heart of my son but it also revealed some simple truths to which my pride had blinded me. A. W. Tozer writes: There are some imperfections you never lose until you have suffered. You will never know some truths until you have suffered either in your heart or in your body or both and some mysteries you will never understand until you have carried
ave you heard from your son? At first I didnt hear the concern in the voice of our youth pastors wife and I just assumed he had done something fun or exciting and she was calling to see if I had heard the news. When she told me that he had left during the evening service to take a bathroom break and had never returned to the group, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. The youth from our church were at a national fine arts competition in a large city more than 1,500 miles away. She tried to reassure me that everything was probably fine and that he had just been separated from the group. However, the youth pastor had been unable to reach my son on his phone, so they just wanted to tell me that if I heard from him, instruct him to stay put and let them know his location.
28 January 2013 His Joyful Homeschooler
. . . Homeschooling does not inoculate our children against temptation, sin, and a heart focused on self.
the cross and fallen under it.1 I was not only hurt and disappointed; I was embarrassed, and my embarrassment exposed a self-centered heart. When I began homeschooling, I thought I was making a selfless commitment to my children, but I was also indulging self. As I gained confidence in my ability to teach my children, I began to thinkor hopethat I could raise children who were morally and perhaps even intellectually superior to their public school peers (very hard to admit, even to myself, but a reality nonetheless). When my choice to homeschool was questioned by Christian friends, I was willing to endure temporary criticism because I believed my decisions would eventually be validated by Godly young men and women who loved the Lord and accomplished great things in the Christian community. Of course, as a Christian parent I was legitimately concerned about my childrens relationship with God and I wanted them to desire to love and serve the Lord, but my sacrifice of time and attention, which I thought was being made solely in the best interests of my children, was also a self-centered sacrifice. Although I might not have recognized my selfish motives, deep within my heart I knew the success of my children would also be perceived as my personal success within the homeschool and Christian community. God is good in all things, and I am thankful that He gives me the desires of my heart and is sovereign over them even when they are corrupted by my sinful nature. I am thankful for a gracious and loving God Who used those desires for good in both my life and the lives of my children, despite my prideful, selfish nature. I am thankful He kept my son safe during that long night and used that terrifying event to open my eyes to the battle raging for the heart of my childrena battle I arrogantly thought I had avoided
by homeschooling them. I realized that although homeschooling can be a major stronghold of defense in the battle for the heart of our children and God certainly uses it for good, homeschooling does not inoculate our children against temptation, sin, and a heart focused on self. Our children are born with a heart focused on self, and the battle for control of their heart begins at birth. It is a battle that we as parents cannot win. It is a battle we must surrender to the Lord, for though we may be able to restrain our childrens actions, guide their decisions, and mentor their hearts, we cannot manage self for them, i.e., the sinful nature that is always internally focused. In fact, I was not much help to my children until I recognized how much the battle raged in my own life and that I could not fight it on my own. I am resigned to say as Paul said in Romans 7:15, For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. It is only through Gods grace that I am ever able to take captive those thoughts that continually tempt me to focus on selfish interests. It is a battle that I fight daily. Often, the motivations behind my actions place self right in the middle, but I am thankful for the trials that have helped me take an honest look at myself. There are things about my home, my children, my classroom, and my life that I never would never known if all had been perfect and good. I am thankful that God used homeschooling and my children to open my heart to truth and that He continues to mold and shape us as we all endeavor to serve Him.
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His Joyful Homeschooler January 2013 29
Leading
Marlin Detweiler
Your Homeschool Family
Math: Dads Opportunity to Shine in the Homeschool
. . . Dad can get involved in the educational process without giving up his day job or feeling burdened in the process.
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Im guessing, just guessing, that these words are not just true for mothers but even more so for fathers. Im also guessing that learning about God, His laws, and His precepts includes more than theology, history, and literature. It includes all that God has made. So, theres this huge question begging to be asked: If Im working full-time, providing for my family, is it not realistic and appropriate that my wife handle the childrenespecially their education? Well, no. Siring children is not raising children; it is not parenting. Yet we must be realistic and practical. I mentioned a division of labor above, and that is what we have when mothers are the primary teachers of children and fathers are the primary wage earners. When my family homeschooled, that was our basic arrangement. Laurie taught, and I worked on bringing home the bacon. The problem was that Laurie was not particularly gifted at math. In fact, for all her wonderful abilities and attributes, we must be honest and say she even despised the idea of teaching math. But Im pretty good at it. I realize that this is not the pattern for all couples, but I expect it is a common one. Not only that, but even if Mom is good at math, its common that Dad is too. Enter the opportunity for Dad to shine.
ost homeschooling families follow a pattern: Dad works, and Mom teaches the children. Dad earns the money to pay for the educational materials, and Mom decides what they will be and purchases them. In my business Ive been on the other side of these transactions. As Ive managed a booth at homeschool fairs, Ive frequently observed that Mom usually determines what will happen and what the family will purchaseeven if Dads along. Dont get me wrong; theres a place for division of labor thinking in the home, and this can work quite well . . . to a point. Most anyone reading this is going to be familiar with a frequently cited portion of Deuteronomy 6:69: And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them
30 January 2013 Leading Your Homeschool Family
Our youngest son is fairly talented in math. When he was in high school, prior to his senior year he completed a year of calculus with little sweat. His mother was able to direct his math studies if she used a text that allowed him to work through the concepts on his own, and he did so quite well. The problem is, though, that he wasnt involved in discussions of practical application beyond what the curriculum offered. This can be very limiting to someone who doesnt like math just for maths sake. He is good at math but is far more intrigued by math applications in the real world. Applied math can be a great way for a father to interact with his children. Talk about family budgets or talk about buying a car or a house. Talk about taxes (ugh!) and how payroll works, with its employer taxes and employee withholdings, etc. If you want to get more sophisticated, talk about math in architecture or a host of other applications. Can you imagine the excitement of a young math student who sees a connection between the Pythagorean theorem and architecture, earthquake location, crime scene investigation, or the trajectory of an arrow in flight? I wasnt quite so bold or talented as I worked with my son. Rather, I stayed in my area of familiarity and comfortfinance and investment. Before Veritas Press was formed, I was in the real estate investment business, and I had gained considerable mastery of a financial calculator, the HP-12. I knew both how to calculate things, such as an internal rate of return, and how to apply the calculations to real world problems and opportunities. I thought my son would enjoy applying his math learning in that way. He did. We had a blast while I taught him the six functions of a dollar. In case you dont know the six functions of a dollar, they are as follows: future value of a dollar, accumulation of a dollar per period, sinking fund factor, present value of a dollar, present value of an ordinaryannuity, and installment to amortize a dollar. Our interactions about this topic led to some really cool opportunities that my son took advantage of even during his college years as a management major. It bears illustrating how all this could be both practical and fun. Many young folks think about buying a home, but theres considerable mystery in the process. One such mystery is knowing how
to calculate a potential mortgage payment. My son enjoyed learning about this aspect of buying a home. So permit me to teach you how to estimate a mortgage payment in your head. Lets use some round numbers. A balance of $100,000 will be easy to work with and will make it easy to change to another number. An interest rate of 5% will suffice, and a typical amortization period is thirty years.
Applied math can be a great way for a father to interact with his children.
Youll have to memorize a couple of numbers, specifically, how much of a payment will be applied to the principal in the first year. Heres a table that will help: Loan Rate 5% 7% 10% Principal % (in addition to interest) 29% (round it to 30%) 14% (round to 15%) 5%
Now, lets do the calculation for a 5% rate. The interest on $100,000 at 5% for a year is $5,000. Thirty percent of that is $1,500. Therefore, the total annual payment is $6,500. If our annual mortgage payment were $6,000, our monthly would be $500. But it was $6,500 not $6,000. So, knowing that $40 x 12 is almost $500, its $480, leaving 20, which is approximately $2 per month, so we add another $42 per
month and conclude our mortgage payment for $100,000 principal, thirty-year amortization, and 5% interest rate will be around $542 for principal and interest. You might be interested to know that the exact number is $536.82and were close enough for an affordability estimate! Likewise, if the interest rate is 7%, the annual interest will be $7,000. Fifteen percent of that is $1,050 (which can be determined by taking 10% to get $700, halving the $700 for the remaining 5% to get $350, and adding them together to get $1,050). So, the annual total of payments is $8,050. Eight divided by 12 is two-thirds or 67%, making an annual payment of $8,000 around $670, and the remaining 50 divided by 12 is a bit more than $4. So, our estimated payment is $674. The exact number is actually $665.30. I left you the easy one to try on your ownthe 10% rate. The exact payment is $877.57. How did you do? Admittedly, this requires some quick tricks working with the numbers. Now maybe you can also see the value in learning the multiplication tables at a young age! This is just one example of how Dad can get involved in the educational process without giving up his day job or feeling burdened in the process. You can, no doubt, come up with many more excellent examples. Dont sell your kids short. They can do this stuff, and theyll love it.
Marlin is the husband of Laurie and father of four grown sons. He and his wife have been involved in many aspects of classical Christian education for more than twenty years. They own and operate Veritas Press, www.veritaspress.com, which provides curriculum for classical Christian education and offers online classes as well.
Leading Your Homeschool Family January 2013 31
The
Homeschooler
Mary Hood, Ph.D.
Ordinary
What My Kids and I Have Learned Through Drama
y children and I have all participated in drama activities throughout our lives. There are many lessons we have encountered along the way! Following are some of the things we have learned. 1. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. When I was in sixth grade, I tried out for the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. I wound up as a munchkin instead. I had a moment of feeling like a failure, followed by many hours of enjoyment as a result of being part of a larger group. 2. Failure is a part of life. My daughter, Ginny, was in a professional theatre troupe one summer. The leaders all assured her she would be welcomed back the next year. Unfortunately, she had a bad cold at tryouts and didnt make the cut the following year. After a week or so of crying, she picked herself up and volunteered to be an usher and had a great time watching the performances and going to the cast parties. 3. We learned how to be part of a team. Just like in sports, all participants in a group theatre experience have to do their own job to the best of their ability, without jealousy or resentment. My son, Sam, really wanted to have a large singing part in Fiddler on the Roof one summer but
wound up being the fiddler instead. His role was just as critical to the success of the show as the singing and dancing roles, and he was recognized as an important part of the cast. 4. Support personnel are also important. As a young adult, I sewed costumes for a production of The Pajama Game. At that point, I didnt have enough free
Sometimes the most difficult things you have to do are the most worthwhile.
time to try out for an actual role in the performance, but I had so much fun backstage that I learned all the songs and dialogue. Thirty years later, I still sometimes find myself humming songs from that production. 5. There are all kinds of different people in the world! Sometimes homeschoolers are criticized for sheltering their children too much. When they are very young, I believe that is a proper thing for moms and dads to do. However, as they get a little older, it is much better to expose our children to the larger world a little at
a time, while they are still living at home, so we can discuss their experiences when the family is together at the supper table. Working in community theatre certainly accomplished this goal! 6. Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain! (Ive heard this quote attributed to Winston Churchill and a number of other folks. Whoever said itit is really true!) When I was in high school, I finally landed a plum role: Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew. The idea of going up on stage and spouting Shakespearean lines scared me silly at first! Once I experienced some success, I was carried to a new level of accomplishment. Much later, I remember being afraid that I couldnt fill up two hours of class time twice a week as a new college instructor. Once I found I could do that, I wound up being able to fill up six hours of workshop time in my Relaxed Homeschooling Workshops without any problem. 7. Sometimes the most difficult things you have to do are the most worthwhile. My daughter, Ginny, was asked to be the choreographer of a community play when she was only 14. She faced a lot of resistance from some of the adults in the cast who didnt believe that she was capable, and they refused to take direction
32 January 2013 The Ordinary Homeschooler
from a young teenager. Ultimately, she persevered and was able to demonstrate her ability and manage the reluctant adults. It was a tremendous growth opportunity for her. 8. Drama provides the opportunity to develop many talents. In junior high, a group of us penned an original musical. One of my fellow classmates went on to write an actual musical as an adult, and another became a composer of songs for computer games! Personally, I believe I learned more about writing from these experiences than I ever did as a result of school assignments. 9. Memorization is hard work, but it can be done! At our homeschooling resource center, we have put on several plays. The sheer amount of memorization for some of the larger roles is unbelievable. I remember one girl who looked at the lead role she had been assigned in a production of Shakespeares Twelfth Night and said, I can never remember all those lines! Of course, she did a wonderful job, and it showed her that almost anything is possible if you want to do it badly enough. 10. Drama can be packed with intense emotion. Used properly, this can have an enormous impact on other people and can be used effectively as a tool for reaching people with the Gospel. I remember one time when Ginny was an older teenager and the church was putting on a production. The play was about a young teenager who was killed in a car accident and was allowed to see Hell on his way to enter Heaven. It was an extremely powerful presentation, and I saw several young people being convicted as a result of it. My daughter played the girlfriend of the boy who was killed, and her performance affected me so much at the start of the play that I totally forgot it was my own daughter up there. Her powerful performance at the beginning of the play set the stage for an emotional roller coaster as the audience was led through both Hell and Heaven. The actor who played Jesus was so filled with the Holy Spirit and so effective in his role that everybody was weeping by the end of the play. Drama is not just fun and games! It can serve some very important purposes! If you want to incorporate drama into your homeschool, I suggest you start simply by narrating some folk tales or childrens stories and letting your kids act
out all the parts. Take them to see some dramatic productions, provide them with a makeshift stage, and watch them take off! My own drama career got its start in my neighbors basement, with a curtain and some costumes gathered up from my moms closet. It led to a lifetime of enjoyment with musical theatre and set the stage for many hours of enjoyment with my own children later on.
Mary Hood, Ph.D., and her husband, Roy, homeschooled their five children since the early 1980s. All have successfully made the transition to adulthood. Mary has a Ph.D. in education and is the director of ARCHERS for the Lord, Inc. (The Association of Relaxed Christian Home Educators). She is the author of The Relaxed Home School, The Joyful Home Schooler, and other books, and is available for speaking engagements. Contact her via her website, www .archersforthelord.org.
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34 November 2012 The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Can your student recite 161 facts of known human history, including major biblical events?
They can if theyre in community with us.
Each year, our youngest studentsfrom K4 through sixth gradelearn a timeline of 161 facts of history, including the 44 U.S. presidents and key events of Old and New Testament history. As students progress to more advanced studies in upper grades, they revisit these epochs of development, exploration, conflict, and diplomacy with more detail and discussion. In high school, they further explore the philosophies that spawned artistic creativity, inspired leaders, and led to significant eventsall within the framework of a biblical workview and in the context of this timeline of events. This month, were excited to announce PreScripts, a new series developed to integrate the memory work with art and cursive writing. There are four books, each beautifully designed to take students to a new level of dexterity and knowledge. Visit our website to learn more.
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The Old Schoolhouse Magazine November 2012 35
The
Homeschooler
Dianne Craft
Struggling
Homeschooling a Struggling High Schooler Credits, Curriculum, Diplomas

ou know in your heart that homeschooling is best for your children, and especially for your struggling learner or child with special needs. You see the progress your struggling learner has made in the elementary years, as you created a specialized teaching program that worked for him. But when this same child becomes a teenager and enters high school, the nervousness begins. The questions bombard you at night: How will I give this child a diploma? How am I going to get in all the credits he needs to graduate? What will he do after high school? Is college even an option? Lets explore ways that other parents have found to make this high school experience successful, not stressful. high school student. This course of study is based on the teenagers functioning level, his special needs, and his post-secondary plans and goals.
It is important to have the teenagers disability documented by a qualified tester . . . .

Only a very small number of states impose high school graduation requirements on homeschoolers. Since the U.S. is so diverse when it comes to high school graduation requirements, it is best to check with your local support group leaders about state requirements that the homeschoolers in your area follow. It is good to remember that struggling students, as well as functionally disabled students, are given high school credit and graduate from public high schools all the time. Thus, unless the case is unusual, we can apply these same criteria to homeschool students who have a documented learning disability. It is important to have the teenagers disability
Diploma
First, it is important to point out that a diploma is simply a certificate by which a person or an organization certifies that the person named on the diploma has successfully completed a course of study. In most states, the parents, as teachers and administrators of the school, determine an appropriate course of study and set forth the graduation requirements for their homeschooled
documented by a qualified tester and to have accommodations and modifications listed. If you have a teenager with severe disabilities, such as developmental disabilities, or in cases where an individual will more than likely not live independently, you can choose to award this teenager an alternative diploma, such as a Special Education Diploma, Certificate of Completion, or a Certificate of Achievement. In the records you keep, just make sure to indicate that the students high school program has been modified. However, the parents must carefully consider the implications of awarding an alternative diploma, because doing so could place some restrictions on post-secondary learning or employment. For those students who decide to forgo further formal education and who will be entering a technical training school, the work force, or the military, a basic general high school diploma is recommended. This includes 2022 high school credits. It would be good to check with your local community college to see what their requirements are. Since they offer many good remedialtype courses, many students who have been struggling in high school find that this is a tailored, friendly introduction
36 January 2013 The Struggling Homeschooler
to some further training or career education. There are many courses that your teenager, who may have struggled with language arts or math, may find appealing, such as courses in art, computer, hospitality, animal husbandry, etc. An example of coursework required in order to receive a general high school diploma: 34 credits of English 3 credits of math 23 credits of social studies 2 credits of science 2 credits of health/fitness 1 credit of art/music 6 credits of electives (typing, computer, cooking, Bible, etc.) Parents are encouraged not to automatically rule out college because their teenager has learning challenges, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia. Families who are homeschooling a teenager with learning disabilities are strongly encouraged to plan a high school program of studies with college in mind. Because of the many accommodations that now are routinely made for students with learning disabilities, many teenagers find that more formal post-secondary education is an entirely achievable goal. Sometimes these students find that community college is a great stepping-stone to a four-year university or college. Check with the college your child is considering, to see what their requirements are.
What if your teen is reading below high school level? Among the options for course work, you can use adapted mate He is in ninth grade or above and has rials, such as high interest/low vocabubeen officially diagnosed as having a lary materials, books on tape, or print learning disability. recognition software or reading pens, or He is performing at or near his ability the parent/teacher may simply read the to learn in that subject and is showing assigned material aloud to the teen. that this years work is a progression The goal here is to make the content from last years work. accessible to the student with a learning He has completed the requirements of disability or special need. The informathe course to the satisfaction of the par- tion is acquired by the student but in a ent, and the parent has documented manner and at a modified level that enthat work. sures the students understanding.
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In the public school system, the resource teacher is allowed to make adjustments to the diploma requirements for her teenagers with special needs. This can be done by the homeschool resource teacher (you) also. The two requirements are that official testing, which has documented the specific special need or learning disability of the child, has taken place, and that the documentation includes the accommodations and modifications to curriculum that have been made throughout their schooling. For example, if a tenth-grade student is capable of doing only sixth-grade level math and meets the conditions noted below, then he may be given a high school credit in math for completing the sixth-grade material.
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Alternative High School Course Work
The beauty of homeschooling is that you can tailor a course of study based on your childs needs, functioning level, and strengths and weaknesses. You are free to design an alternative course of study for the requirements. For instance, if you feel that your teen will be unable to be successful with higher-level math course work, such as Trigonometry or Calculus or Algebra II, you can offer alternative math course work, such as Consumer Math, Computers, Accounting, or General Math. Your teenager can take a video math course, such as Teaching Textbooks, and you can do the lessons and chapter tests together. In Resource Room classrooms across the country, students with learning disabilities are allowed to ask the teacher questions about how to do a math process, during the test. At other times the student will take the test, but if the score is low, the student is tutored and then permitted to take the test again. These are all accommodations and modifications that can be made to help the student succeed in a subject that would otherwise not be available to him.
Rest assured that you can homeschool your high schooler who struggles with learning.
To make these course adjustments easier for you, there are some wonderful publishers and vendors that carry alternative high school course work and curricula. One resource that many parents find helpful is Hewitt Homeschooling Resources (www.hewitthomeschooling .com). While not carrying a special needs curriculum specifically, this company does offer courses that are much more user friendly for the struggling homeschooler. A few additional curriculum resources are www.avcsbooks.com, www .highnoonbooks.com, www.academic therapy.com, and www.rempub.com. Rest assured that you can homeschool your high schooler who struggles with learning. You are well equipped to succeed and to help your high schooler succeed as well.
Email your short questions to Dianne at this address: craft@ecentral.com. Dianne Craft has a masters degree in learning disabilities. She speaks widely at homeschool conventions across the country. Her books, Brain Integration Therapy Manual, Right Brain Phonics Program, and her DVDs, Understanding & Helping the Struggling Learner, Teaching the Right Brain Child, Smart Kids Who Hate to Write, and The Biology of Behavior have helped hundreds of families remove learning blocks in their struggling children at home. Visit her website, www .diannecraft.org, for many articles on children and learning and to download her free Daily Lesson Plans for the Struggling Reader and Writer. DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended as medical advice. Everyone is encouraged to make their own health care decisions, with advice from qualified professionals.
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Have you ever wished that just for an hour or a day you could be freed from all your obligations and the expectations of others? Do you find yourself saying yes to commitments you really have no interest in? Do you wish you had the courage to say no when someone asks you to add yet one more thing to your plate? This beautifully designed little ebook will help you examine the potential reasons you fail to say no when you should, think about your priorities, and then develop a simple plan to start living according to your true priorities.
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38 January 2013 The Struggling Homeschooler
KONOS... the granddaddy of unit studies
Michael Farris, Chairman, HSLDA Chancellor of Patrick Henry College
Christian Character Classic Literature Concrete Activities Challenging Academics

1st Homeschool Curriculum written by 2 homeschool moms in 1984.
K 8th graders learn together WHILE high schoolers learn through units around history.
We have used KONOS for 10 years and it has changed our lives, deepened our faith, and helped us raise our sweet little children into fine young adults. Year after year KONOS was fun. We had a blast! We acted out stories. We made noise. We made a mess. It was wonderful! School spilled over into the rest of life and took it over. Our lives have never been the same. Sally Kirkpatrick, September 15, 2011
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www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com The Struggling Homeschooler January 2013 39
The
Unit Study
Homeschooler
Jessica Hulcy
Airplanes: Trust in Flying
hen I was in high school, my father decided he wanted to get his pilots license, and he bought a share in a small plane. After he finished his doctoring for the day, I would be his passenger as he practiced touch-and-gos at a small airport. However, my most thrilling plane ride ever was when Wade and I took our family to the Grand Canyon. At that time, small planes were allowed to fly into the canyon. We climbed aboard and away we went skimming the earth . . . until we literally dived into the canyon! Our breath was taken away by the incredible dive! Totally amazing! How could man ever trust that a plane would fly if he were hurled into the Grand Canyon or into the air?
consistent enough to be recognized by Swiss scientist, Daniel Bernoulli, in the 1700s and put forth as the foundation of flight in Bernoullis principle. Bernoullis principle states that increased air speed results in decreased air pressure, which in turn creates lift, allowing planes to fly.
Grasping Concepts Through Experiments
How could man ever trust that a plane would fly if he were hurled into the Grand Canyon or into the air?
Bernoulli only recognized the principle that God had designed at Creationa principle that we could trust because it was consistently trustworthy, just as its Designer, God, was consistently trustworthy. The most important focus of this unit is not how and why planes fly but rather a focus on Who created the laws we can trust every timewhich make flight possible.
Trusting in Gods Laws
Small wonder flying and planes came to mind when Carole and I wrote the KONOS Trust unit. The definition of trust is a strong belief and confidence in someone or something. Gods physical laws of air pressure and air speed were
Before we can gain an understanding of flight, our brains must be wrapped around concepts that govern flight. The two best Barnum and Bailey experiments demonstrating the concept that air has weight and exerts pressure are the breaking-a-yardstick experiment and the egg-in-the-milk-bottle experiment. Teachers can tell students that air exerts 14.7 lbs of pressure on every square inch of the earth. Students know there is a lack of air in space, which enables astronauts to float weightlessly. I have even drawn many square inches on kids arms and written 14.7 lbs of air pressure on each square to drive home the point . . . but when kids use one sheet of newspaper to cover half of a yardstick on a table while the kids karate-chop the hanging half of the yardstick, breaking it in half, they have personal, hands-on evidence that air pressure on every square inch of the newspaper was strong enough to hold the on-the-table half of the
40 January 2013 The Unit Study Homeschooler
yardstick while they karate chopped it in half. Air is powerful. This power of air pressure is demonstrated again as they watch air push a peeled, hardboiled egg into a milk bottle. How is that possible? First, remove the air in the milk bottle by dropping a flaming piece of paper into the bottle. When the fire goes out, the air in the bottle is gone, enabling the air on top to push the egg into the bottle.
Dramatizing Flight Jobs
No unit on flight would be complete without hearing these words: This is your captain speaking. Once our kids had watched an edited version of The Right Stuff, they were ready to act out the roles of the men with the right stuff, as well as the stewards who demonstrated how to put on your oxygen mask and served you a beverage of your choice. Role-playing
Learning About Flight History Through Books
Biographies about people who contributed to the growth and advancement of flight, such as Orville and Wilbur Wright, Charles Lindberg, Amelia Earhart, Chuck Yeager, Neil Armstrong, and Jim Lovell, each contributed a piece to the flight puzzle. The Wright brothers first plane flight in 1903 remained airborne 12 seconds and traveled a distance of 120 feet. Today, a modern Boeing 747-400 jet airliner has an economy section of 150 feet (almost 30 feet longer than the first flight length!) and can travel 7,0009,000 miles in a single trip that takes more than 20 hours! Flying has come a long way since Kitty Hawk!
In His infinite wisdom, God has created a trustworthy universe whose laws remain constant.
the pilot, the co-pilot, the navigator, and the steward gave each child a picture of the skills and talents needed for each job. Children further dramatized the changing positions of plane parts, such as the ailerons, flaps, elevators, stabilizers, and the rudder. As each actor of a plane part changed his position, it caused the
plane to maneuver differently. With this simple exercise, the children realized the vast amount of knowledge a pilot must acquire and remember in order to fly an airplane. In His infinite wisdom, God has created a trustworthy universe whose laws remain constant. Every detail in flying can be predicted through the laws of motion, physics, aeronautics, and math. We do not need to wonder what is going to happen. Rather, we can know what is going to happen because Gods design can be trusted!
Jessica Hulcy, co-author of KONOS Curriculum, the first curriculum written for homeschool, is an educator, author, and formerly popular national homeschool speaker prior to her near-fatal wreck in 2009. A graduate of the University of Texas, mom to four grown sons, and Grandear to grandchildren, Jessica lives with her husband Wade on acreage in Texas. Recently Jessica and Wade started the ultimate online help for homeschooling moms called Homeschool Mentor. Visit www.homeschoolmentor.com and www.konos.com.
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The Unit Study Homeschooler January 2013 41
The
Literary
Adam Andrews
Homeschooler
Asking the Right Questions
Frankenstein vs. Jekyll & Hyde:

consumes the terrified Jekyll, and both are destroyed. In the other story, the young scientist Victor Frankenstein discovers the secret of life and creates a living soul with his own hands. The Creature horrifies him
ometimes the simplest interpretive detail can give us amazing insight into a classic book. A question as basic as Who is the protagonist? can often unlock the whole story and help us avoid unfortunate misinterpretations. A teacher reminded me of this idea recently as she described her latest literature assignment. She had instructed her students to compare Mary Shelleys Frankenstein with Robert Louis Stevensons Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. These two famous stories have some striking similarities and make a great combination for worldvieworiented discussions. In Jekyll & Hyde, a good doctor creates a potion that will allow him to separate his evil impulses from his good nature. He transforms himself at will into Mr. Hyde, a misshapen dwarf who is the embodiment of Jekylls basest desires. By giving Hyde full reign to do evil in secret, Jekyll hopes to purge his good nature of evil and enjoy an easy conscience. As time goes on, however, Mr. Hyde grows stronger and bolder, eventually appearing unbidden and threatening to take over Jekylls good nature permanently. In the end, the ever-growing Hyde finally
and the Creature wreaks its revenge, eventually destroying everyone whom Frankenstein loves.
A Common Interpretation
In our eagerness to judge literature from our Christian perspective, we often jump to evaluate the themes of a work before we ask and answer the fundamental structural questions.
and Frankenstein violently drives it away. The Creature wanders in the wilderness and suffers similar rejection at the hands of every person it meets. Eventually the Creature returns to confront Frankenstein, demanding that the scientist create a bride with whom it can share companionship. Horrified, Frankenstein refuses
My teacher friend intended to guide her students toward a commonly held opinion about these stories that can be summarized as follows: First, Jekyll & Hyde presents a view of human nature that Christians can support. Since Hydes evil ultimately springs from within Jekylls own heart, the story is a commentary on original sin and human depravity. It serves as a chilling reminder of the Scripture that warns, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Christians obviously approve of this theme and can applaud Stevenson for his skill in illustrating it. Shelleys Frankenstein, however, is another matter according to this common interpretation. Frankensteins Creature, with whom Shelleys readers are led to sympathize, is innocent and pure at the moment of his creation. The cruelty of the world around him, especially at the hands of his creator, destroys his native benevolence, turning him into an evil monster. The evil that men do comes
42 January 2013 The Literary Homeschooler
from the outside influences of a wicked society, the story seems to suggest. Far from a commentary on original sin, Frankenstein is a tirade against the idea. Christians generally disagree with this perspective and so condemn the story and its author, charging Shelley with promoting a non-Christian worldview.
A Different Interpretation
First Things First: Who Is the Protagonist?
It is easy when taking this track to get ahead of ourselves. In our eagerness to judge literature from our Christian perspective, we often jump to evaluate the themes of a work before we ask and answer the fundamental structural questions. For example, Which character is the protagonist? Lets examine this question for both stories and see whether the answers support the standard interpretations I have just described. In Jekyll & Hyde, there can be little doubt. The story is a simple, straightforward account of the career of Henry Jekyllhis faulty assumptions, his mistakes, and their terrible consequences. The fact that Hyde is inseparable in the end from Jekyll reinforces the idea that he alone is the protagonist (though he has two distinct personalities). This conclusion supports the common interpretation of the story: Human nature is flawed and its darker elements emanate from within. What about Frankenstein, however? Who is the protagonist in Shelleys tale? To answer this question, we might start by looking at Shelleys own words on the cover: Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. This title reveals two very important details that often escape notice. First, Frankenstein is not the name of the monster, as in many movie versions of the tale; its the name of the young scientist who creates him. Second, the reference to Prometheus recalls the Greek myth about the man who stole fire from the gods, a man who reached above his station to usurp the prerogatives of deity. Before we even open the book, then, we find the following answer to our question about the protagonist from Shelleys own pen: This is a story about Victor Frankenstein, who in his pride and overreaching ambition tried to make himself like God and was destroyed. The primary focus of this novel is not the Creatures innocent nature but Frankensteins guilty one!
Suddenly, the story takes on a whole new meaning. Frankensteins soliloquies on his ambition to cheat death, his obsession with his dark experiments, his horror at the misshapen monster he has created, and his refusal to create another one and the disaster that followsall of these elements chronicle the destructive consequences of that most original of all original sins, the sin of pride.
A question as basic as Who is the protagonist? can often . . . help us avoid unfortunate misinterpretations.
Though Frankensteins Creature occupies an important place in the story and is a very sympathetic character, he is not the primary character. Shelley created him as a foil for Victor Frankenstein, to emphasize the latters pride, ambition, and arrogance by magnifying their destructive effects on innocent life. Once we answer the protagonist question, we are led to interpret Frankenstein as a dark commentary on human nature very similar to Jekyll & Hyde. In fact, we may find Shelleys story more powerful because it is more specific; whereas Henry Jekylls original sin is a general, nameless evil, Victor Frankenstein is destroyed by a specific aspect of his fallen human nature. Some Christians correctly interpret Frankensteins Creature as an example of the Romantic view of human nature popular in Shelleys time. They often follow a good interpretation with a bad one, however, when they charge Shelley with promoting this view. If Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist, the novel raises some serious objections to the Romantic idea. He himself is a Romantic, and the story of his destruction can be seen as a warning against that philosophys excesses. If you have a mind to assign Jekyll & Hyde to your students this year, consider having them read Frankenstein as well. The two stories really do make for a great comparison. But dont forget to ask the fundamental questions before you rush to judgment. You might be surprised at where the answers lead!
Adam Andrews is the Director of the Center for Literary Education and a homeschooling father of six. Adam earned his B.A. from Hillsdale College and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington. He and his wife Missy are the authors of Teaching the Classics, the popular reading and literature curriculum. They teach their children at home in Rice, Washington. For more information, visit www.centerforlit.com.
The Literary Homeschooler January 2013 43
The
Classical
Homeschooler
Jennifer Courtney
The Lost Tools of Math: The Art of Studying Well

habits. Secondly, I learned that a difficult text with lots of exercises for practice is the best choice if you want to learn something new. Many people had warned me that Henle Latin is very difficult and moves quickly. What I discovered through studying this book is that most of the text is comprised of practice
his summer, I decided to learn Latin the old-fashioned way. I took a copy of Henle I Latin and the grammar book and dug in. I copied every vocabulary word and grammar book into my notebook in two sections: one section for the chapter notes and one section for a dictionary. Then, I copied them again onto note cards. I completed every exercise. If the sentences were in Latin, I copied them into my notebook before translating them into English so that I could get a feel for this language. By the end of the summer, I had memorized most of the vocabulary and grammar rules and had a good sense of Latin grammar. I proved several things to myself through this experiment. First, one can learn any subject with just books, pencil, and paper. This lesson applies to every subject we try to teach our children at home. For centuries, scholars have learned their lessons with very simple supplies. When subjects like math get hard, we are tempted to switch to a new textbook or online program. Instead, we probably need to develop new study
Like Latin, math is a foreign language with its own specialized vocabulary and rules.
exercises. Each chapter included one page of explanation followed by pages and pages of practice. As a new student trying to learn a foreign language, practice is exactly what I needed. Finally, I learned that creating a good notebook is everything. The act of writing, writing, and writing again ensured that the vocabulary and the grammar stuck.
You might be asking what Latin and math have in common, and the answer is almost everything. Like Latin, math is a foreign language with its own specialized vocabulary and rules. The same skills apply to learning chemistry and physics, which are also math classes. Students who want to do well in any of these subjects must be given the tools of learning. These tools will equip them to learn anything with just a book, pencil, and paper. This is truly equipping them to be lifelong learners. First, young children must be given a firm foundation in math, which requires more parental involvement. However, as students approach middle school and high school, they should begin to regard the book as their instructor. In those years, the students (not the parents) should be doing the hard work of learning the subject. Lets begin with the idea of laying a firm foundation in the early years. Like foreign language students, math students must learn the vocabulary of the new language they are studying. When you are discussing fractions with young
44 January 2013 The Classical Homeschooler
children, dont say: What is the top number? What happens to the bottom number when we add? Instead, always use the correct terminology of numerator (top number) and denominator (bottom number). Throughout their studies, students will need to know the correct terms, so begin using them when they are small. Other important words to know are addends and sum (addition); subtrahend, minuend, and difference (subtraction); factors and product (multiplication); and divisor, dividend, and quotient (division). For extra practice, students can even copy these terms as a handwriting exercise. Good math texts use these terms frequently. Parents who spend a few minutes learning them will greatly enhance their math instruction. In addition to the vocabulary words, early math instruction should include lots of memory work. Students should drill addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division daily. Be sure to choose a text that offers lots of drill practice. Children also should be encouraged to recite math facts orally or sing math songs. These math facts are critical to understanding higher math; therefore, struggling students should copy a times table daily until they have mastered it. Finally, knowing that you want them to have good study skills as older students, begin practicing now. Train students from an early age to work every math problem and to correct all missed work. As students approach the upper elementary years (ages 10 through 12), have them practice taking notes from their math lesson. Also, train these older students to begin solving problems for themselves. If they cannot figure out an answer, do not be too quick to give it to them. Instead, show them how to look for the solution by searching through the sample problems given in previous lessons. This is excellent training for upperlevel math courses. So far, most of the tips have been for students. What about the parents? What are you doing besides training them in good study habits? From time to time, you will need to step in to explain difficult concepts. For example, young children have a very hard time understanding that is bigger than . They have been trained to know that 4 is bigger than 2, so they often have a mental block when it comes to discussing the size of fractions. When possible, use examples
from their own lives to help them understand: If you shared a candy bar with one of your siblings, how much would you get? How about if all four of you had to share a candy bar? Which would you rather doshare with one other person or three? The concept of sharing food works very well as a means of illustrating fractions. If students are struggling with decimals, use examples of money: Would you rather be paid 2.50 or .25 for your allowance this week? In addition to training them in good study skills, practice the art of simplifying difficult concepts by relating them to a childs life.
and tests. Ideally, a students notebook should be so complete that it is all he needs to have in order to successfully study for the weekly tests. Finally, find ways to celebrate math as a subject that reveals Gods attributes. As Galileo said, Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe. Instead of viewing math as a chore, think of it as solving the grand puzzle of the universe. God has strewn his clues about for us to find so that we may marvel at His wondrous creation.
Jennifer Courtney
Jennifer Courtney and her husband have been homeschooling classically since 2003. She currently serves as the Director of Training and Development for Classical Conversations. She is the co-author of the Classical Acts and Facts History Cards series and of the book Classical, Christian Education Made Approachable. Jennifer writes for the Classical Conversations Writers Circle as well as a variety of homeschool and other education websites and magazines. She and her husband Tim live in Oklahoma, where they home educate their four children.
Throughout their studies, students will need to know the correct terms, so begin using them when they are small.
Now that we have discussed the early years of math instruction, let us take a look at the junior high and high school years. Often, parents get discouraged about teaching upper math because they forget two things. First, the hard work of learning should be done by the student. Second, rather than focusing on one particular branch of math each year, parents need to focus on giving their children the tools of learning so that students can pick up a book and teach themselves anything. So, what are these tools of learning? Lets take a look again at what I learned from my Latin studies this summer. Students should pledge to work hard, at least an hour a day, on the subject. Students should take good notes. Notes from a math lesson should include any new vocabulary words and formulas from the new lesson. Students also should copy all of the example problems given at the beginning of the lesson into their notes and attempt to solve them before looking at the answer. This will ensure that they comprehended the new material. Students should work every problem, check the problems against an answer key, and correct all missed work. Help your students with these study skills by providing separate sections in their notebook for lesson notes, math vocabulary words, formulas, daily lessons,
The Classical Homeschooler January 2013 45
The
Classical
Homeschooler
Amy Barr
Homeschool Expeditions Abroad

breakfast includes olives, cucumbers, and cheese but no bowls of sweet cereal. Schedule-loving moms are shaken to hear that much of the world considers 6 oclock dinner far too early and that Americans eat far too fast. Travelers learn that folks survive fine with tiny showers sleep and clean air. We were thankful for our horrible day stuck in that crowded airport. European airspace would be closed off and on for the next month, and only those who made it to Frankfort could fly on. Ours was one of the last flights for some time. A few of our newbie travelers found they had no toilet seats in their bathrooms when they first arrived in Rome. They took this fact in stride without whimper or complaint because they were determined to bravely adjust to foreign customs. They assumed missing seats were a quirky cultural difference. Several days later one seat-deprived traveler asked Mimmo, our Italian tour director, why Italians dont use toilet seats. After he stopped laughing, he asked the hotel what was up. The manager sheepishly admitted that the group that stayed there prior to our arrival had stolen the seats as a prank. The replacements hadnt arrived yet, and he hoped we would make do. One of our regular travelers suffers from MS. She does most of her sightseeing from a wheelchair as her family cheerfully pushes her along bumpy streets. Shes always been able to see almost everything, but we thought she had met her match with the Acropolis in Athens. Our Greek tour director found a rickety freight elevator that scaled the
he walls of home are a comforting sight. Familiar sounds, smells, and habits make a cocoon for the homeschooled child. The nourishing company of an invested parent creates a secure launching pad. But how can we help wings open, and what will inspire our child to fly off and explore? Every May for the past six years, Ive helped a bus load of fledglings, plus parents, launch on some amazing quests. Let me share just a few of our adventures in homeschool travels abroad. I can usually tell on departure day which child will benefit the most from our trip: He hasnt had much experience out of the nest. Preferences about food, clothes, and hobbies are bland. Life is narrowly defined by passing seasons and study subjects. He wont verbalize it, but he believes everyone lives like he does. Soon his views will change for the better. Waiting for his connecting flight, his ears will be treated to a concert of foreign languages and a rainbow of faces and clothes. Everybody expands their horizons while abroad, but the little things shock travelers most. They find its easier to buy a giant tub of chocolate hazelnut paste than a little jar of peanut butter. They are shocked to learn that a Mediterranean
Traveling overseas will teach one of lifes best lessons: The best memories come from plans gone awry.
and strange toilets. They also find that too few public restrooms are another reason why only Americans sell giant sodas. Traveling overseas will teach one of lifes best lessons: The best memories come from plans gone awry. In life and on trips, the only thing we can expect is the unexpected. Over half of our group was once stuck in Frankfort while we waited for European airspace to clear from a volcanic eruption in Iceland. We arrived in Istanbul twenty hours late with a new appreciation for
46 January 2013 The Classical Homeschooler
edge of the cliff. Our indomitable traveler could make it to the top if only she dared . . . and she dared! That day she conquered the Parthenon and also made it to the very spot where Apostle Paul had delivered his Mars Hill appeal near the Acropolis. In Turkey weary travelers were thrilled to arrive at Pamukkale. We spent the day roaming the ruins and then soaked tired feet as we waded in hot springs that trickle down a hillside covered by centuries of snowy white gypsum deposits. That night we went to steep in the hot spring pool at the hotel. Undaunted by the bathingcaps-required rule, we jumped in ready to relax. After a few minutes of soaking in hot iron-rich waters, we and dozens of tourists from as many nations began to look the same. Black bathing caps and orange muddy skin made us a relaxed, albeit surreal, synchronized swim team. In Italy we challenge travelers to race to the top of the Isle of Capri. There we visit the palace of the Roman emperor Tiberius, who used to toss hapless victims off the cliff into the sea below. Forgoing a leisurely day sipping cappuccinos, some elect to trek up the footpaths and are rewarded with astounding views.
Out of breath, we snap a group shot and trot back down the mountain. Some manage to enjoy granita, ice made from local lemons, before we hop the funicular down to the port.
The personal and educational value of overseas travel is worth every penny.
When everyone comes home, changes have a lasting effect. Picky eaters who tried new foods want everyone else to try some too. Students want to learn foreign languages, master more history, and study more artno nagging from Mom required. Homeschool families who travel together now share priceless memories that will linger long after kids leave the nest for good. The personal and educational value of overseas travel is worth every penny. As a group we also do our part as ambassadors for homeschoolers. Tour directors and guides all rave about how wonderful
it is to have such an interested group of travelers. They are used to college students or high school students who run through the sites so they can spend more time visiting nightclubs. The travel professionals who work with our groups are shocked when we fill three hours at museums that take other groups twenty minutes. Im blessed to be a fellow ambassador for home education, leading our busload of bright, polite, and intellectually curious world travelers.
Amy Barr is a homeschool mother of three and a full-time instructor of other home-educated students as co-founder of The Lukeion Project, www.lukeion.org. As an archaeologist, she spent more than a decade excavating sites throughout the Mediterranean and teaching Classics at the college level. Now she and her husband, Regan Barr, offer their expertise through live online workshops and college preparatory high school courses about the Classical world, Latin, and Greek. The two of them lead annual family tours to the Mediterranean and invite you to join them for a tour.
The Classical Homeschooler January 2013 47
Academic SpotlightSpeaking of Math
Spotlight on
Math!
ath is one of those subjects that I just dont enjoy. Oh, I can get through the first six years. Kindergarten is a blast with Counting Bears and Teaching Clocks. Basic operations such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication become fun when turned into real-life word problems (If Nana bought two presents, but has eight grandchildren, how many more presents does she need to buy for Christmas?). But once X becomes a substitute for a number, my usefulness as a teacher declines dramatically. Nevertheless, I have graduated two children from upper-level math courses and am currently helping my last one through Geometry! Dont neglect the importance of math fact memorization early on. Drill their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts over and over until the times tables are recalled instantly. This effort will make things much easier later on for both of you. As homeschoolers, we are abundantly blessed with some wonderful math curricula to choose from. If, like myself, math is not your forte, you can find some wonderful alternatives with video lessons or step-by-step solutions. Check out as many options as you can, seek recommendations and read reviews, and dont be afraid to hire a tutor once in a while if you need to!
AppBlit, LLC
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PopMath is a fun way for kids to practice basic math on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Six pairs of bubbles with numbers float on the screen above beautiful backgrounds. Each bubble contains a number; simply pop the corresponding bubbles! As you progress through levels, numbers increase, and new operators are introduced: subtraction, multiplication, and division. Each levels end greets you with your time for that level and a message personalized to your performance, from well done to unbelievable! You can also train on a specific operator and table before starting each round: addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Numbers go up to 1,000 for addition and subtraction, and 20 for multiplication and division. PopMath won numerous kids awards, including Kids Choice by Wired Magazine, Best Educational iPhone Apps for Kids from BestKidsApps.com, and great reviews such as these, from serious reviewers: iPhoneFootprint, Highly Creative, Engaging and Addictive, and iPhoneApplications4Life.com, rated 8/10.
48 January 2013 Academic SpotlightSpeaking of Math
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www.hawkeslearning.com/oldschoolhouse To be exact, Hawkes helped students master 3,764,487 assignments. Our unique mastery learning approach and errorspecific feedback are proven to help students (and teachers) be more successful in mathematics. Hawkes is the only publisher that focuses solely on student success in mathematics education. Our comprehensive mastery-based software engages students in the learning process. Three modes: Instruct, Practice, and Certify, are designed to help students build a solid foundation and understanding of mathematics. Instruct: A multimedia presentation of the content to promote active learning. This mode includes instructional videos, interactive questions, and audio. Practice: Presents students with an unlimited number of algorithmically generated problems and intelligent, specific feedback on incorrect answers. Interactive Tutor encourages student participation. Certify: An assignment that holds students accountable for learning the material at a defined proficiency level while removing learning aids. To learn more about our courses, please visit the site above, or call 1.800.426.9538 and mention The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Students Matter. Success Counts.
Math-U-See
www.mathusee.com Math-U-See is a comprehensive K12 math curriculum that uses manipulatives to illustrate and teach math concepts. We use a multisensory, mastery-based approach suitable for Building Understanding at all levels and with all learning styles. Our system uses step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts. Each lesson uses tools such as videos, manipulatives, and other resources, designed to appeal to any type of learner. General Math courses cover the four basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents. While specific arithmetic topics are covered as indicated in each level, other topics, including measurement, time, number lines, place value, and area and volume of geometric shapes, are introduced throughout the levels where appropriate. Pre-Algebra helps to prepare students for our Secondary Math courses. Our Secondary Math courses include those needed for high school graduation, with some optional courses as well. Starting with Algebra 1, we begin to apply everything learned in general math to quantities, expressions, and equations that include unknowns. This is followed by Geometry, Algebra 2, PreCalculus with Trigonometry, and Calculus. In addition to these, we provide a course in personal finance and consumer math. Visit www.mathusee.com to learn more.
Academic SpotlightSpeaking of Math January 2013 49
Math Mammoth
store.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=5KN_live&page= Promotion2 Math Mammoth offers affordable, high-quality math worktexts and workbooks, loved by homeschoolers, parents, and teachers. All of the books are available as downloads, and most also as printed books. Download versions are enabled for annotation (you can write in them on the computer/iPad)! What is Math Mammoth complete curriculum? It is a complete math curriculum for grades 16. Each grade level consists of two student worktexts (A and B), their answer keys, tests, cumulative reviews, and an additional worksheet maker. The download versions also include a bonus math software Soft-Pak! Some of the main features are: Focuses on conceptual understanding Emphasizes mental math and number sense Explanations are in the student worktext; thus, the lessons are nearly self-teaching and require minimal preparation from the teacher. Mastery-oriented: each chapter concentrates on one topic, delving into it from many angles Includes many mixed review lessons; plus, the numerous word problems require the usage of previous concepts. Get 25% off of Math Mammoth Complete Curriculum bundles for grades 13, grades 46, or grades 16! Use the coupon code SCHOOLHOUSE on this order page: store.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=5KN_live&page= Promotion2
ShillerMath
www.shillermath.com/hsm Montessori-based, fun, easy to use. Want Montessori math for your children but dont have experience with Montessori (or math!)? You will love ShillerMath, with scripted lesson plans, helpful parent and answer guides, free phone support, and NO LESSON PREPARATION. Each concept is covered from all four learning styles: Kinesthetic, Tactile, Visual, and Auditory, ensuring the entire brain is involved in building a solid math foundation. Each of the two multi-year kits, Kit I for 48-year-olds and Kit II for 912-year-olds, includes FREE CONSUMABLE REPLACEMENT. Each kit is good for all children in the family, saving you hundreds of dollars. Why take chances? Join the thousands of homeschool parents whose children really knowand lovemath because they got ShillerMath. ShillerMath: How kids learn math. 888-556-MATH www.shillermath.com, sales@shillermath.com And now, as a reader of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, get FREE SHIPPING! Just enter HSM2013 on checkout (expires 6/30/13) at shillermath.com.
50 January 2013 Academic SpotlightSpeaking of Math
Virtual Nerd
virtualnerd.com/home-edition/boot-camps Virtual Nerd is offering 5-week Math Boot Camps covering Middle School Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, and Algebra II, as well as SAT and ACT math. The Boot Camps are online study programs that include an intake test to assess current knowledge followed by 4 weeks of playlist assignments, including instructional videos and practice problems. A quiz in the final week enables students to assess their progress. The reporting feature allows students and parents to review progress and identify specific topics for improvement. Boot Camps are an affordable, convenient, and effective study resource. While a student participates in a Boot Camp program, they have access to Virtual Nerds entire website for help with homework or studying for upcoming tests. Virtual Nerd is the only video-based, online tutoring company offering an interactive platform for students to engage with playlists by watching the tutorials, solving practice problems, and clicking on links to related content, carving out their own learning path. Virtual Nerd has won awards from Parent Tested, Parent Approved, and Blackboard and is currently working with leaders in the education industry such as Pearson, Promethean Planet, Edmodo, and MetaMetrics, to name just a few! Virtual Nerd is ready when you are!
Worldwide Center of Mathematics

centerofmath.org Modern, affordable textbooks and resources for high schoollevel math courses are available through the Center of Math. The books are available in both print and digital format. The digital books include features to enhance learning, such as fulllength video lectures, step-by-step exercise solution videos, and hyperlinking for quick referencing and navigation. Subjects include (+video resources available): Pre-Calculus+ AP Calculus (AB and BC)+ Differential Calculus (Calc I)+ Integral Calculus (Calc II)+ Multivariable Calculus (Calc III)+ Introduction to Statistics Our textbooks are written by award-winning math professors who are teaching at prestigious institutions across the country. The combination of our textbooks and video resources provides the ideal preparation for college-level courses. All high school-level digital textbooks are under $15. The digital books are PDF and compatible with both Apple and Windows computers, iPad, Kindle Fire, and most other tablet devices. The free, online video resources can be found at centerofmath.org/video.html and stream from YouTube. Email us at info@centerofmath.org and mention The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and well send you Chapter 1 of Worldwide Differential Calculus by David B. Massey for free. Visit centerofmath.org for more information.
Academic SpotlightSpeaking of Math January 2013 51
The
Homeschooler
Pat Knepley
Artistic
The Mystery of the Lascaux Caves

with materials on a surfacedrawing goes as far back as the creation of man! The Lascaux Caves contain several thousand images of human figures, animals, and symbols drawn onto the walls and ceiling. The purpose of these drawings
n a warm September day in southern France in 1940, four teenage boys and a dog named Robot went exploring in some woods, hoping to find an adventure. The teens had heard stories of a cavern that ran under the nearby riverbed. They had mused about finding the access point and it possibly leading to a treasure. Little did they know that the treasure these teens would stumble upon would be an archeological find of such lasting significancethe Lascaux Caves! When the dog, Robot, started digging in a trench under a pile of leaves, the boys decided to use their penknives to chip away at some stones in the same area. Pretty soon a hole opened up, and the boys climbed down one by one to an amazing sight of bulls and horses 4 feet tall, drawn on the walls as if they were floating.1 The history of art did not start with the ancient Romans or Ancient Greeks and their love of beautyit goes much further back than that. Making images
Little did they know that the treasure these teens would stumble upon would be an archeological find of such lasting significance . . .
is not immediately clear, and although this ancient form of art can tell us something about the world at that time, there are still quite a few questions remaining. And we may not have many years left to find the answers.
Back in 1940, the four boys knew they had stumbled onto something extraordinary. So they shared their secret with one of their teachers, who realized right away the significance of the find. Scientists soon discovered that the complex series of rooms that connected deep in a rocky ledge contained thousands of drawings and engravings dating back from the earliest civilization. The images of animals in motion, some now extinct, such as the ibex and the auroch, move us because we recognize that this is the expression of the earliest people groups with a story to share for the ages. And it is not that different from our own. Unfortunately, the Lascaux Caves are in peril. Molds, fungi, and bacteria began plaguing the walls and ceiling of this hidden treasure within just a dozen years of its discovery.2 No one knows why the invasive life forms have taken hold so aggressively. Is it because humans had not been in those caves for thousands of years and human presence has been toxic? Was it the pol-
52 January 2013 The Artistic Homeschooler
Outlining a bull on the brown paper
Completed cave drawings
luted air of France in the modern age? Over the years, authorities in France have tried several solutions to control the climate in the caves, but some believe the remedies have only made the problem worse. Great pains are being taken to restore the caves to their original condition. Public access is severely limited so that since 2006, only researchers and restoration experts have been allowed to visit the caves in person. There is a museum called Lascaux II that was built just a few miles away to duplicate the original images found in the two main caverns.3 These duplications were drawn using the same materials used in the original artwork, and the museum is open to the public. Perhaps the best way to experience the Lascaux Caves now is to take a virtual tour via this link: www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en#/ en/02_00.xml. When studying ancient civilization, the home educator has a lot of great resources with which to visit the Lascaux Caves. Take one of several virtual tours available on the Internet to see images from one or all of the many rooms in the Caves.
Once your students have experienced Lascaux, they can make their own cave drawing. The materials you need are a brown paper grocery bag, some chalk pastels (black, red, brown, rust, beige, white), and some cheap hairspray! Step One: Tear out (dont cut) a shape out of one side of a brown paper shopping bag. Use the non-printed side. Step Two: Crumple up the brown paper bag piece into a tight ball in your fist. Then un-crumple it and smooth it flat. This bumpy, weathered surface will mimic the cave wall. Step Three: Using a black chalk pastel, outline the image of an animal that is found in the caves of Lascaux. Remember that the drawings were primitive, so focus on basic shapes rather than details. Options include a Chinese horse, a bull, an ox, and a red deer. Step Four: Once you are pleased with the outline, fill in the upper part of the torso and head with red, brown, or rust pastel, and then blend the colors. Use just one finger to blend the brownish color up against the black outline, and spread and press the chalk pastel into the brown paper.
Step Five: Use a lighter pastel, such as beige or white, on the belly portion of the animal. Use a clean finger to blend the lighter pastel gently into the darker color used on the animals body. Step Six: Go back and outline again in black pastel. Step Seven: Spray the finished drawing with a light coat of cheap aerosol hairspray from at least 12 inches away.
Pat has been drawing and painting since she was able to hold a crayon. Pat has a degree in art education, a teaching credential, and has taught art in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to being the master artist for the See the Light ART CLASS and ART PROJECTS DVD series, Pat teaches art and chorus at a charter elementary school in the Los Angeles area. Pat lives in a windy part of southern California with her husband and two almost-grown sons.
Endnotes 1. www.savelascaux.org/Legacy_Finding.php 2. www.savelascaux.org/crisis_overview.php 3. www.sacred-destinations.com/france/lascauxcaves
The Artistic Homeschooler January 2013 53
We the People
David Gibbs III
The U.S. Constitution

T
How can we obey the law or participate fully in our government if we do not know what the law actually says?
Only one in four Americans was able to name even one of these five important freedoms (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition for redress of grievances)! When given a list of possible rights to choose from, the people surveyed did not do much better. One in five thought the right to own a pet was a protected First Amendment right! Thirty-eight percent believed the right against self-incrimination was in the First Amendment (actually in the Fifth Amendment). These appalling results demonstrate a tragically widespread ignorance of our basic American freedoms. This column, We the People, is not intended to be a detailed legal analysis of the U.S. Constitution. It is intended to be a basic introduction to this most important of U.S. documents, concentrating on those constitutional provisions that affect Christian liberty. For example, many Christians today believe that the Constitution requires the separation of church he United States Constitution begins with these words: We the people . . . The population of 314 million or so individuals who represent we the people is richly diverse. Every race or religion walks the same roads and enjoys the same freedom. One intent of this document, the U.S. Constitution, is to secure the blessings of liberty. Liberty is a concept for which many have died, suffered, and sacrificed, yet one that we do not clearly understand or, indeed, appreciate. Many Americans have never read this short document, the blueprint by which our government is to be operated, and most have an erroneous view of what it says! In fact, a recent survey found that while 22% of Americans could name all five family members of the irreverent cartoon TV show, The Simpsons, only one in 1,000 (one-tenth of one percent) could name all five of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. and state, yet these words do not appear in the Constitution or its amendments! Every citizen of the United States, and especially every Christian citizen in the U.S., should be aware of what the Constitution actually says. However, as a nation, the United States can never be saved by the Constitution. Our nation can avoid Gods judgment only if Christians will heed the call of II Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Christians have a Biblical duty to participate in their government and to pray for their elected leaders. First Timothy 2:14 states: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
54 January 2013 We the People
Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. This passage of Scripture explains why we should pray. Our knowledge of our protected constitutional rights and duties will tell us what we should pray for. As good citizens and good Christians, we should become familiar with the laws of our nation. We are commanded in Scripture to obey the law. The Bible commands us to be subject unto the higher powers (Romans 13:1). In fact, 1 Peter 2:1316 makes it quite clear that our submission to government is the will of God and an important aspect of our testimony: Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. How can we obey the law or participate fully in our government if we do not know what the law actually says? This column is intended to be a blessing and an encouragement to Christians who want to learn more about the Constitution and its protection of our religious liberties. Prior generations studied a course in civics in high school. Civics was defined by Websters New World Dictionary as the study of the civic affairs and the duties and rights of citizenship. If we understood the concept of civic affairs, we could begin to understand why the Founding Fathers set up the United States as a republic instead of a democracy, and perhaps we also could better understand the debate between the need for a big government and the push for a limited, small government. Next, civics typically encompassed understanding the duties and rights of citizenship. If we truly understood the right to free speech, we would understand why an individual is free to burn the U.S. flag, however distasteful that may be. If we truly grasped our constitutional rights, we would understand why a social worker at your door demanding entry to your home is such an egregious occurrence. Finally, if we understand our rights and duties, we will be better voters, no matter what our political persuasion. With some background knowledge of the Constitution, you will be better able to examine
the claims and arguments of politicians. As you learn to love and understand liberty, you will be better equipped to protect that liberty. The time may come when the religious liberties with which the Lord has blessed our nation will no longer exist in the U.S., and Christians may be forced
The best guarantee that our constitutional freedoms will continue to be protected in the U.S. is to make certain that all citizens clearly understand both what those freedoms are and who has granted us those freedoms.
to decide whether to obey their government or to obey their Lord. Choosing to disobey government should always be a last resort, however, taken only after every attempt to reconcile mans law with Gods law has failed. Until that time comes in a Christians life, he is required by Scripture to submit even to despotic and immoral governments. When he has no other choice under Gods laws but to
disobey mans laws, his disobedience must be carried out within the narrow boundaries set by God. The best guarantee that our constitutional freedoms will continue to be protected in the U.S. is to make certain that all citizens clearly understand both what those freedoms are and Who has granted us those freedoms. After all, our government does not grant us freedom; God is the Grantor of freedom. Governments are established by men, as our Declaration of Independence proclaims, in order to recognize and protect the freedom that has already been given to every person on the face of the earth by God Almighty, the Creator God of the Bible, Who was recognized by all of the United States Founding Fathers. What can you expect in We the People each month? My prayer is that you will learn to love and cherish liberty and be energized to preserve and protect it for future generations.
Attorney David C. Gibbs III has represented Americans across the country in issues of life and liberty. For twenty years he served as general counsel at the Christian Law Association and is the current president of the National Center for Life and Liberty (www.ncll.org and www.home schoollegaladvantage.com), with offices in Texas, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Mr. Gibbs is the father of four children and husband to Mrs. Carin Gibbs.
We the People January 2013 55
Special Feature: To God Be the Glory!
Gianna Jessen:
Free to Be Beautiful
By Bonnie Rose Hudson and Kelly Barr
was nowhere to be found. So, Gianna did what she does in every situation she facesshe prayed. She told God how much it meant to her to find the green chalk, and before she left for Italy, it had been found. Giannas recent move to Italy has itself been an act of faith. She moved to Italy not knowing with certainty exactly why she was going to Italy or what she would do there. She didnt even know where she was going to live. However, as she said: Every single day I have been sheltered, and every single day, I have been fed. And, every single day, God has brought someone to talk about Jesus with. Theres only been enough time to trust Jesus. There hasnt been enough time to plan it out. So, I figure, if God is taking me there, He will be my refuge; He will be my fortress. And He has been.
hat do The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and Gianna Jessen have in common? In addition to a passion for God and a heart for kids, both are looking forward to seeing you at the Great Homeschool Conventions in Greenville, South Carolina, March 14 16, and in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 46. We had the privilege of speaking with Gianna Jessen recently. You may recognize her name, and you may be familiar with the story of her birthshe is an abortion survivor. After an attempted abortion failed, Gianna was rushed to a hospital for care, put in to emergency foster care, and eventually adopted.
A Passion for God
The late Father Paul Marx, the founder of Human Life International, once told a story about some time he had spent with
Gianna in Ireland. He remarked that every time Gianna fell during their journey to the top of the Cliffs of Moher, she got up laughing. Every time. We asked Gianna how she gets back up every time that people or things in her life try to push her back down, and she answered with one word: Jesus. She went on to explain: Jesus. Just knowing Him, having only Him. When your father and your mother forsake you, the Lord will take you up as His very own. I need Him every day to do everything. I ask Him about every single thing. I pray about the smallest things. She shared about her sentimental attachment to an old chalkboard and some green chalk. While preparing for a move to Italy, she knew she needed to take them along; she needed them with her when she didnt know where she was going. However, the green chalk
56 January 2013 Special Feature: To God Be the Glory!
. . . I figure, if God is taking me there, He will be my refuge; He will be my fortress. And He has been.
Gianna further explained: Its that kind of relationship with Jesus that enables you to get up when you have fallen or when you dont know how to function. I just sit with Him and tell Him Im overwhelmed or that I dont know how to make this decision. Or this is happening, and I dont know what to do, and Im frustrated. I give Him every fear and every emotion without reservation, and He responds with living power. That kind of perseverance and faith is something each of us needs to develop in our own lives and in the lives of our children. We asked Gianna how we could encourage our children to persevere, and she shared this wise advice: Instead of making Jesus something that were comfortable with, why dont we take everything that were uncomfortable with to Jesus? Everything. Down to the smallest things. Its having that constant communion with God, knowing that He is yours and you are His. He doesnt leave. He is ever present. That is part of the message we need to communicate to children. Gianna also shared the importance of teaching our children that God can handle humor. He can handle imperfection. He can handle humanity. He is not fazed. She also cautioned against transferring to our children our fear of what other Christians may think. When we asked her what verse in the Bible she comes back to most often, she told us the story of a special encounter with God, a time when He had given her the Scripture Zephaniah 3:19. When she read these words: I will save her that limps, she had been astonished. Gianna explained: I just cried, I thoughtYou are hearing me. You are hearing me. And thats really something that I want to convey to the world even beyond a pro-life message or anything else, any issue. I want to convey to the person who feels forgotten, that they are not forgotten. You are loved. You are not forgotten. What matters in your heart matters so much more to Jesus. Gianna said she has observed that people often feel forgotten. They respond to this singular message: You are not forgottenmore than almost anything else she shares. We asked Gianna if she had a favorite name among all the names God has used to reveal Himself. She struggled to choose just one; she likes so many of them. He has been her Provider, her Father, and her Comforter. She said, Hes just been everything, and thats when she realized that she could identify her favorite name for God. Speaking most reverently, Gianna said: I would say that for me, the best name for God is Everything. Hes Everything. Gianna told us that for most individuals who are equipped with a strong will, the likelihood is that their destiny is immense. How many people have you seen, adults, with a lack of will, who have the capacity to stand up as light against immense darkness? It takes a will. It takes an immovable, unconquerable, Spirit-filled will. So, I have begun to encourage parents of children who are driving their parents crazy with these words: I understand that this child is driving you crazy, but the next time youre tempted to put him down, instead say, Oh, Im so happy! I am so excited at how you will bring life and change into this world that needs life. I am so happy over this! Gianna also shared about her struggles with self-worth, with things she had not realized she needed to see. God has helped her through some of those things in an unexpected waythrough the movie, October Baby, which Gianna said is highly fictionalized but was inspired by her life story. She said: I wanted nothing to do with October Baby. I had heard about October Baby. I was running from October Baby. I was just liketheres more to me and my life! Theres more to me! At first I was so annoyed, and then the Lord sat me down right across from the Erwin brothers at an event, and I had no idea who they were, and they said, Oh, yeah, we just finished a movie called October Baby, and I could not get away, and I knew that God was wanting to do something that I needed to listen to. Nonetheless, opening the door to allow God the room to accomplish that something wasnt easy for Gianna. It took me months and months to put the unedited
A Heart for Kids
Strong-willed kids. Misunderstood kids. Kids who struggle with self-worth. Kids who dont fit in the square holes others create for them. Gianna has a message for all of them and their parents. As a strong-willed child herself, Gianna wants all parents of strong-willed children, be they biological or adopted, to understand an important concept. She said: Expressions of my will, as a child, were condemned. I was punished when I expressed my will, which was regarded as only defiance and nothing else. I have come to the realization that it is He, meaning God, Who works in me both to will and to do according to His good pleasure. As a child, I needed to be guided, but I did not need to be shamed.
I give Him every fear and every emotion without reservation, and He responds with living power.
Special Feature: To God Be the Glory! January 2013 57
Instead of making Jesus something that were comfortable with, why dont we take everything that were uncomfortable with to Jesus? Everything. Down to the smallest things.
version of the film in my DVD player, and I didnt think that it might hit really close to home or it might really affect me. I was thinking, I just dont want to watch that right now, and I was simply not in touch with why I would be resistant to watching it. Gianna said that when she did sit down to watch it, she was just amazed by, I think, in particular, the battle with self-worth. The Lord has done so much healing in this way for me, but I thought it was something that came later on in life through different traumatic events, this battle. But when I was watching the film, I thought: Wait a minute! Oh, my goodness, so much of these same things have actually occurred in my mind. Since then I have spoken to medical professionals about this, and theyve said that much of what I have had to battle in my life is a direct result of what I lived through at birth, and that was such a relief. It wasnt something that was my fault or something that I was doing wrong, and it was just absolutely post-traumatic stress to the maximum. And to have that explained, and even to watch it through a fictionalized story of my own life, it sort of acted as a mirror, if you will, for a minute, on a few things that I didnt know that I needed to see, and it was healing in that way. Gianna also shared about the song she recorded, Ocean Floor (available on iTunes), which was used in the film, October Baby: The way that that came about was miraculous because I wasnt planning on that being on a movie soundtrack, but the Erwin brothers were at my house, and we were making a little promo video. I happened to say that I was about to go into the studio and record this particular song next week, and they heard it, and they heard me singing, and they said, Oh, my goodness, this will fit perfectly, and they ran and got the DVD player and they said this will fit perfectly right here in this film. Next thing I knew, I was on the soundtrack of the film. We asked, What about the children who just dont fit in to the place others assign them? Gianna responded: I think we need to give room, as Christians. I mean, in general, we love our kinds of systems as people, our institutions and our formulas. And, theres a great place for that. I have a great amount of respect for people who can live with a day planner, and they abide by the day planner, and all this. Sometimes the person thats viewed as the free spirit is viewed as kind of disorganizeddoesnt really know what shes doingby the person who is the opposite of that. We want to make other people like us, into our own image. It would be easier then, i.e., we are all organized; we are all this or that. I think its the same way with groups of Christians. We can just get very focused in on our groups. I sometimes wonder if the group and the way of the group sort of become the god. Rather, we should be asking: Wheres Jesus? What does He think? Gianna explained that shes not discounting order and discipline but wants each of us to understand that so often our children dont fit into the mold we want them to fit in. Sometimes God creates people, and I would be one of them, who just dont ever fit into the kind of mold that people try to squish them into. This is a great vexation to the people who believe I must fit into that mold. But, if I were to comply with that, I would lose power, because I would be denying who God made me to be.
A Message for You at the Great Homeschool Convention
Gianna is looking forward to sharing her message with you at the Great Homeschool Convention, speaking from her heart. Part of that message comes from the truth that God has taught her throughout her lifes journey, that He wants to liberate people to be who they areeach one unique and beautiful. Homeschooling played an important part in Giannas life; she was homeschooled at different times by various people. She shared: I have a voracious appetite for learning. I still feel like a student, just loving books. In fact, they were my friends when I had very few. It was good for me to be homeschooled because I have always been kind of misunderstood by a lot of people. I have come to my answers for things via a different route, and often that is not acceptable in conventional education circles. Were not taught, as a society, to be independent thinkers.
. . . You are loved. You are not forgotten. What matters in your heart matters so much more to Jesus.
We are approved when we just go along, get along. I found that when I was free to learn in a different setting, I was free to really learn. As a result of oxygen deprivation during the abortion procedure, Gianna has cerebral palsy. She has shared that she regards her cerebral palsy as a blessing. When we asked her to explain that, she told us this story about the struggle she had experienced as a result of the fact that walking with a limp has posed some challenges to her dating life: I do consider it a gift. I didnt always think that it was, but I was having a meltdown in front of Jesus when I was 30. . . . I was crying before God, and I said, Is this my life, just preaching and working and preaching and working and never to be loved? You know, just do this and die? In a sense, I was furious, and I didnt feel beautiful. I hadnt been treated like someone who is beautiful. I was called exceptional or inspirational, which is what you get when you are a woman and you limp. And that works until youre about 10 or 11, and then you want to feel and hear what every other woman wants to hearthat shes beautiful. So I was talking to the Lord about this, and I heard Him reply back the most beautiful thing. He said to me, I know that you have dealt with this your whole life, meaning rejection. But, Gianna, sometimes I use the very thing in your life that is ripping your heart out to do one thing. And I said, What? He replied: Protect you. I use those little limping legs of yours to blind men to what you areto chase them off. I make them think that its their idea that they do not want you. And I use your legs to do it because I am your Father and I wont hand you over to just anyone. And most of them are absolutely unworthy of you, so I dont even let them get near the gate, and I use your legs to accomplish this. I was stunned! Lord, Youre saying that I have beauty after all? Its not because Im not beautiful? Its because I am so beautiful that You are defending me? She continued: He went on later, in a different time to say, Gianna, I use your legs also to act as a net to be a fisher of men. You know, people who want nothing to do with Jesus will listen and will pour out
Reading this fun and engaging stoRy will teach thousands of yeaRs of histoRy facts fRom a biblical, chRistian woRldview!
From a mysterious safe in a dusty library comes the gateway to a journey through history. What James and Lance thought would be a boring school project is astonishingly transformed into an adventure that will forever change their lives. Perfect for family story time or individual study, Pages of History transports the reader through the timeline of the worldproviding a view of Gods work in every age. In this exciting first volume, James and Lance travel from Creation through the Reformation. Their adventures in history will captivate readers young and old.
History is first and foremost, His Story. Alas, these days it is rarely told as a Story, and even less as His. That is why I am so enthusiastic about this project. Pages of History is faithful both to our rich Christian story-telling tradition and to our providential God whose stories these are in the first place.
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PA G E S
Unapologetic Christian worldview Covers 96 major events and thousands of years of history in the format of a compelling storyHard cover, 448 pages Engaging approach to classical teaching
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I would say that for me, the best name for God is Everything. Hes Everything.
their broken heart to a woman whom they see has been broken, to a woman whom they see has joy in the midst of that. In this sense, my legs act as a net to bring freedom to people. This is why my cerebral palsy is a gift now to me, because in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, my legs will be unbound, but the fruit of this difficulty will remain forever. And if thats the price I must pay so that another might be led to freedomwhat an honor. Gianna has experienced many miracles in her life, and she loves to share about them. She was so full of the joy of the Lord! She has such a heart for God and is such an inspiration. God has blessed Gianna with much wisdom and grace. She has many stories to tell to strengthen people who struggle with a special need, to encourage homeschool families, and to equip parents of strong-willed children. Gianna shared Gods light so brightly that we could see Him clearly through her. She shared that everything in her life is in transition right now, but through it all, she has seen God do the impossible. She shared that she went to Italy with a small suitcase, knowing nothing beyond the fact that she had an event scheduled on November 18: I want to see God do the impossible for me, and I knew that I couldnt see that unless I took a risk. I let go of control. If I can manage everything, then I dont need Jesus. By Gods grace, I flew over here, knowing nothing. Many miracles are taking place in Giannas life right now. In the midst of this season of change, she has found one of the greatest freedoms any person can discover. She has found the freedom to be all that I am. And, as Gianna said, Thats a beautiful feeling. and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, where her love of God, history, and writing all work together. She would love for you to stop by and meet the star of her childrens historical fiction series at Exploring with Jake at writebonnierose.wordpress.com.
Kelly Barr began working for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine in May 2012. She has been married to Duane for nineteen years. They are the parents of three sons. Kelly would love to have you visit her blog at wwwhomeschoolview.blogspot.com, and you also can find her on Facebook.
Gianna Jensen
Bonnie Rose Hudson lives in central Pennsylvania with her mother and sister. She loves being a part of SchoolhouseTeachers.com
Gianna Jessen is an overcomer, a champion, a speaker, a recording artist, and an abortion survivor. She advocates internationally for the unborn, the suffering, and those facing incredible challenges. You can connect with her by visiting her website: www.giannajessen.com.
Train Your Childs Photographic Memory

and
Teaching the Right Brain Child DVD
by Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP
in r growth o-3-yea See a 2-t in one year spelling t other tter wha ...no ma ou have used! sy program
Make Learning Easier This Year!

Teach your child how to use his photographic memory to make spelling easy even for the non-speller. Inexpensive strategy that causes phonemes to stick: no workbooks, no writing.
A 2-hour parent training program that brings real results. Learn to teach your child/teenager how to store information in his/her strong, right brain for permanent storage.
Spelling
Right Brain Phonics
Instead of just repetition, immediately put sight words into long-term memory. Teach your child how to make a movie in his/her head while reading. For kids who know the material but dont test well. Math Facts and Processes For those kids that cant remember.
Sight Word Strategy
Reading Comprehension Strategy
Test Taking Study Skills
For use with teenagers, adolescents, and young children.

Dianne Craft is president of Child Diagnostics, Inc., Denver, CO
www.diannecraft.org
Its Going to Be Okay!
Because of Gods hand on my life, I am alive, and God has redeemed what others tried to destroy.
I
By Susie Knight
I am not only an abortion survivor; I have been given life and am a fully blessed daughter of the Living God.
n many ways, my testimony is unique. I am an abortion survivor. I have many titles now. I am Susie Knight, the adopted daughter of Jesus; the wife of Mark; the proud Marine momma of David; homeschooling mother of Naomi, Joshua, and Isaac; Awana teacher at Restoration Church; friend to many; sister to siblings; and more. Because of Gods hand on my life, I am alive, and God has redeemed what others tried to destroy. I am not only an abortion survivor; I have been given life and am a fully blessed daughter of the Living God. My biological mother was a woman with a wild and untamed heart who came from four generations of women who had been given up for adoption for various reasons. My mother was given up and re-adopted in various stages of her life. Christianity was not a solid part of her life from what I could tell. She was bounced around to various relatives homes and as a
young woman was trying to find love and acceptance with men, including my biological father, when she became pregnant with me. My mother attempted to abort me twice, in utero, during the third and fourth months of gestation. Eventually, she was sent to California to hide the secret. There were lots of secrets in the family, and status was everything in small-town Jonesboro, Tennessee. My mother went to California to be with her mother, my grandmother, to take care of the problem. As documented in medical records, in May of 1968 my mother received medical attention due to hemorrhaging during her sixth month of pregnancy. She had previously carried out two abortion attempts, and those attempts had caused complications with the pregnancy. These complications led to my premature birth on June 25, 1968. I weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces and was 1412 inches long.
No hope, no future, no productive life. . . . However, God had other plans.

The list of potential complications during the beginning months of infancy were lengthy: possible blindness, cerebral palsy (which I definitely have), respiratory distress, mental retardation, malnutritionbasically a diagnosis of a hopeless child who would be placed in an institution for life. No hope, no future, no productive life. I was labeled as a pitiful pearl, and I was not emotional. I did not smile and was a sober, pitiful child with no hope. However, God had other plans. I was placed into a foster care home, the one and only family I became part of, with parents and three older brothers. I was the last foster child they took in. I was taken to their home wrapped in cloth and held in a shoebox. (I did not have many clothes to wear because of my extremely small size.) The authorities had determined that I was not adoptable because of all the physical challenges that I faced. I remained with this family until the age of 20, when I met my future husband, Mark. During my childhood, I endured a lot of physical challenges and changes, which required periods of hospitalization, physical therapy, ten corrective surgeries, braces, back braces, walkers, crutches, and learning how to walk again (twice during childhood). I overcame those challenges easily, but there were some emotional challenges that I could not overcome, and that is what led me to my relationship with Jesus in 1987. In 1987, I accepted Jesus during my InterVarsity Christian Fellowship days at American River Junior College. I was challenged to accept Jesus because everything around me was falling apart in my personal life. From 1987 until now, I have encountered many trials and joys in my daily roll with Jesus. I have gained a new family with my husband, Mark, and we have been happily married for twenty-two years. We have five beautiful children: David, my miracle baby, who at the age of 18 became a U.S. Marine; Naomi, 15, the daughter who challenges me in my faith and inspires me with her beauty and spunkiness as a woman of God; Joshua, 10, who tugs at my heart with his sensitivity and loyalty as a young man; Isaac, 2, who challenges me with his strong personality and doses of pure happiness and laughter; and our sweet angel Rachel Grace (2004), who is waiting for me in heaven. Jesus has been a very real presence in my life from the time before I was born. My reality is that I still have nightmares and issues of confidence from time to time. Just recently I was reminded by the Lord that if I could go back to certain times in my childhood and talk to myself in the midst of all the chaos I was experiencing, I would comfort that little girl and say to her, as Jesus says to me: Its going to be okay!
Susie Knight
2013
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Diana Waring
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magine a beautifully wrapped box lovingly set in front of you. Carefully pick up and examine this mysterious gift. Here are the clues: Your name is on the label; the person who has given it loves you deeply; whoever wrapped it did such a marvelous job that you are certain that the gift contained inside must be even more spectacular. Now, wait. Stop and consider the kind of anticipation this would create inside of you. Would it bring a warm rush of delight, an awe of being the recipient of not only a gift but of the love that motivated it in the first place? Are you with me? Can you imagine the scene? With all of that heartwarming delight and eager anticipation, imagine unwrapping the box and discovering what lies inside. Ooooooh! Aaaaaah! Now, while this image is fresh in your mind, picture each member in your family. In ways beyond comprehension, each of us is like that mysterious, beautiful box holding uniquely precious gifts inside. As parents, we are the recipients of such an amazingly cutting-edge, bundled giftotherwise known as a childthat leaves marketing companieswith all of their merchandising hypein the dust. And most astonishing of all, these infinitely priceless gifts have been given to us from the One Who is Love itself. Just as we take the time to learn the features and benefits of our most prized electronic appliances, so we must take the time to learn as much as we can about the unique ways our children are wired, put together, designed. As we begin this short discussion of your childrens learning styles, creative giftings, unique
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What are we to do when our children lie?
iar! Liar! Pants on fire! This childhood taunt was targeted at me more times than Id like to remember. But truth be told, lying can do much more damage than this jeer suggests. The tongue, though a tiny member, can cause great harm, just as a spark can set an entire forest ablaze! A lying tongue, one of seven sins that the Lord hates, is an abomination to Him! Why, then, do believers succumb to the practice of lying? Lying is not a learned behavior. The Bible says that we come forth from the womb speaking lies. Yet even some adult believers lie habitually, often to compensate for feelings of insecurity or fear. Lying is a besetting sin that has tripped up Godfearing men throughout the ages, including the following Biblical characters: Abraham lies to Pharaoh concerning Sarahs true identityinsecurity. Moses lies after killing the Egyptianfear. Jacob lies about his identity to his fatherinsecurity. David lies to the priest while fleeing from Saulinsecurity. Peter lies about his relationship with Jesusinsecurity and fear. How does God respond when His children lie? He allows natural consequences to be their teacher. Abrahams lying results in embarrassment when Pharaoh rebukes him.
Moses loses the trust of the children ofIsrael. Jacob creates a rift between his father and brother. He is exiled from his home and never sees his mother again (Genesis 2532). Davids lying results in the death of an entire family of priests (1 Samuel 2122). Peter runs away in shame at the loving glance of his Savior (Luke 22:61). No one had to teach me how to lie. I was a born liar. Lying was a natural expression of my inward nature that was dominated by insecurity, fear, and a lack of character. Even though my mom would wash my mouth out with soap, it did not deter me from telling lies. What are we to do when our children lie? First, gently talk to them. Remove all fear so they can come clean. Listen without lashing out with judgment and scolding. In 1 John we learn that fear has torment, but perfect love casts out fear. It is possible that some children lie because the level of fear associated with speaking the truth is too great. The soap-in-mouth method may deter this behavior, but it will not change the heart. In fact, a child may burrow deeper, becoming even more deceitful, in order to avoid being caught. While corporal punishment can be a valid Biblical method of discipline, it should not always be the first option. In Psalm 103 we learn that God does not deal with us according to our sins but is merciful, gracious, and slow to anger.
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Freebie Directory January 2013 65
Drama
Dramatic Teaching: Recognizing the Importance of the Arts

By Joy Kita
. . . Most of us trudge the same well-worn road toward academic mastery with little regard to the creative arts.
Traditional schools have been quite effective in killing off a childs natural tendency to enjoy learning. Rote memorization of facts has replaced curiosity, and creativity is shut down in the primary years with the unwavering focus on academic proficiency. Homeschoolers know these facts. They might even represent some of the reasons for choosing an alternative path, and yet most of us trudge the same well-worn road toward academic mastery with little regard to the creative arts. Traditional brick and mortar schools came into being at the beginning of the nineteenth century as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Achieving academic proficiency was a top priority and thus became a top priority among education goals. Consequently, students focused mainly on the subjects that ensured they would find work. The arts were deemed extracurricular activities with no pretense of having the same status or worth as the weightier subjects. Sadly, this mindset has not changed over the decades, which should not come as a surprise when you consider the fact that the institution of learning has survived the years virtually unscathed. The U.S. educational system remains a factory that churns out like-minded academic achievers. Many people agree that it is time to change the way we educate our children and to rethink the meaning of intelligence, but change requires change-makers who have the confidence to demolish the box. If you homeschool you have already side-stepped a societal tradition, and you are already an established creative thinker. How easy it would be to apply that innovation to your curriculum choices! In a busy homeschooling family, certain subjects that appear not to carry much academic weight are often pushed aside and forgotten. The study of art and all of its media is usually the weakest link on the homeschool lesson chain. However, the development of creativity is certainly as important as the development
hen you think about your homeschooling journey, what sort of things come to mind? Are you satisfied? Do you wonder if you might be missing a key ingredient? Is your heart full of worry or even anger? Are you so consumed with the task of doing that you miss out on the joy of being? For many of us, our day-to-day activities are so focused on getting it all done that we forget to enjoy the process. We trudge through the subjects mindful of scope and sequence, dreaming of the holidays or graduation, without stopping to consider why we are not having more fun. Fun is such an ambiguous term. What does it really mean, and can it possibly share a sentence with the word school without a negative contraction preceding it? The dictionary defines fun as something that provides mirth or amusement. The question before us, the one our children long since gave up asking, is this: Can homeschooling be fun?
66 January 2013 Drama
When you include drama in your lesson plans, even the dullest of subjects can be enjoyed.
of skills in math, literacy, and the sciences. Are we educating our children out of their creativity? Many adults feel they cannot foster their childs innate creative abilities because they are not creative themselves. The idea of implementing anything other than the rigid curriculum they purchased from a reputable publisher is terrifying. They dont dare step outside the lines in fear they may do something wrong. Sir Ken Robinson, an expert in creative education, asserts that if you are not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original. Being wrong or making a mistake is lifes own curriculum, and we shouldnt fear the lesson. The arts include music, art, drama, and dance. Incorporating them into your routine really is easy and requires no special books or teachers manuals. Among all the subjects we can introduce to our children, it is drama that is the least likely to be used in a homeschool classroom. Some parents fear it fosters too much disruption, while others are simply at a loss about how to introduce their children to drama. Giving your children the freedom to express themselves through drama boosts their creative spirits and fills them with the confidence to try different things, to be more willing to reach beyond their comfortable skill set to discover different ways of expressing themselves. Remember the earlier question about having fun? When you include drama in your lesson plans, even the dullest of subjects can be enjoyed. Drama stimulates creativity and creates excitement. If you are the kind of parent who runs screaming from center stage, fear not, because using drama in your day-to-day teaching does not require a thespian talent. school. Pick one paper from each container, and let the drama begin. (Creative Writing) Play an improvisation game. Pick a random word from the dictionary and act out what it means. Others watch with the intention of taking over the act. Whenever they are inspired, he or she taps the performer on the shoulder and steps seamlessly into the scene, improvising the word in their own way. (Creative) Play the What Would You Do game. Stand face to face with someone and ask a question, e.g., What would you do if spiders started pouring down from the ceiling? The other person has to answer immediately and then come up with his own question. The first person who is stuck for an answer loses the game. (Creative) Act out nursery rhymes. (Literature) Conduct your own courtroom trials. Use personal injustices or make up your own. (Civics) Perform a historical drama instead of writing a report. (History) Act out the science lesson. This does not need to be anything elaborate. Consider an astronomy lesson about the rotation of the earth. One child is the sun, one is the moon, and the other is the earth. A couple minutes of getting up out of their chairs to put into action facts they have just learned helps cement the idea in their minds. (Science) Story circle. This is a good means of motivating your child to write creatively. Start a story, and then each person in the circle takes a turn adding details. After a few turns, stop and ask the children to write out what comes next. The result can easily be turned into a one-act play. (Creative Writing) 9. Bring devotions to life by getting older children to write out monologues of popular Bible characters and then recite their work for an audience (costumes optional). (Bible Study) 10. Re-script fairy tales with alternate endings. (Literature) Our children are born with immeasurable amounts of creativity, but if their talents are not valued they grow up believing they lack intelligence. If we continue to place importance exclusively on math and sciences, we are perpetuating the lie that the arts are not worthy of time and attention, which in turn adds to the academic inflation that defines our current education system. Homeschoolers have already blazed the trail of nonconformity; lets continue moving forward with bold ideas that challenge the landscape of learning.
2.
3.
4. 5. 6. 7.
8.
Joy Kita is a mother of four and is the blessed wife of Stan. She has been homeschooling for seven years and is currently the director of a thriving co-op with more than eighty children. She is an author specializing in adventures for boys. Her newest book, Fable Nation, will be released by Brighter Books in 2013. She stays motivated by her all-consuming love for the Father. You can read her blog, Fluorescent Fingerprints, at www.joyamykita.wordpress .com, and check out her innovative publisher: www.brighterbooks.com.
Simple Ways to Introduce Drama
1. Have your children write their own skits. Make a character jar and a conflict jar, using any containers you have around the house (jam jars, tea canisters, shoeboxes, etc.). On slips of paper, write down descriptions of different characters, such as these: cranky old man, pouty boy, circus clown. Do the same for the conflict jar: stolen toy, lost child, trouble at
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Acting
for Life
By Deslie McClellan
The purpose of theater is to lift the gaze heavenward, that we might glimpse the eternal . . . .1
ur children are bombarded 24/7 with seductive stimuli and a plethora of voices indoctrinating them with deceptive premises and deceptive philosophies. In the schools and universities, they are no longer given the vocabulary of right and wrong or good and evil because moral absolutes are considered too judgmental. Those who presently control our countrys political, cultural, and academic institutions do not honor Americas Christian roots and the sacred truths they embody. Indeed, they are working feverishly to tear out those roots and destroy the very faith of our fathers. Homeschoolers care deeply about education because they see it as the primary means, after family and church, to guide and build Godly character. They want their children to live beautiful lives that reflect noble impulses and the love of Christ. Teaching them to discern and withstand the onslaught of liberal ideas is fundamental. So where does drama fit in to all of this?
We all know the benefits of theater. Drama improves oral language and reading skills, teaches a child to express himself confidently and joyfully before audiences, and helps to develop social skills that enable him to work creatively and professionally with people of all ages. For when children, parents, grandparents, and local
. . . There are few activities that so effectively promote personal creativity, intuition, initiative, and inspiration.
community thespians all work together to put on a showwhether playing parts, making costumes, or working the lights it is a uniquely exhilarating experience and one in which all share something of joy. Indeed, there are few activities that so effectively promote personal creativity, intuition, initiative, and inspiration. And . . . everyone has a lot of fun! Acting out a character from historical biography or classical literature allows the child to personally experience the
virtue and/or evil of that character and his history. By his role-playing the young actor learns the consequences of free will choices in lifethat which is the reward of virtue and that which is the harvest (or wages) of sin. Thus, acting teaches a child how to act in real life. It also helps him see beyond the mere pageant of life. As Jaques tells us in Act 2, Scene 7 of Shakespeares As You Like It: All the worlds a stage, / And all the men and women merely players: / They have their exits and their entrances. Life is a play, and we are all players. What matter the part one is assigned? What matter the hardship or the suffering? To play the part well, with joy and courage, humility and faiththat is the essential thing, whether the player wear a crown or motley. This is Shakespeares message to us. We play our role upon the stage of life to learn the lessons of right action, purifying our heart in the process so it can love, serve, and glorify God. In other words, the art of acting provides the liveliest and most compelling instruction for playing (and playing well) the game of life. However, there is an even more wonderful benefit, if less tangible. Theaters real impact derives from the fact that the art of acting is transformative. An
68 January 2013 Drama
actor has the ability to suffuse his art with a spiritual light that can profoundly influence the hearts of his listeners. There are countless stories testifying to this. I personally know of one professional British actor whose performance of Hamlet so dramatically affected a political figure in his audience that the course of international politics was changed that night and thousands of lives saved as a direct consequence. On a humbler scale, the first time our theater staged The Secret Garden, I received letters from several audience members who witnessed how their hearts had been healed of old hatreds and resentments. One woman said she felt that her heart had undergone major surgery during the performance. Most of our modern playwrights and actors delight in the exploration of mans worst passions at the expense of cultivating what is pure in heart and morally uplifting. Few actors today provide a lucid and exalting theater experience either in stage performance or on the screen. Once upon a time, however, actors did comprehend their noble purpose. Artists of the distinguished repertory tradition such as Laurence Olivier, Ronald Colman, Greer Garson, Leslie Howard, Dame May Whitty, Robert Donat, Dame Gladys Cooper, Irene Dunne, and C. Aubrey Smith, as well as child stars like little Freddie Bartholomew, brought to their work the command and integrity of their own hearts and the belief that when art appeals to the highest and best in men, it is an irresistible appeal.
In his book A Rose for Mrs. Miniver, author Michael Troyan quotes 1942 Academy Award winner Greer Garson, when she addressed young actors: Have faith in your star and follow your dream, not for any thought of fame or fortune, but simply because, as an actor, you can be a great and powerful influence for good. So much of what we see on the stage today is hopeless and despairing. Producers should have more courage. People will respond to stories with beauty, romance and
. . . As an actor, you can be a great and powerful influence for good.

Greer Garson, actress and 1942 Academy Award winner
idealism and happy endings. Films should speak to the best in usof hope, courage, persistence in adversity, and generosity in triumph. . . . I think the mirror should be tilted slightly upward when its reflecting lifetoward the cheerful, the tender, the compassionate, the brave, the funny, the encouragingand not tilted down to the troubled vistas of conflict. Art should lend beauty and nobility to life. By bringing us in touch with the highest and best in ourselves, true art brings us in touch with the beauty of the divine. In a 1983 BBC television interview, actress Bette Davis said: The terrible thing about
acting today is that its all so real. You can sit on a street corner and see real people . . . . Acting is larger than life. Theatrical life must be larger than lifebrighter and more glorious. We go to the theater not to experience actuality but to transcend it. The mystery of the theater is the Godgiven beauty that He places in our hearts and minds. The goal of the artist is to find that beauty within and share it with his audience through his artistry, touching the beauty in their hearts and leaving his indelible forget-me-not in their lives. I tell all my students that when, as an artist, you become a transparency for the noblest, purest, and most beautiful thoughts that uplift the heart, you are truly a star!
Deslie McClellan
Deslie McClellan completed a teaching degree in speech and drama from the Trinity College of Music, London. With the dream of all young artists, she moved to Las Vegas in the mid-1970s, where she started the entertainment capitals first repertory acting school. Later, she left the school in the hands of the repertory ensemble and moved to California, where she taught high school drama and English while furthering her studies in Montessori education. Her first book, ACTING MAGIC, is a comprehensive guide for directors and actors. Deslie lives in Pennsylvania with her husband; they have two adult children. You may contact Deslie at family playhouse@rcn.com.
Endnotes: 1. I inscribe every copy of my book, ACTING MAGIC, with these words. They are meant to remind teachers and directors of the potency of the dramatic arts for influencing good.
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Drama January 2013 69
Math
Math for Maths Sake

Who decided students needed four years of high school math . . . ?
By Lindy Abbott
want my children to be lifelong learners so that they will be able to pursue Gods purpose for their lives. With this goal in mind, I have been careful to not force lessons on my children in order to merely finish a textbook. I adapt the curriculum to meet the students developmental ability and needs. In math, my first child sailed through every lesson with ease. I simply presented the new concept once and he immediately could work the problems. However, that was not the case with my other two children. When they complained, Why do I have to do this mathI will never use it? I automatically responded with all the things I had been told by teachers when I had asked that question: You need it to get through college. It helps develop logical, critical thinking. Think of it as a game. You must know it for the standardized test. www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
70 January 2013 Math
As my bright, creative children continued to struggle daily with math, I noticed they were becoming less confident and even feeling dumb. They worried that they would never get into college since they were making little progress in their math textbooks. I tried different curriculum, bought math games, and used manipulatives. Still, they made little progress. All of this caused me to question if the required math was really necessary. I began to wonder: Do my teens have a valid complaint? Are the reasons given for doing required math true? Who decided students needed four years of high school math, which in our state includes two levels of Algebra, Geometry, and Advanced Math? Whom do these requirements benefit? Keeping my foundational goals for homeschooling in mind, I was driven to find answers.
Historically, the very scientists who pioneered scientific discoveries that led to major math discoveries did not receive the advanced math instruction the state requires for my children.
led to major math discoveries did not receive the advanced math instruction the state requires for my children. Until the late nineteenth century, mathematicians focused on understanding what was observed in nature. Mathematics was regarded as a tool used by scientists in astronomy, mechanics, hydrodynamics, elasticity, electricity, and magnetism. Interestingly, mathematicians were also scientists; therefore, computations were taught within the context of each scientific subject. Famous mathematicians such as
Pythagoras, Sir Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, and Albert Einstein are famous for their scientific discoveries in nature (matter, energy, time and space) and the discovery of related mathematical principles. They developed patterns, equations, and theories that had real-world applications, and they wrote about the math that explained and supported their discoveries.
Pure Mathematics?
Science and Math Interconnected
As I began to research, I was encouraged to learn that Isaac Newton called irrational numbers absurd and negative numbers not true. Historically, the very scientists who pioneered scientific discoveries that
In the late 1800s many colleges began to regard mathematics as a separate discipline instead of simply presenting it as a tool used in the study of science and fine arts. The mathematicians concentrated their efforts on researching pure mathematical (math used by mathematicians in the academic setting and in research of math) concepts. Math for maths sake began and eventually filtered down to all math education in schools. New textbooksfunded by the federal governmentwere designed in the early 1900s by college professors of mathematics. Many rigorous high school math standards were established by private organizations (specifically the
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Scientists Whose Discoveries Led to Mathematical Discoveries
Pythagorass (about 570d. about 495 B.C.) work in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and music led to numerous discoveries about numbers and geometric figures. Blaise Pascal (16131662), a physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher, invented the mechanical calculator, probability theory used in gambling, and triangle formulas to project measurements. Pierre de Fermat (16011665), a lawyer by vocation, developed number theories for points, curves, and size. Sir Isaac Newton (16421727) advanced the study of motion, gravity, astronomy, light, color, and sound and wrote about numerous mathematical theorems. Rene Descartes (15961650), famous for his work in analytical geometry, wrote foundational philosophy writings, contributed to optics, and identified laws of bending light and the radius of the rainbow. Alan Turing (19121954) worked as a code-breaker during the Second World War and later worked in developing computer science and mathematical processes in molecular biology. Carnegie Foundation) that funded college professors pensions and a team of scholars that developed college entrance examinations. The practice of teaching to the test began because the college entrance examinations were printed annually for students to use as they studied for the next years exams. The professors likely did not consider the life needs and developmental stages of students when designing textbooks. High schools began to teach pure mathematics concepts. The fact that teenagers have little use for pure mathematics unless they are going to be studying advanced levels of college mathematics for their career choice appeared, for the most part, to be disregarded. on isolated math concepts and word problems contrived to practice the new skills. With great fanfare, slick marketing, and unproven promises, classroom teachers were vigorously trained in the new math vocabulary, methodologies, and the new content focus. Traditional math relied heavily on sensibly written explanations using everyday examples to teach the basic building blocks of number concepts. Math modernists replaced many traditional math definitions with their own new versions. For example, elementary teachers had to explain that the symbol 7 is not a number but a numeral. Teachers also learned
Modern Math Must Be Better
In the 1950s professors of mathematics, again through federal funding, redesigned textbooks for students in elementary through high school. This time, traditional math was discarded and replaced with the new modern math program. Elementary math textbooks of the 1950s, which concentrated on applied mathematics (math used in science and real life), were replaced with a program that introduced pure mathematics. The modern math text focused
Samples of Word Problems From a 1955 Schoolbook

Sam and his father drove exactly 100 miles one afternoon. After they had driven 57 miles, they had a flat tire. They used the spare tire to travel the rest of the way. For what percent of their drive did they use the spare tire? Edith had $42 in a bank. Her interest for 6 months is 2% of $42. How much does she get? A department store allows its clerks a 25% discount. A clerk paid $18 for a suit. What was the regular price? Mr. Sands borrowed $1,500 and paid interest at 4%. At the end of 6 years he repaid the loan. How much interest did he pay in all? What was the amount of the loan for the 6 years? A new label on a bottle of hand lotion listed the contents as 5 fl. oz. instead of 6 fl. oz., as had been the case formerly. Find the rate of decrease. (Fl. oz. means fluid ounces.) To avoid raising the price, a manufacturer made a 4-ounce candy bar 25% smaller. Find the new size. Helen reads slowly. She averages 12 pages an hour. How many hours will it take her to read a book of 275 pages? Bob built a bookcase frame with an inside height of 4 ft. 5 in. Then, above the bottom shelf, he put in 4 shelves, each in. thick and equally spaced. What was the distance between the shelves? A circular flowerbed in the park has 10 zinnia plants spaced evenly around the edge and a marigold between each two zinnias. How many marigold plants are there? How many 3" by 5" cards can be cut from a sheet of cardboard 12" by 20"? (" means inches) To fence a farm 1 mi. square requires how many times as much fence as would be required for a rectangular farm 1 mi. long and mi. wide? (The formula to calculate the perimeter of a rectangle is p = 2l + 2w.) One boat had a triangular sail with an altitude of 9 yd. and a base of 4 yd. How many square yards of material were there in this sail? Teds bicycle has 28-inch wheels; each wheel is 28 in. in diameter. How far does the bicycle travel with each revolution of the wheels? Walter bought a road map with the scale 1 in. = 50 mi. On the map, two cities are 3 in. apart. Approximately how far is it from one city to the other?
Source: Buswell, Guy, Wikkiam Brownell, and Irene Sauble. Arithmetic We Need. Ginn and Company. 1955.
the number 343 contains three digits, but since 343 =73, which is the same number but does not contain three digits, the new proper way to speak mathematically in the classroom is to say the numeral 343 contains three digits. Modern math also clarified that since 7 is a numeral for the number seven, students should be taught that a number is an idea! Of course, all of this new terminology harmed understanding more than helping, because it shrouded math in a vocabulary that did not relate to everyday common sense. Therefore, even some of the brightest of children (as well as many teachers) began to doubt their ability to master math since instructions were given with intangible concepts.
Pre-Algebra Algebra I Algebra II Trigonometry Geometry

Solutions for Burdensome Math
Clearly, math became burdened with immense amounts of new terminology to be learned. Several hundred new terms were added to Algebra and Geometry textbooks. The new math focused on the learning processes requiring the memorization of (1) steps performed to get correct answers, (2) precise math vocabulary, and (3) the order of given geometry proofs. Many of the students, like my own children, found mathematics to be dull memory work since the computations of equations had no significance. I needed to find a way to help my children be successful in math; therefore, I looked for ways to adapt their lessons to give them the least amount of math for maths sake concepts as possible. My children, who innately were deeper thinkers, perceived pure mathematics to be senseless. Until math requirements are changed, my children will have to learn the math required for College Entrance Exams (ACT/SAT) if they plan to attend college and to complete their high school graduation requirements. In the back of the Kaplan test prep book for the ACT, I found a list of one hundred key math concepts. This gave me a good guideline regarding the math needed for college. Setting the goal for my children to learn the mathematics useful for their God-designed purpose, I decided to not force them to struggle through unnecessary advanced concepts of pure mathematics. Since I want my children be taught meaningful math, I aim to present new concepts with significant explanations and to provide
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Math January 2013 73
The modern math text focused on isolated math concepts and word problems contrived to practice the new skills.
ACT Math Requirements
Order of Operations in Solving Equations Absolute Value Prime Numbers and Factorization Least Common Multiple Greatest Common Factor Multiples of 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 10 Remainders Computing and Reducing Fractions Percent Formulas Ratios, Solving Proportions Average Rate and Formula Probability Powers and Roots Evaluating Algebraic Expressions Solving Monomials, Binomials, and Polynomials Factoring Algebraic Expressions Simplifying Algebraic Fractions Solving Linear Equations Solving Quadratic Equations Solving and Graphing Inequalities Pythagorean Theorem for Distance Formula Find a Slope and Intercept Slope of Equations Equations for Parabola (seven pairs graph coordinates) Using Equation for a Circle and Graphing Points Graph Equations for an Ellipse Determining Degrees of Angles Area of a Triangle, Using a Pythagorean Theorem Memorizing Special Right Triangles Solving Area and Perimeter of Shapes Solving for Volume of Shapes (cube, cylinder, and cone) Design, Construction, Decorators Design, Architecture, Retail Statistics, Polls, Growth Charts, Medical, Business Science Construction, Engineering, Architecture Construction, Engineering Counting Quickly, Adding Items Items, Money, Inventory, Sharing Cooking, Carpentry, Nursing, Medical, Science, Crafts Shopping, Sales, Tax, Commission, Debt, Polls Medical, Pharmacy, Crafts, Stats, Design, Architecture Grading, Science, Business, Banking, Finance Games, Cards, Dice, Statistics, Weather 2 Power for Design, Science, Property, Construction
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Math Uses in Everyday Life
Helps in Dividing and Fractions
enough practice to ensure understanding and mastery of the skill. As a homeschool parent, I am able to pace math instruction to ensure mastery before introducing new lessons. In textbooks prior to the 1960s, I have discovered delightful, easy-to-understand lessons that still used applied mathematics! These books provided relevant, simple explanations of new concepts; illustrations; and examples. Instead of math being taught as a series of isolated facts that need to be memorized in order to find correct answers, topics are presented in logical sequences, building on previously learned material. Meaning and relationships are emphasized. I encourage you to pursue math instruction for your childs greatest benefit. After all, we chose to homeschool for the sake of our children!
Lindy Abbott is a passionate follower of Jesus with a strong understanding of the Biblical, Christian worldview. She is a certified teacher and a homeschool mom of three teens. From childhood, she discovered writing as her way to express what she felt and learned. Lindy is a published author, freelance writer, editor of a homeschool newsletter, and avid blogger. Read her regular post at www.lindylou-abbott .blogspot.com.
Bibliography: 1. Arbuthnot, John. An Essay on the Usefulness of Mathematical Learning. Oxford, 1701, archive .org/stream/anessayonuseful00arbugoog#page/ n2/mode/2up. 2. ACT Primer. Kaplan, Inc. New York, 2010. 3. Buswell, Guy, Wikkiam Brownell, and Irene Sauble. Arithmetic We Need. Ginn and Company, 1955. 4. Cline, Morris. Why Johnny Cant Add. St. Martins Press, New York, 1973. 5. Fiske, Thomas. College Entrance Examination Board Second Annual Report. New York, 1902. 6. Garelick, Barry. The Myth About Traditional Math Education, Education News, 2011 www .educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/barry-garelick-the-myth. 7. Pritchett, Henry. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingThird Annual Report. Merrymount Press, Boston, 1908 (archive.org/ stream/annualreportcarn03carnuoft#page/n5/ mode/2up). 8. Pritchett, Henry. The Carnegie Foundation for The Advancement of TeachingSixth Annual Report. Merrymount Press, Boston, 1909 (archive .org/stream/annualrepor1905a06carnuoft#page/ n3/mode/2up). 9. Mirel, Jeffrey. The Traditional High School, Education Next, Volume 6, No. 1, 2006, educa tionnext.org/the-traditional-high-school.
Formulas for Circumference, Arc, and Sector Engineers, Designers of a Circle Sine, Cosine, and Tangent of Acute Angles Solving and Graphing Trigonometric Functions
Some facts came from ACT Primer. Kaplan, Inc. New York. 2010.
Hands-On
By Marcia Washburn
Math Activities
Like it or not, math is an essential subject . . . .
beans, buttons, or pennies, have the child count, placing the appropriate number of items into each cup. Having the total correct number of items to begin with (78) is a good accuracy check.
e all teach some subjects we dont care much for, dont we? Math happens to be my least favorite subject to teach. After all, Im a musician, not a mathematician. Musicians count: 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. Our idea of higher math is 1-2-3-4-5-6, 1-2-3-4-5-6. In most subjects, I am an auditory learner, but in math, I am a kinesthetic, hands-on learner. Of course no one had heard of learning styles when I went to school, so I struggled through Algebra II and determined never to take another math class. And then came homeschooling. Not only did I take several more math classes, but I also had to explain the concepts to our sons. God has a sense of humor, doesnt He? Like it or not, math is an essential subject and our children really do need to understand it. The logical thinking that children learn by doing math exercises is invaluable. An old axiom says: What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand. Even those individuals who learn math easily enjoy playing games now and then. Here are some math games, in approximate order of difficulty, to get you started.
Measuring for Beginners
Use non-standard items such as a paper clip, a crayon, a childs foot, a piece of string, etc. to measure a variety of objects placed on a tray. Decide which objects would best be measured with a smaller unit, such as a paper clip, and which items would best be measured with a long piece of string. Size, shape, and accessibility of the object could all be factors in the decision. Objects you might measure include these: rolling pin, pencil, football, book, toothpick, etc. Make a chart to record the childrens answers. The mechanics of measuring are still difficult for young children. Saying This toothpick is two paper clips long makes more sense to a child than saying This toothpick is 2 inches long.
in a shoebox (the fish tank), number side down. Glue or tie a small magnet to the end of a wooden dowel (purchase at a craft or hardware store); the magnet attracts the paper clips onto the fish. The player uses the dowel fishing rod to catch two fish cards. The child must then add the two numbers. Note: This activity also works well for older children; make it more challenging by having them subtract or multiply the two numbers.
Repeat
Recognizing patterns is an important skill. Teach the concept of patterns by using a paper chain or colored beads or a variety of types of noodles to make a necklace. Think of a way to design it so that the colors or patterns will keep repeating. A simple pattern would be red, yellow, green, red, yellow, green. Let the children experiment. See if they can find the patterns in each others designs.
Fishing
Egg Carton Math
Using a marker, number each cup of an egg carton from 1 through 12. Using 78
Cut several 3" x 5" file cards in half. If you wish, the cards may be cut into the shape of fish. Write one single-digit numeral on each card. Draw the same number of dots on the card so a younger child can count them if he doesnt yet recognize written numerals. Place a paper clip on each card. Place the cards
Logic Cards Game
This activity uses Bingo-like cards and colored squares to teach elementary logic. The parent and each child will need one card with three rows of three squares each. Each square should be about 1 inch in diameter. Each person will also need nine 1-inch square pieces of paper, three each of red, yellow, and blue.
The teacher places her nine colored squares on her own card, taking care not to let the children see the pattern. Rules: 1. All of the same-colored squares must touch another square of the same color on at least one full side. Corners only touching doesnt count. Demonstrate this to your children. 2. Vertical squares on the card are called columns. Horizontal squares are called rows. Hence, reading from left to right, the verticals are Columns A, B, and C. Reading from bottom to top, the horizontals are Rows 1, 2, and 3. 3. Players take turns asking the parent what colors are in a particular row or column. The parent states the colors in that row or column, but not necessarily in order. 4. The object is for the players to figure out the parents secret pattern by asking as few questions as possible. Students may discuss their ideas after each clue. 5. It is helpful to turn the colored squares at an angle (with points facing up and down like a diamond) until they are certain that a particular color belongs in that square. When the color for that particular square has been confirmed, the colored square can be turned to square up with the cards square. After the children understand the game well, let them take turns being the leader who makes the secret grid. This game may also be played with sixteen squares for older students.
C 3 2 1
D 4 3 2 1
Logic Cards
from easiest to hardest. Students and parents may make up new recipes also. Older students may wish to make up their own recipes. 1. This salad contains 2 lima beans, twice as many red beans as lima beans, 10 beans in all. 2. This salad contains 4 red beans, half as many black-eyed peas as red beans, 10 beans in all. 3. Lima beans make up half of this salad; the salad has exactly 2 red beans; the number of lima beans is double the number of red beans. 4. This salad contains the same number of red beans as lima beans, 3 more black-eyes than red beans, a total of 18 beans. 5. This salad contains 12 beans; half of the beans are red; lima beans make up one-quarter of the salad. 6. This salad contains at least 12 beans; it has one more lima bean than red beans; it has one more red bean than black-eyes.
7. This salad contains three times as many red beans as black-eyes, one more lima bean than red beans, 8 beans in all. 8. This salad contains an equal number of red beans and black-eyes, 5 more lima beans than red beans, no more than 20 beans. Make math a part of your familys daily equation with these and other fun activities.
Three-Bean Salads
This interesting activity is adapted from Family Math by Stenmark, Thompson, and Cossey.1 Each student needs a paper plate and about ten each of lima beans, red beans, and black-eyed peas. Several recipes will be given; the students must figure out how many beans go into each salad. Rule: Every salad will require all three kinds of beans. The students will actually use some elementary algebra to find the unknown quantities. A formal knowledge of algebra is unnecessary, however; by experimenting with the beans, they can find the correct answers. The recipes are from Family Math (p. 135) and are numbered
Marcia K. Washburn holds degrees in elementary and music education. She homeschooled her five sons for nineteen years. This article is adapted from Hands-On Homeschooling in the Management for Moms series by Marcia K. Washburn. See this and other homeschool resources at www.marciawashburn.com/index.html.
Endnote: 1. lawrencehallofscience.stores.yahoo.net/familymath.html
Planes, Trains, Ships, and Automobiles
The Worlds Transportation Systems
T
78
By Cindy Downes
Who invented these trains, planes, ships, and automobiles?

dont know the exact dates of the earliest achievements, transportation probably began with simple, stone-paved streets like those built in the city of Ur around 4,000 B.C. and the wheeled carts of ancient Mesopotamia, which were developed around 2,500 B.C. By the end of the Roman Empire, more than 240,000 miles of roads crisscrossed the Empire. Nothing comes free, even transportation; so, in 1730, road builders in England and Wales began to charge tolls for access to roads. Americans copied the idea for the National Road, an 800-mile link from Maryland to Illinois. Families living nearby were hired to collect the tolls, six cents per twenty sheep and twelve cents per coach or wagon.
oday, we jet across the Atlantic Ocean in two hours and take luxury vacations on cruise ships equipped with hotels, swimming pools, and mini-golf. We drive our automobiles through manmade tunnels under miles of water and through the highest mountains. How did we get this transportation system of ours? Who invented these trains, planes, ships, and automobiles? What did it take to build the miles and miles of railroad track and highways that crisscross towns and countries all over the globe? The worlds transportation system was built over thousands of years by the creativity and hard work of men and women from all over the world. Although we
Ships
Meanwhile, water travel was also evolving. We know from the Bible that large ships were being built as far back as the days of Noah (Genesis, chapter 6). The first boats were probably dugout canoes and rafts, both of which were made from trees. Between 4,000 B.C. and 1,000 A.D., the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Romans, Vikings, and Chinese perfected the design of the sailing vessel for trade and war, making it stronger by adding metal belts and faster by designing the galley, an oared vessel powered by up to sixty men (who were most likely slaves). The Chinese developed a rudder for steering, battens for sails, and bulkheads to keep the boat afloat.
January 2013 Planes, Trains, Ships, and Automobiles
In the 1800s, flatboats became a popular means of travel for ordinary people. Families paid $35 to ship themselves and all their belongings down the Ohio and Mississippi River on these raft-like barges. During the three-month trip, they entertained themselves with stories and fiddle playing. The women cooked the meals and sewed, while the children swam in the river. When hostile Indians attacked, the family would retreat into a box-like structure for protection. The flatboat could travel only downstream, however, so at the end of the trip, the boat was sold for use as firewood or lumber with which the settlers would build their new homes. Around this same time, Americans developed the Clipper ship, which was used to take emigrants to California during the 1849 Gold Rush. Although these were the fastest ships at the time, they were also dependent on wind power. In 1807, Robert Fulton introduced his steamboat, the Clermont, which made its maiden voyage from Albany to New York City at 5 mph, without any assistance from wind. A short time later, the British built the first steampowered ship to cross the Atlantic. Now the challenge was to increase the speed of these steam-powered boats. John Ericsson, a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, solved the problem with his improved version of the screw propeller. Biting through water like a screw bites into wood, Ericssons twin screw propeller made ships faster than ever. Today, ships are not only fast, but they are bigger and more efficient. Todays ocean liners have supermarkets and theaters, supertankers are capable of transporting 2,000,000,000 metric tons of oil a year, and nuclear-powered submarines like the Royal Navys Astute are capable of going without refueling for its full twenty-five years of service!
. . . Nuclear-powered submarines like the Royal Navys Astute are capable of going without refueling for its full twenty-five years of service!
American-built steam locomotive, which was so small its boiler tubes were made of rifle barrels. Onlookers cheered as the Tom Thumb, as it was named, and a gray horse, Dobbin, raced down the tracks, each pulling a car full of passengers. Although the horse won when a belt on the locomotive slipped off of a pulley, causing the engine to lose power, the performance of the Tom Thumb convinced financial backers that steam locomotion was practical. The construction and operation of the First Transcontinental Railroad was authorized by the Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 and 1864 during the American Civil War and signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Chinese and Irish immigrants, as well as Mormons from Utah, worked for seven years to lay 1,777 miles of track that spanned from Omaha, Nebraska, to Oakland, California. From Nebraska, it connected to the existing railway network of the eastern United States, making it possible for people to travel by rail from coast to coast for the first time. The line became known as the Overland Route and was in service for almost seven decades until January 1963. Railroads continued to monopolize transportation until the 1930s, when automobiles and airplanes became the most popular modes of transportation.
Automobiles
Trains
The invention of the railroad did for land transportation what steam did for shipping. It made land transportation faster, cheaper, and more efficient. The first railroads were tracks on which carriages were moved by wind or horses. After the invention of the first steampowered locomotive in 1804 by Richard Trevithick of England, it was only a matter of time before this technology was added to railroads. In 1830, Peter Cooper, an American industrialist, is credited with the first
No one person can take credit for the invention of the automobile. Its the work of many inventors of many nationalities. The first automobiles were powered by steam. In the 1800s, Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, both Germans, independently contributed to the invention of the gasoline-driven car. Both automobiles could run at speeds of 10 mph, unheard of at the time. In America, the Duryea brothers, Charles and Frank, built the first-ever working American gasoline-powered car and started the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, which turned out fourteen cars a year. Not many people were interested in these cars, though. It took Henry Fords assembly line idea to make the automobile affordable by almost everyone. By 1925, more than nine thousand Ford Model Ts were rolling off the assembly line every day. As a result of Fords success, Michigan became the hub of the automobile transportation industry. Irish, Germans, Scots, Poles, Italians, Greeks, Serbians, Turks, Armenians, Jews, Arabs, and Lebanese flooded to the city in search of a better life. African-Americans, Asians, Indians, and Pacific Islanders, as well as Canadians and Mexicans, all came to Detroit looking for work. As a result, Detroit is
Planes, Trains, Ships, and Automobiles January 2013 79
one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country. Today, Google is testing a self-driving automobile. Where the automobile goes from here is only up to mankinds imagination.
Planes
The second most popular form of transportation today is the airplane. One could say the first airplane was a hot-air balloon invented by Jacques and Joseph Montgolfier of France. It rose 6,000 feet in the air in ten minutes and stayed afloat as it traveled more than a mile from its point of departure. Three months later, they sent up three passengers: a duck, a rooster, and a sheep. In Germany, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin invented a metal-framed balloon powered by steam, called a dirigible or airship. Dirigibles were so popular that they became known as Zeppelins. However, when the Hindenburg caught fire, crashed, and exploded in 1937, killing thirty-six people, passengers ceased to choose the dirigible as a form of transportation. Meanwhile, Orville and Wilbur Wright began experimenting with a new means of transportationthe airplane. These two bicycle mechanics from Ohio started with box kites, then gliders, and finally settled on building a biplane. On December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright made the first airplane flight in history, traveling 120 feet during his historical 12-second flight. No one but barnstormers took airplanes seriously until the Douglas Aircraft Company built the DC-3 in 1936. These planes had cruise speeds of 200 mph and became the most widely used airliner in the world. Then the race began for a bigger, faster airplane that could go further. Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and the U.S. began experimenting with jet engines in 1939. Germany produced the first jet fighter in 1944. After the war, Great Britain took the lead when the Comet debuted in 1952. Today, the largest jetliner is the Boeing 777, which can carry 481 passengers. As for speed, the Concorde, which was designed jointly by Great Britain and France and entered service in 1976, is the fastest passenger airplane, boasting speeds up to 1,500 mph and able to cross the Atlantic in two hours. An unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft, the Boeing X-51 WaveRider,
Railroads continued to monopolize transportation until the 1930s, when automobiles and airplanes became the most popular modes of transportation.
used for hypersonic flight testing by the U.S. Air Force, successfully completed its first powered flight on May 26, 2010, followed by another test in 2011 and one in 2012. Its fourth flight test is scheduled for 2013. Designed to fly six times the speed of sound, it has the potential of crossing the Atlantic in . . . one hour! Who knows? With the hard work of todays creative thinkers, we may some day soar around the entire world in an hour, read a newspaper while driving our cars, or travel thousands of miles to enjoy a luxury vacation on Mars. Only time will tell!
4. The Art of Navigation: www.abc.net.au/ navigators/ships/history.htm 5. Astute Class Submarine: www.astuteclass .com/astute-class/the-astute-class 6. SuperTankers: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_tanker 7. Railroad History Timeline: www.sdrm.org/ history/timeline 8. History of Rail Transport: en.wikipedia .org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport 9. Workers of the Central Pacific Railroad: www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/ features/general-article/tcrr-cprr 10. Immigration, Railroads, and the West: ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/railroads.html 11. Railroad Invention and History: inventors .about.com/library/inventors/blrailroad.htm 12. Airplanes, Flight: The History of the airplane and flight, inventors.about.com/od/ fstartinventions/a/Airplane.htm 13. The History of Airplanes: library.thinkquest .org/trio/TR0110764/history.html 14. Airplane Timeline: www.greatachievements .org/?id=3728 15. History of Aviation: en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/History_of_aviation 16. X-51 WaveRider : www.bbc.com/future/ story/20120815-hypersonic-ambitions-fall-short 17. X - 5 1 Wa v e R i d e r : w w w. b o e i n g . c o m / defense-space/military/waverider/index.html 18. Automotive History from University of Michigan: bentley.umich.edu/research/guides/ automotive 19. A u t o m o b i l e H i s t o r y ( A b o u t . c o m ) : inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/ Car_History.htm 20. History of the Automobile (Wikipedia): en . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / Hi s t o r y _ o f _ t h e _ automobile 21. Automobile in American Life and Society (University of Michigan-Dearborn and The Henry Ford Foundation): www.autolife.umd .umich.edu/Race/R_Overview/R_Overview1 .htm
Cindy Downes
Cindy Downes is an independent writer, a homeschool veteran, and author of The Checklist, a scope and sequence for homeschoolers. She is also the creator of a variety of unit studies and worksheets available for free on her websites. For more information, see her website at www.cindy downes.com.
Bibliography: 1. Everyday Life: Transportation, A Good Year Book by Walter A. Hazen, published by Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc. 1999. 0-673-58653-7 2. History World: Gascoigne, Bamber. History World. From 2001, ongoing, www.historyworld .net 3. w w w. h i s t o r y w o r l d . n e t / w r l d h i s / P l a i n TextHistories.asp?groupid=104&HistoryID=a a14&gtrack=pthc
80 January 2013 Planes, Trains, Ships, and Automobiles
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Planes, Trains, and to the Moon
By Christopher Hutton
uman transportation has always been an essential component of culture. From the beginning of history, man has needed to get from one place to another. The fulfillment of this need has taken many forms, but each one has made life easier. As we look at the big history of transportation, we can divide it into four general ages: the Natural Age of Transportation, Steam-Powered Transportation, The Automobile Age, and The Flight Age.
somewhere. These methods were tiring. For example, riding a horse sapped the strength of both horse and rider.
The majority of mans major transportation advancements have been made in the last 250 years . . . .
Boats offered only a slight improvement on this situation. During this Natural Age of Transportation, if a man wanted to cross a river in a boat, he had to row it himself. The discovery of wind power and sails made a huge
improvement on mans travel. However, the wind was unpredictable; one day it could blow north, and the next day it could blow south. This meant that on most days, one could not predict the direction of the wind; thus, sailors would often use sails from morning to night one day and then have to row all of the next day.
Steam-Powered Transportation
Natural Age of Transportation
For most of human history, man was stuck in what can be considered the Natural Age of Transportation. Most people had to use natural means to travel, which meant that they had to either walk or ride an animal in order to get
Inventors searched for a sustainable power source that would allow man to move around with little to no effort, and steam power, the ability to heat water and use its force to push a motor that would rotate a wheel and cause a vehicle to move, was welcomed by travelers with great enthusiasm. Steam power still required mans effort (the fire that turned water into steam had to be maintained),
but at last a sustainable power source had been introduced. Most early steam engines were placed in trains. Since the sixteenth century, people had known that putting carts on pre-set tracks made it easier for horses to pull the carts. However, the horsedrawn carts could be used only to travel short distances. What if one wanted to ride a cart from Nebraska to New York? This is where the steam engine came in. With the invention of the steam engine, people could travel in a train, along a track, propelled by an engine that had the power of 100 horseswithout it tiring. The iron horse revolutionized transportation potential. A train track that allowed people to travel from the East Coast to the West without having to take entire years to traverse the dangerous West, with its wild animals, unpredictable weather, and aggressive Indians, was needed. This track was called the Transcontinental Railroad. The first Transcontinental Railroad was started in 1863. Two separate companies started building the railroad on opposite coasts, progressing toward one another; this project took six years. Its completion and subsequent success saved thousands of lives, not to mention thousands of hours of travel time.
cars were made piece by piece by specialized designers, only the wealthy could afford to purchase them. It wouldnt be until businessman Henry Ford used factories to mass-produce the Model-T Ford that automobiles became popular and accessible to the common man.
Administration (NASA), which used rocket technology to launch man into space, to the moon, and beyond.
Conclusion
Inventors searched for a sustainable power source that would allow man to move around with little to no effort . . . .
As the use of automobiles increased, roads had to be improved and fuel had to be found. Hundreds upon hundreds of modifications were applied to the automobile, from the window wiper to the seatbelt. Today, automobiles remain the most common form of transportation in the United States.
The majority of mans major transportation advancements have been made in the last 250 years, and we keep on going. With the development of personal space travel and magnetic trains, our means of travel reflect continual improvement and ingenuity. As progress is made in the field of transportation, let us not forget those who have contributed to our comfort and freedom through their diligence and creativity.
Chris Hutton is a young college student who graduated from a homeschooling home in 2011. Currently, he studies at the newly founded school, Rivendell Sanctuary. Chris is a journalist who writes about modern-day topics. Please visit his blog: Blog Liter8 Ideas.
The Flight Age
The Automobile Age
Steam truly revolutionized mans ability to move, but it was extremely cumbersome, requiring large furnaces and fires in order to be really effective. Plus, the manpower and cost in coal (the fires fuel) was quite costly. People looked for a different power source and engine type, and eventually Nicholas Joseph Cugnot came up with the solution: an external steam-powered engine that could power the movement of a small vehicle . . . without tracks. Cugnot called this machine an automobile. However, Karl Benz would give us the first actual car with the modern internal combustion engine (designed to burn its fuel inside as opposed to the steam-powered engines external burning). These two technological innovations would begin what we know today as the Automobile Age. Automobiles were a really useful piece of technology, because they required only a driver to steer the vehicle. One could go driving for hours without needing to refuel or rekindle a fire. However, automobiles were really expensive. Since most
Man has always felt limited by the ground. Even in ancient days, man sought to gain the ability to fly, but it wouldnt be until the Wright brothers made their amazing 12-second flight that man-powered flight actually seemed achievable. The first viable aircraft were the biplanes of the 1910s. These planes initially seemed like fads, but they proved their tactical value during World War I when they were used to carry out reconnaissance scouting. During peacetime, pilots such as Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh demonstrated the long-range capability of planes by flying across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. At first, most planes relied on propellers, which used air to power their movement. This design was effective but expensive and slow. Engineers found that jet engines were a more effective means of transportation, and eventually the United States built jets that could fly past their propeller-driven competitors. Following the Korean War, the Soviets launched the first man-made satellite into space. In response, the U.S. created the National Aeronautic and Space
Age of Steam The Steam Engine, Tamra Orr (6th 8th grade) Steamboats, Karl Zimmerman (5th8th grade) The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America, Christina Wolmar (High school adult) Age of Automobiles Henry Ford: Man of Ideas, Hazel B. Aird (3rd6th grade) History of the Model-T Ford, David K. Wright (2nd4th grade) Age of Flight The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the First Airplane, Russell Freedmen (4th12th grade) The Wright Brothers, Quentin Reynolds (4th8th grade) The Race for Space: The United States and the Soviet Union Compete for the New Frontier, Betsy Kuhn (5th12th grade) Rocket Men, Craig Nelson (Age 9 adult)
Resources for Further Study
Sea Thunder:
The Viking Longships
By Rachel Terry
How did they do it? How did a group of people from the frigid north develop such innovative technology? Superior shipwrights, geography, circumstance, and raw materials combined to forge a unique new method of building ships. Water dominates Scandinavias geography. Bogs, fjords (long narrow inlets between steep mountainous coasts), rivers, lakes, and streams made communication and transportation difficult for early inhabitants of the region.1 Since overland travel was nearly impossible, the Vikings turned to the water. Over time, the Vikings developed boats that suited their unique geography.
. . . The Vikings developed boats that suited their unique geography.

These boats were easy to maneuver, a feature that was required to navigate the fjords, which were full of twists and turns. The boats had to be shallow so they wouldnt bottom out in the small streams, and they had a large capacity because they were used not only for moving people but also for moving supplies and goods. The longships could be rowed both backward and forward so that they could make their way through small streams and crooked byways.
ong before trains criss-crossed the continents and planes flew overhead, a small group of Scandinavians developed a form of transportation that would change history. During the Middle Ages, the Vikings developed the technology necessary to build their speedy, sleek longships, which would carry them as far as Greenland, northern Africa, and even North America. These ships allowed them to dominate great swaths of Europe for three hundred years.
Unique Geography
New Technology
To make boats that would suit the Vikings needs, they had to develop new technology. Here are some of their developments.
They fastened the planks together with iron rivets and sealed the joints with tar-soaked wool.
Clinker-built sides. The Vikings developed a method of building their longships with wooden planks, which kept the water out and enabled the ships to glide effortlessly through the water. When building with the clinker-built method, shipbuilders laid the planks so they overlapped one another slightly. They fastened the planks together with iron rivets and sealed the joints with tarsoaked wool.2 Some boats are still built this way today. Movable Sails. Out on the open sea, sails help to power the boats. Longship sails were made of unstitched, rough wool cloth, which was plentiful in Scandinavia with its great flocks of sheep. When maneuvering up the protected fjords, however, sails didnt help at all. Consequently, the sails would then be taken down, and sailors used long oars to propel the longships. Even Weight Distribution. When the longships were in full sail, the mast holding the sail bore tremendous strain. Therefore, longship builders developed a way to evenly distribute the weight. Heres how they did it: They mounted the bottom of the mast on a heavy block of wood, which was called a kerling. The kerling rested on the keel (the ships backbone), but it wasnt fastened to the keel. It was fastened to the ships ribs.3 This even weight distribution helped the ships to
sit high in the water and maintain a high speed. Out on the open seas, longships could travel up to 200 miles per hour!4 Specially Chosen Timber. Viking longships couldnt have been invented in an area that lacked dense forests. Scandinavian forests were sources of many different kinds of wood, and Viking shipwrights researched which kinds of wood would best be used for different purposes. Oak, pine, spruce, larch, and juniper have all been found in Viking longships.5 Front-back Symmetry. Boats have always been built with side-to-side symmetry to keep them from tipping to one side or the other, but the Vikings also used front-back symmetry with their longships. Both ends of the longships rose to
a peak, so they could be sailed forward or backward with equal ease.6 This design enabled the ships to approach land quickly and then back right out, just as a car pulls into a parking space and then backs out again.
Raiding Northern Europe
It didnt take the Vikings long to realize that the longships they had developed for local communication and trade purposes were perfect for something else: raiding foreign villages. With their silent, fast approach, longboats could float up protected inlets and land on shores without the locals realizing anyone had arrived. At that point in history, the population in Scandinavia had increased substantially, and with a limited supply of farmland available, people had realized that raiding was easier and could make them richer than they could be if they farmed a small plot of land. In A.D. 793, the villagers of Lindisfarne in northern England were shocked and terrified when a Viking longship arrived on their shores.7 The Vikings attacked the local monastery, stole the churchs treasures, and burned down the villagers homes before jumping back into their longship to return home with the loot. Soon, villages all over England, France, Iceland, and Ireland learned to fear the dragon-headed Viking longships. Today, medieval treasures from these countries are still found in the Vikings native Scandinavia. Viking raiders stole the treasures and took them home to sell or give to their loved ones.
The Vikings innovative longships equipped people all around Europe to trade their goods and to explore new lands.
Trade
With their quick speeds and ability to sail up streams and rivers, the longships often visited remote areas that had little communication with the outside world. These abilities were invaluable for trade purposes, and the Vikings soon realized that isolated villages would pay high prices to trade with them.8 Vikings traded far and wide. We know this because archaeologists have excavated the following traded treasures in Viking sites: cowrie shells from the Persian Gulf, glass and pottery goods from Germany, wine from Spain and France, woolens and tin from the British Isles, and silver Arabic coins. From their own Scandinavian lands, the Vikings sold timber, amber, iron, walrus ivory, soapstone, and animal skins and furs. As the Vikings became rich from their trade, they were able to build more ships and explore more remote territories. many different areas of northern Europe, including the Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, Greenland, and northern France.9 The local residents werent always thrilled about their new neighbors. Sometimes violent skirmishes broke out along the edges of the Viking colonies, but the Vikings often established friendly trading relationships with nearby settlers. Colonies didnt always thrive, however. For example, in Greenland the Vikings established a colony that grew to a population of nearly five thousand people, but the climate was so harsh and growing
Colonization
Sometimes Viking raiders fell in love with the areas they raided and decided they wanted to live there permanently. In these cases, they used their longboats much as we use moving vans todayto move their families and all of their belongings to a new home. Vikings colonized
1
1
1
food was so difficult that they eventually abandoned the colony. No one knows exactly what happened to them.10
What Happened to the Vikings?
Over time, raiding and pillaging became less and less profitable. Monasteries built towers for self-defense, and the Christian church itself arrived in the Viking lands. Bishops and political leaders told the Viking raiders that their violent raiding violated Gods laws.11 As the raids slowed and eventually stopped, the rest of Europe ceased to see their northern neighbors as Vikings. They simply saw Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, and Icelanders. Today we dont have to worry about Vikings pillaging our homes and churches, but we can admire their technological achievements. The Vikings innovative longships equipped people all around Europe to trade their goods and to explore new lands. Fortunately for us, the Vikings had a custom of burying their kings and queens in longships. Therefore, archaeologists have unearthed entire, intact longships that contained all of the ships original tools and supplies. Instead of disintegrating at the bottom of the sea, many Viking longships are as beautiful today as they were a thousand years ago. Maybe youll see one in a museum one day and picture yourself sailing across the uncharted ocean at 200 miles per hour, off to discover a new land.
7. Finney, Fred. Mystery History of a Viking Longboat. Brookfield, Connecticut: Copper Beech Books, p. 5. 8. Roberts, Stan. The Early VoyagersViking. www.duckworksmagazine.com/11/columns/ guest/viking/index.htm, accessed Oct. 10, 2012. 9. Gravett, Christopher. Going to War in Viking Times. New York: Franklin Watts, 2001, p. 13. 10. What Happened to the Greenland Norse? www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/voyage/htmlonly/ greenland.html, accessed Oct. 10, 2012. 11. Hurstwic.www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/ society/text/what_happened.htm, accessed Oct. 10, 2012.
Rachel Terry lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, with her husband Ben and three children. In addition to teaching her children, she loves reading, writing, and spending time in the outdoors with her family. You can reach her at tolmanterry@gmail.com.
Endnotes: 1. Lassieur, Allison. The Vikings. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001, p. 14. 2. Millard, Dr. Anne. Eric the Red: The Vikings Sail the Atlantic. Austin, Texas: Raintree SteckVaughn, p. 15. 3. Millard, Dr. Anne. Eric the Red: The Vikings Sail the Atlantic. Austin, Texas: Raintree SteckVaughn, p. 13. 4. The Vikings in Ireland Factsheet. www.bbc .co.uk/northernireland/schools/4_11/tandy/ pdf/Viking_info.pdf, accessed Oct. 10, 2012. 5. Roberts, Stan. The Early VoyagersViking. www.duckworksmagazine.com/11/columns/ guest/viking/index.htm, accessed Oct. 10, 2012. 6. Raum, Elizabeth. What Did the Vikings Do for Me? Chicago: Heinemann Library, p. 12.
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Transportation in Alaska
By Jeff Ober
. . . Many elements of travel in Alaska are very different from transportation needs found anywhere else in the world.
A cruise ship docks to load passengers into a train.
he State of Alaska was purchased from Russia for $7.2 million dollars in 1867. At the time, many people thought it was a horrible deal because most of the land was uninhabited. However, at the end of the nineteenth century, gold was discovered and the land became more valuable. In the middle of the twentieth century, massive oil and gas deposits were discovered and consequently more people were needed to get the resources spread across the state. With Alaskas rugged terrain and climates, transportation is a serious topic for everyone who lives in or visits this vast state. Half of the people in Alaska live in one of three cities: Anchorage, Juneau,
or Fairbanks. The rest of the people are scattered around the state in small villages and towns ranging in size from 8,000 residents all the way down to dozens of villages that have fewer than 100 residents. People and supplies need to be transported from one of these places to another, and roads to most of the towns do not exist. In many small villages there are just trailsand no cars. Most villages have a small runway or a boat dock, but little else.
Boats
Travel by boat is one of the most common means of transportation in Alaska. There are huge barges that travel every day from Washington State to different
areas in Alaska. The capital city, Juneau, can be reached only by boat or by plane; there are no roads that lead to the city. Large container ships carry goods and supplies all around the coastal land of the state. Employees who work at large docks work on a daily basis to unload barges and supply ships. While most areas of the U.S. have Walmarts that get daily deliveries via transfer truck, the Walmarts in Alaska are served by barges and containers that unload nearly every day. Boats of all sizes move the people of Alaska. The largest vessels are the cruise ships that sail up and down the inside passage of Alaska all summer long. Every year, thousands of people sail from Washington to visit Alaska on these large
A dual transfer truck moves goods along the Alaska highway.
cruise ships. At the same time, the Alaska Marine Highway System operates a number of ferries that move people, goods, and vehicles around the state. Sometimes these require long tripsit takes more than three days to get from Bellingham, Washington, to Juneau, Alaskabut some are shorter trips. For example, it requires only a few hours to take a ferry from Juneau to Haines. A large number of people commute by motorboat or fishing boat. Some live on small islands near towns and take a boat to town, but in the winter they might walk or ride in a snow machine (snowmobile). In Alaska, large oil tankers are used more than any other type of boat. Each week between three and five fully loaded
oil tanker ships depart the port of Valdez, Alaska, after being loaded with crude oil that was pumped over 800 miles through the Alaska pipeline down from the north slope of Alaska. The largest tanker ships carry up to 2 million barrels of oil and take an entire day to be filled with oil. Most of that oil and those tankers sail down to the west coast of the U.S., where the barrels are off-loaded to oil refineries to be processed into gasoline and other products.
Trains
There are a few train lines in Alaska, but due to the low population, there are not many. The main train line runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks, and its trains carry
both passengers and freight inland from the coastal ports at Anchorage. Many of the passengers on these trains are tourists who are going inland to see the famous Denali (Mt. McKinley). This railroad service is unique in the United States, as it is the only railroad service that provides both freight and passenger service all year. If you ride a train as a passenger in Alaska, you might find that the car ahead of you is filled with groceries, heavy equipment, or even coal or other mined materials. One section of the Alaska railroad is quite unique. This is the Hurricane Turn passenger train that runs the route between Talkeetna and Hurricane Gulch. This train is one of the very last whistle
Workers at the north slope arriving for work via plane and bus
stop train routes (also called flag stop routes) in the United States. There are no scheduled stops or timetables. Instead, if you want to ride the train, you simply wave a flag or white cloth when you see the train coming, and the train will stop to let you on! For many years, this was the only way to get from Talkeetna to Hurricane Gulch, as roads between the two towns have only been constructed recently.
Airplanes
Another way that people travel in Alaska is by air. There are large commercial airports, such as Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, that look much like any other airport in the world. However, there are as many as five hundred additional airports in the state! Most of these are very small airports, some with little more than a grass runway and a
windsock. Many of these airports do not even have a grass runway because . . . they are seaplane bases. A large number of towns simply cannot be reached by any other means of transportation. All goods and supplies that are needed must be flown in, sometimes on a regular basis, but sometimes just when the people there need them. Some of these airports are leftovers from World War II and were built to defend the United States during that war. For example, Moses Point Airport is located in Elim, a town in the central-western area of Alaska, near Nome. This airport has just one runway now; it is made of gravel, is poorly maintained, and has no regular employees, but nonetheless, a few small commercial planes land there each year. Alaska is home to hundreds of thousands of people and large quantities of
resources. These people need excellent, reliable means of transportation to get around and, more importantly in Alaska, to receive essential goods and services. While some areas of the state have methods of transportation similar to those found elsewhere in the U.S., many elements of travel in Alaska are very different from transportation needs found anywhere else in the world.
Jeffrey Ober is a full-time freelance writer and professional sports photographer. He and his wife Rikki live in remote Juneau, Alaska, where they homeschool their two children. He has more than twenty years of experience working with and programming computers. Read more about Jeffrey at his personal website: www.ober.org.
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Homeschooling on a Budget
A Penny Saved and a Lesson Learned

By Amy Nicholson . . . What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? (Nehemiah 4:2).
W
Books
LEFT: Cute purses knit from old prom dresses, MIDDLE: Pizza fractions, RIGHT: Tree bark rubbing reveals a variety of textures.
Free Field Trip Destinations

Library Post office Pizza place Ice cream parlor Farm Fire department Police department Town hall Tree farm Sugarhouse Apiary Trash museum Railroad station
e may not be leading Gods chosen people in the rebuilding of Jerusalems walls as Nehemiah was in the passage cited here, but in educating our children, we are fortifying them. As Nehemiah used the rubble of the old wall to build a new wall, we can be good stewards of Gods gifts by recycling, re-using, and rethinking the resources we have at hand. In these financially trying times, with many homeschooling families relying on a single income, it makes sense to do just that. The core component of most of our curricula is books, which can be expensive. They can also be free. Large families will often save textbooks to use with younger siblings. Instead of buying new workbooks for each child, consider copying pages for individual use, so that even consumables can be used over and over. Share books or borrow them from other homeschoolers. Our local homeschool network has been a valuable resource, enabling me to both borrow and lend
books. I have also purchased books at a discount from other members. Our towns recycling center is a wonderful place to adopt free books. Does your town have a similar resource? I also suggest that you introduce yourself to your local librarian. Mine once gave me an old set of reference books published by Popular Science. They were too old to be useful at the library, but the set has been a handy reference
Free Places to Conduct Your School Day and Create Some Excitement!
Park Field of flowers Beach Under a table In a tent Grocery store Airport
92 January 2013 Homeschooling on a Budget
tool for me. Some facts dont change over time. If you are looking for older books to read for free on your computer or download to a Kindle, check out Gutenberg .org. Another source you might consider is freecycle.com. A host of goodies can be acquired there. Im still working on a huge bag of colored pencils I picked up for free a couple years ago.
fill up their planet. We can teach them nowto pause as they consider a way to re-purpose that yogurt container before they drop it into the bin.
Free Supplies Saved From the Trash

Cylindrical cardboard oatmeal containers to use as blocks and castle towers Cereal boxes for cardboard for stencils, templates, building whatever Plastic yogurt containers for coin counting, science specimens, art supplies Egg cartons for teaching about a dozen, counting/multiplying by 2s and 12s, and planting seeds in spring for easy transport into the garden Newspaper for use as wrapping paper and for lessons about journalism, advertising, money Pizza boxes and cardboard for pizza fractions and restaurant play
Re-Think Your Trash
After learning that the average American generates 4.4 pounds of garbage a day, I think twice before I throw anything in the trash. Food scraps go to the chickens, and paper scraps go to the classroom. If your state has a trash museum, it makes for an eye-opening field trip.
Amy is married to DJ, her high school sweetheart. They have three wonderful childrena computer genius, an artist, and a princess. When not homeschooling or tending to her chickens or her husband, Amy enjoys writing. She hopes to make a career of it some daymaybe when the chickens move out. Amy can be contacted at amylynn.nicholson@gmail.com.
Reuse, Recycle, Re-Purpose
There was a saying in the 1940s: Use it up, wear it out. Make do or do without. In todays strained economy, we would do well to adopt this philosophy. Environmentalists encourage going green. We should be using (and then re-using) Gods gifts wisely. Its good stewardship. There are tons of upcycling geniuses out there. Spend some free time on pinterest .com and see what others have done; that would be time well spent. Learn how to cut up old T-shirts, prom dresses, and even plastic grocery bags to knit adorable purses, scarves, and whatever else you can dream up. Use old jeans to construct bean bags, and re-purpose plastic takeout containers to use as Shrinky Dinks.
Backyard AdventuresFree!
Build a little house with woodland materials such as moss, rocks, twigs, and pinecones. Use crayons and paper to make rubbings of the bark of different trees. Take a survey of the various types of rocks found in your yard. Be pirates and unearth treasures in your yard, such as worms, pill bugs, and centipedes. If leaves fall in your yard in autumn, use math skills to estimate how many leaves will fall in your yard. Do a lesson about using your senses in your yard, noting what you hear, smell, etc. Investigate seeds. Press flowers. Experiment with using pinecones to paint texture. Sketch your house. Really pay attention to the lines. Maybe you can find different shapes youve been studying in math. Arrange leaves or other materials on construction paper and then leave them in the sun all day to see the impressions the objects leave on the paper. Try to think primitively: What can you write with? Scratch the pavement with different types of rocks. Try writing with coal. What about water on your finger? What can you write on? rock? bark?
Free Curricula
Share with others, borrow, adopt for free Use homeschool networks/co-ops email networks to put in plea for materials The dump/recycling center/book exchange in town has other peoples junk that became our treasures; freecycle.com
Valuable Lessons
Our planet only has so much space. When I was growing up, we kept Gramas china and threw trash in the trash. Today, more things are disposable, but recycling is part of our childrens daily vocabulary, and rightly so. Our children want and deserve a clean planet. They are aware of the need to throw their empty yogurt containers into the recycle bin in the garage. At the same time, as their parents we see that everything is so much more expensive now than it was when we were growing up. It will likely be even more expensive for our children to buy a home, fill up a gas tank, or buy a gallon of milk than it was for us when we started out. While they are young, we can teach them to use the resources at hand before they spend their hard-earned money on new things that will empty their pockets and
Free Online Resources for Teachers

www.coolmath.com www.sheppardsoftware.com www.starfall.com www.teach-nology.com www.magictreehouse.com www.scholastic.com
Free or Inexpensive Books or E-Books

Friends and family Used book sales Recycling center Library discards gutenberg.org
Homeschooling on a Budget January 2013 93
The
Tech
Homeschooler
Andy Harris
RIGHT: This is the entire computer!
While this is quite a technical project, it is suitable for beginners if youre willing to get online and look for help when you need it.
his month we take a look at an exciting project for older students or families to work on together. Recently a new kind of home-built computer that makes it possible to build your own working computer for around $50 has become available. While this is a technical project, it is suitable for beginners if youre willing to get online and look for help when you need it. The Raspberry Pi (www.raspberrypi .org) was designed as a hobby computer for do-it-yourself developers. Its a credit-cardsized circuit board that comes with all of the connections youll need to get started, along with a custom operating system and enough software to do some interesting things. The Raspberry Pi is essentially the same processor used in modern smartphones (using the popular ARM11 chip) but stripped down and re-fitted with an open-source operating system. The basic model sells for $25, and a more advanced model with more memory and some other connectors sells for
A USB mouse. Again, you can re-use an old mouse you have on hand, as long as it has the USB connection. (Almost all reasonably recent mice have this feature.) An SD card. These are the small memory cards frequently used in cameras and phones. You can get by with 4GB or 8GB. You can purchase a card with the device or get one from a computer or camera store. You must have an SD card for the operating system. You can connect an external hard drive later if you wish, but youll need an SD card to begin with. The software including the operating system can be downloaded for free from www.raspberrypi.org/ downloads. A monitor and cable. The Pi has two video outputs: an old-style RCA jack and a more modern HDMI video A USB keyboard. You can use pretty output. You should be able to find an much any USB keyboard you might old television that receives RCA input have hanging around. They can be purchased at little expense from secfor free, but the resolution is not very ond-hand computer stores, if you dont good. Newer TVs and monitors supalready own one. port HDMI video. You can also get $35. I definitely recommend the $35 model B version unless youre on a very tight budget. The extra memory and the Internet port are quite useful. If youve got a lot of computer components sitting around, that may be all you need to spend. You might need to purchase a few other parts (outlined below), but you probably wont need to spend more than $50 total. The computer itself is the very definition of a bare-bones device. It doesnt have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, or even a case. But thats part of the fun. With this basic device and some older equipment you might have lying around in the house, you can build a capable hobby computer. In addition to the circuit board itself, you will need some other peripherals:
50!
94 January 2013 The Tech Homeschooler
You can use pretty much any USB keyboard you might have hanging around.
an adapter that switches from HDMI to DVI, which is easy to find on TVs and monitors. Unfortunately, Ive not found an inexpensive adapter to the much more common SVGA format. A USB power supply. The Raspberry Pi uses the same micro USB port found on most cell phones. You can probably re-use your cell phone charger or just get any USB power supply. An Ethernet cable. The model B has an Ethernet port for connecting to The Raspberry Pi can run our favorite program: Scratch! the Internet. You can also use a USB have only two USB ports on the device, but you can also have fun figuring out WiFi adapter if you have one hanging and you may want to hang a lot more how to fit your computer into a shoe, a around. peripherals on it. piece of wooden fruit, or anything else Some kind of case. The computers you can think of. Youll need to have components are exposed, so youll Youll need to install the operating the ability to get cords in and out of the want some way to protect them. There system onto an SD card. I recommend machine. are many cases available for purchase online, but the fun part is building A powered USB hub. While this com- the Raspbian wheezy OS, as its very ponent is not absolutely essential, it well tested. This is a version of the fayour own. Lego bricks often provide makes things a lot easier, because you mous Linux operating system. Its not the building material for these cases,
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There are many cases available online, but the fun part is building your own.
Windows or Mac, but thats actually a good thing, because the software licenses for one of these operating systems cost more than this entire project. Raspbian is a variation of Debian Linux, which is one of the more popular and well-maintained open-source operating systems around. It may not be exactly like what you know, but it doesnt take long to get started. Youll need to use a program like win32DiskImager (available for free from here: launchpad.net/win32-imagewriter/+download) to install the OS on your card. Once youve got everything plugged in, simply plug in the power supply to get things started (on/off switches are for amateurs). After viewing a bewildering stream of text, youll finally see a login screen (login as pi, password: raspberry). If youre an old-school Linux hacker, youll be right at home here, but most of us prefer a more modern graphical system. Type startx at the command prompt, and in a few seconds youll see a nice graphical interface.
We made a case for our Pi with Legos.
Anywhere.
TOSAPPS.com
While it may not be exactly like the Mac or Windows experience youre used to, youll quickly be able to find things through the simple menu system. My 11-year-old son immediately found Scratch (one of our all-time favorite programs) and began writing a game within minutes. Youll also find a simple web browser called Midori, some games, and some other simple tools. One of the design goals of the Raspberry Pi project was to offer a simple, cheap computer that kids can program immediately. Modern systems rarely come with a programming language built in, but the Pi comes with several. Python is the most prominent, and you can begin playing with it right away. (If youre interested in learning more about Python, including how to write games with it, Ive written a book about thisavailable through my website.) If you want to explore more advanced programming languages, C and C++ are also available in the default build, as well as some additional interesting programming languages. The system is more than suitable for basic web development as it comes out of the box, though you can always add more features. Once youve gotten used to the basic features, you can add more if you wish. There are many great free programs available to download. I added Tux Paint (a great free painting program that I highlighted last year), a more powerful
text editor (Geany), and a minimalist word processor (FocuswWriter). As of this writing, the major office suites (OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice) do not work on the Pi, but as soon as they do, youll have access to a complete home computing solution. Support for these programs is anticipated shortly, so this is not a long-term problem. In the meantime, you can use Google Docs online for your writing and spreadsheet needs. If somebody in your family is ready to get into a fascinating computer project, this may be a great way to get started. Let me know if you get stuck anywhere. Im always glad to help. Blessings to you and your family!
Andy Harris is a homeschool dad, father of four great kids, and husband to the greatest homeschool teacher ever. He has taught all ages of students, from kindergarten to university level. Andy is the author of a number of well-known books, including HTML/XHTML/CSS: All in One for Dummies, Game ProgrammingThe L Line, PHP6/MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner, and Beginning Flash Game Programming for Dummies. For more information about his books, to see where he is speaking next, or to just say hi, please stop by his website: www .aharrisbooks.net
96 January 2013 The Tech Homeschooler
Speaking
Legally
Antony Barone Kolenc
ew people in the U.S. remember a time when some parents literally risked criminal prosecution and jail time for the right to educate their children at home. With homeschooling now legal in every state, and with a strong lobby to advocate for parental rights, Americans regularly embark on the journey of home education without fear of legal persecution. But not so in some European nations, where parental rights continue to lose ground to government bureaucracy and where indoctrinating children in the mindset of the State is seen as a virtue. Homeschoolers in the United States should educate themselves on the plight of their international brothers and sisters andas I explain belowtake action to assist them in their struggle to regain fundamental parental freedoms.
This laudable track record is shockingly contradicted by a disdain among some of these same nations for the basic human
German Persecution
Homeschoolers in the United States should educate themselves on the plight of their international brothers and sisters and . . . take action to assist them in their struggle to regain fundamental parental freedoms.
rights of parents. Unfortunately, the trend line seems to be heading in the wrong direction on this issue. In particular,
Since the end of World War II, Western Europe has been a leader in the struggle for human rights throughout the world.
Germanythe leader of the European Unioncontinues to use oppressive tactics against parents, under the auspices of a compulsory education law initiated in 1938 under Hitlers Nazi government.1 Not only is home education illegal in Germany in almost every case, but the government also has taken drastic steps to enforce the law against parents who dare to exercise their rights. With perhaps up to a thousand children being homeschooled underground, other families desiring freedom have fled to more hospitable countries rather than suffer the consequences of breaking the law, consequences ranging from steep fines to prison time to loss of custody of their children.2 For example, one such family came to the United States and applied for political asylum due to political oppression. In granting them asylum in 2010, U.S. immigration judge Lawrence O. Burman concluded: [T]he rights being violated here are basic human rights that no country has a right to violate. . . . Homeschoolers are a particular social group that the
98 January 2013 Legally Speaking
German government is trying to suppress. This family has a well-founded fear of persecution . . . [that is] repellent to everything we believe as Americans.3 However, not every homeschooling family has fled. For instance, Juergen and Rosemary Dudek have become international heroes and martyrs for the German homeschooling cause. They have stood their ground and faced serial criminal prosecutions and sentences (including jail time) by the authorities due to the continued homeschooling of their eight children. After losing yet another criminal trial in September 2012, Mr. Dudek shared the depth of his despair: I can only feel the system is utterly inhuman, cold, brutalrun by bureaucrats who think theyre only doing their job but uphold the system at all costs. . . . Our begging was of no avail. I can only turn to God for strength.4
education methods; however, even then homeschoolers were at the whim of the local official.5 But in June 2010, as part of sweeping education reform, Sweden essentially made home education illegal by
Germany . . . continues to use oppressive tactics against parents, under the auspices of a compulsory education law initiated in 1938 under Hitlers Nazi government.
allowing it only in rare exceptional circumstances. A subsequent crackdown on homeschooling forced many families to flee to neighboring countries or risk having their children taken by social services. One such refugee was Jonas Himmelstrand, President of Rohus, Swedens primary homeschooling association. His family was subjected to more than $26,000 in fines, and they eventually fled
to nearby Finland. Mr. Himmelstrand has translated a 2009 Swedish government proposal that explains why the nation refuses to allow homeschooling for religious reasons: [T]he education in school shall be comprehensive and objective, and thereby be created so that all pupils can participate, no matter what religious or philosophical view the pupil or its legal guardian/s may have.6 Michael Donnelly, an attorney with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), interprets the Swedish policy this way: The idea that only public schools can adequately provide students with a comprehensive and objective view on all subjects and issues is a twisted view of reality. . . . Experience shows that government schools seek to impart their own state-approved worldview to children.7
Violations of International Law?
Sweden: No Utopia for Homeschoolers
Sweden, touted by some progressives as a near-Utopian society, has followed Germanys restrictive lead in the past few years. Prior to 2010, Swedens education laws vaguely assented to alternative
Homeschool advocates have argued that the draconian position taken by countries such as Germany and Sweden are contrary to international legal principles. For instance, Article 2 of the 1953 Convention on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, states, In the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation
Legally Speaking January 2013 99
to education and to teaching, the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions. Other international laws use similar language.8 Despite these clear statements that give parents the right to choose an education for their children, European courts have sided with the State in trumping these parental rights in the interest of the governments own education goals.9 But in a 2006 United Nations mission, investigators reminded German leaders that homeschooling represents a valid option which could be developed in certain circumstances, bearing in mind that parents have the right to choose the appropriate type of education for their Children. . . . The promotion and development of a system of public, government-funded education should not entail the suppression of forms of education that do not require attendance at a school.10 Unfortunately, it does not appear the German government has taken that advice to heart.
lines litigating these cases on behalf of German and Swedish homeschoolers. Most of us homeschool in an environment free of legal persecution, and we are able to teach our children the values we believe are essential to their healthy
Juergen and Rosemary Dudek have . . . . faced serial criminal prosecutions and sentences (including jail time) by the authorities due to the continued homeschooling of their eight children.
upbringing. We must stand in solidarity with those less fortunate parents around the world who are risking it all to gain these same freedoms. The insightful words of German pastor Martin Niemllera survivor of the Nazi concentration campsremind us that inaction is not an option. He wrote: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak outBecause I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak outBecause I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for meand there was no one left to speak for me.11
How Homeschoolers Can Help
Fervent prayer and encouraging words of support will help support families throughout the world who are caught in this bitter struggle to exercise their basic parental rights, and those who wish to help can also do more. They can educate themselves and others about the plight of these families. As with so many issues, raising public awareness is often the key to change. Additionally, those who wish to help can sign petitions being circulated on the Internet in support of these families, and they can link their websites to social media sites organized to publicize these injustices. Finally, there is a great need for financial donations to the legal defense organizations on the front
Antony B. Kolenc (J.D., University of Florida College of Law) is an author, speaker, and law professor at Florida Coastal School of Law. He is also a retired U.S. Air Force officer. He and his wife have homeschooled their five children for over a decade. Tony is author of The Chronicles of Xan historical fiction trilogy, as well as many legal articles. Learn more about him at www.antonykolenc.com. If you have a law-related homeschooling question that you would like to see Tony address in a future column, please email TL@TheHome schoolMagazine.com.
Endnotes: 1. Aaron T. Martin, Homeschooling in Germany and the United States, Arizona Journal of International & Comparative Law, Vol. 27, No. 1 (2010):229(availableatwww.ajicl.org/AJICL2010/ 7.27.1Martin.pdf) (discussing German education history both before and after Hitler came to power). 2. Milton Gaither, Spiegler on the Failure of Homeschool Regulation in Germany, Homeschooling Research Notes, January 1, 2010 (a review of Thomas Spiegler, Why State Sanctions Fail to Deter Home Education: An Analysis of Home Education in Germany and its Implications for Home Education Policies in Theory and Research in Education 7, no. 3 (November 2009): 297-309) (available at gaither.wordpress .com/2010/01/04/spiegler-on-the-failure-ofhomeschool-regulation-in-germany). 3. Rebecca Terrell, U.S. Judge Grants Asylum for Homeschooling Family, The New American, January 28, 2010 (available at www .thenewamerican.com/culture/education/ item/167-us-judge-grants-asylum-for-homeschooling-family). 4. Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Victims of Brutal System Look to Global Support, September 10, 2012 (available at www .hslda.org/hs/international/Germany/201209070 .asp) (quoting Mr. Dudeks e-mail to HSLDA). 5. Milton Gaither, Villalba on Homeschooling in Sweden, Homeschooling Research Notes, December 14, 2009 (reviewing Cynthia M. Villalba, Home-Based Education in Sweden: Local Variations in Forms of Regulation in Theory and Research in Education 7, no. 3 (November 2009): 277296) (available at gaither.wordpress .com/2009/12/14/villalba-on-homeschoolingin-sweden). 6. Jonas Himmelstrand, New Education Law Makes Homeschooling Illegal in Sweden, March 24, 2012 (available at www.whyileftsweden.com/?p=61). 7. Bob Unruh, Nation Doubles Down on Homeschooling, WND, March 20, 2012 (available at www.wnd.com/2012/03/nation-doubles-downon-homeschooling/) (quoting Mr. Donnelly). 8. For instance, Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 of the Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms assures that the right of parents to ensure the education and teaching of their children in conformity with their religious, philosophical and pedagogical convictions shall be respected, in accordance with the national laws governing the exercise of such freedom and right. And Article 14, Section 3 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union holds that in the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and to teaching, the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions. 9. For instance, see Konrad v. Germany, App. No. 35504/03, 610 (Eur. Ct. H.R. Sep. 11, 2006) (finding that the State was in a better position than parents to vindicate the States interest in pluralistic education and the childs overall right to an education). 10. United Nations, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Vernor Muoz, March 9, 2007, at 62 (available at www .hslda.org/hs/international/Germany/Munoz_ Mission_on_Germany.pdf). 11. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia (available at www.ushmm.org/ wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007392).
100 January 2013 Legally Speaking
Legally Speaking January 2013 101
The
Homeschooler
Molly Green
Frugal
Enrichment Activities on a Shoestring Budget

At its core, living frugally is a heart issue . . . .
them successfully. When we are not able to financially provide for an enrichment activity that we think our children should have, we can rest in the knowledge that Gods plans and ways are infinitely better than our own, and He will make a way for what He determines is important for our families. Though God could choose to drop opportunities in our laps, and sometimes He does just that, He also expects us to use the creativity He has given us to accomplish the educational goals we have for our children. By modeling that creativity, our children can learn resourcefulness and observe that God faithfully meets our needs.
ne of the concerns homeschooling parents often have is that their childrens education might not be as enriching as it would be if they were in a conventional school setting; living on one income and buying curriculum may be all our budgets can handle. Paying for enrichment activities such as music, art, drama, and sports can seem impossible for the frugal homeschooling family. At its core, living frugally is a heart issuelearning to be content with the situations and resources God provides for usand trusting that in His sovereignty He gave us the children He wants us to have and that He will equip us to raise
In the November issue, I shared several frugal solutions for providing music lessons for our children. Many of those tips can be applied to providing additional enrichment activities. Either formally or informally, cooperating with other families is one of the easiest and best solutions and often adds benefits that cant be experienced in age-segregated conventional school settings. We were not created with the ability to do it all but rather to add our giftings and abilities to the giftings and abilities of others. In that way, we are able to offer our children a greater variety of enrichment opportunities. Our homeschool support group functions informally, without fees or
102 January 2013 The Frugal Homeschooler
The Frugal Homeschooler January 2013 103
. . . With a little creativity, we can provide a variety of activities at minimal costs . . . .

responsibilities, but we have still been able to provide a variety of ongoing enrichment activities for free or almostfree by using the human resources available to us. Parents who have recognized their own childrens bent for sports, drama, or the arts have either offered their own talents and abilities or recruited another parent to provide that activity for all the students. One mother in the group was a drama and chorus teacher before she began homeschooling her own children. Because drama and chorus were important to her and her daughters, she took the initiative to find a place for rehearsals; chose and ordered plays for all the school-age children; recruited other parents to help with costumes, sets, and stage props; and directed a play and/or musical every year until her children graduated. Another homeschooling family with four athletic boys organized a tag football team for the boys and volleyball for the girls. The boys dad coached the boys in tag football and a mother in the group who had played volleyball in high school coached the girls. The boys coach met with a few small Christian schools in our area who had tag football and volleyball teams and convinced them to let our homeschool teams join their conference. The girls on the homeschool volleyball team went on to win second place in the state championships! For several years, an artistic mom provided weekly art lessons for all our homeschooled children, introducing them to watercolors, acrylics, charcoal, and drawing. A particularly crafty and creative mom planned regular craft days, purchased the materials, and instructed the children how to make a variety of seasonal and holiday crafts. Another mom organized a newsletter club for students who had an interest in journalism. Several moms worked with another group of students to produce yearbooks. With about five acres of property surrounding our home, our family provided the space and equipment for the children to play organized games and to work on and be tested in the Presidents Physical Fitness Challenge at least once a week. Our children dont need to have every enrichment opportunity made available to them, but with a little creativity, we can provide a variety of activities at minimal costs by combining and sharing talents and resources with other homeschooling families. Molly Green is passionate about cheerful, creative homemaking on a down-toearth budget. Visit her online home, www .Econobusters.com, for tips about frugal and tasty cooking, fresh decorating ideas, affordable family fun, simple but effective organizing, and much more! Sign up for her free weekly E-Newsletter and get a bonus menu-planning E-Book too!
104 January 2013 The Frugal Homeschooler
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The
Littlest
Kendra Fletcher
Homeschooler
You Are Loved!

D
If God has called you to homeschool your preschooler, then rest assured that because of His love for you, all of your needs for your homeschool classroom will be met.
every sin a toddler commits as if it were a personal affront to us, even though we are not the ones being sinned against. Our doubting human nature wonders where that loving God went when the car breaks down, all the kids get the flu, or a husband loses his job. But I think its particularly difficult to believe we are loved and treasured immeasurably and eternally when we find ourselves struggling day after day, week after week, simply to make financial ends meet. Where is Gods love then? Why must everything be such a grind? Why cant God just provide all of the things we think we need? If He did, would you be any more loved than you are right now? Precious struggling mom, the truth is that He does provide everything we need and He does love you beyond anything we can ever ask for or imagine. You are loved, and its time you start living like it! If God has called you to homeschool your preschooler, then rest assured that because of His love for you, all of your needs for your homeschool classroom will be met. They may not be met in the way in which you imagined or even planned, but they will be met. Over the sixteen years weve been homeschooling, weve seen a vast variety of techniques, styles, and approaches to educating children at home. The homeschools that amaze me the most are the ones in which grandparents or adult siblings readily and regularly participate, because in the entire history of our parenting career, weve never had the blessing of relying on any regular help from family. There are the occasional overnight stays and a lot of love poured out over our kids, but even the family members who live next door do not participate in our daily homeschooling routine. Listen to a child read a book or let them tell about a drawing they created? Yes. Commit to teaching a subject for a semester or even an entire school year? Not a chance. o you know, dear mom of little ones, that God loves you more mightily and fiercely and tenderly and perfectly than anyone ever will, all put together, ever, in your whole lifetime? Romans 8:3739: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That love. There are no exclusions here. You, my friend, are included in the love that cannot be separated by anything because of what Jesus did for you that day so many thousands of years ago at Calvary. You. Its easy to forget that love when we are living in the day-to-day trench warfare that is parenting and homeschooling preschoolers. Its not difficult to take
106 January 2013 The Littlest Homeschooler
And I wondered why. Why would God call me to do this very difficult thing and then leave me without practical help? The truth is, He never left me without help. He has simply provided it in ways I didnt anticipate: older siblings who love to do preschool with little ones, friends who organize field trips and take my kids on them, classes outside our home that take the burden off my shoulders. Different, and His perfect plan, not mine.
Homeschool Creations Jolanthe Erb has created a treasure trove of early learning printables for you to use with your preschoolers, and every single one is free. www.homeschoolcreations.net Walking By the Way Ami Brainerd has several early learning resources on her blog available to you for free, including an ABC preschool program. www.walkingbytheway.com/blog Homeschool Share Free printable unit studies for early learners, including literature-based units, file folder games, and lapbooks. www.homeschoolshare.com/level1.php Living and Learning at Home Amy Maze has put together neat little early writing pages, trace and cut pages, a simple chore chart, and early copy work. www.livingandlearningathome.com/ p/resources.html Spell Outloud Maureen Spell offers great little math units, nursery rhymes, ABCs, and even an ice cream and birthday unit for preschoolers www.hsprintables.com/earlylearners .html She also has a preschool science series here: www.spelloutloud.com/blog-series/ 10-days-of-preschool-science Meet Penny Tabitha Philen offers preschool workboxes based on the alphabet. www.meetpenny.com/category/myprintables/homeschool-printables/ lesson-plans-homeschool-printables This Reading Mama Becky Spence has quite a few preK printables for emergent and beginning readers. thisreadingmama.com/homemadeprintables/phonics-sight-words Living Life Intentionally Beth Gordon has created a nice variety of free printables for your preschool, including alphabet flashcards, file folder games, and DIY projects livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com/p/ preschool-packs.html
You are one blessed mom!

The Unlikely Homeschool While not free printables, Jamie Erickson offers a whole series on budgetfriendly tot-school activities. www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/p/ tot-school.html Cornerstone Confessions Kathy Gossen offers a full preschool curriculum complete with printables and lesson plans. www.cornerstoneconfessions.com/ 2012/07/preschool.html Im willing to bet that you have more than a years worth of preschool in the above websites alone, and Im also absolutely sure that you are a loved mom of a little one because I know what Jesus did for you! I also know that He has never left me to try to fend for myself, and He wont do that to you either. You are one blessed mom!
Our doubting human nature wonders where that loving God went when the car breaks down, all the kids get the flu, or a husband loses his job.
So, can we think outside the box for a moment? Lets think in terms of what you do have, instead of what you dont. It might even be helpful to stop and make a list, right now, of every resource youve been given for your preschool. A fabulous park nearby? Write it down. Boxes of scratch paper your husband brings home from work? Write it down. Eggs from your own chickens, crayons that cost a penny during back-to-school sales, thrift store bargains that fill a costume box, public television programs that reinforce preschool skills . . . If youre reading this article on a device such as an iPad or computer, write down that blessing too. In fact, circle it in red ink because youve just been given all the practical preschool academics you need. No printer? Ask your public library what they charge to print things for you, and then print those pages double-sided. We have a printer at our disposal at home, and its always set on draft instead of best so that we squeeze out every last bit of ink in those expensive cartridges. We dont need worksheets to be printed at the highest quality or on perfect paper. Load up your paper tray (ours has scratch paper from my husbands work leftovers) and then set to work looking through the free treasure trove of preschool printables found here:
Kendra Fletcher is the homeschooling mother of eight, aged 19 down to 4. She has never known what it means to homeschool without the presence of preschoolers and loves to encourage other moms who are beginning their homeschool journeys with little ones underfoot. Kendra reviews for the TOS Homeschool Crew and is the author of a popular E-Book about creating a Circle Time for your homeschool. Her website and blog can be found at www .preschoolersandpeace.com.
The Littlest Homeschooler January 2013 107
The Old Schoolhouse Lab
Product Reviews
Compiled and edited by Kate Kessler, Product Reviews Director
appy new year! There is so much promise for the new year, isnt there? I love fresh starts and new beginnings! I hope you do too. Welcome to my little corner here. Please feel free to grab a cup of something warm and settle in. You have opened the January issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazines Lab! I am always happy to share about a few of the amazing products we have the privilege of reviewing here at The Old Schoolhouse. There is almost always something for everyone here. We hope you find something for you!
ago (but long after they were written) another Paul came to be with the stories. Paul Ramseyer is the voice on the audiobooks. He recorded thirty-six books for our listening pleasure, and it is a delight to listen to him read. He has a wonderful voice that keeps you enthralled and spellbound. My kids love these stories. I must admit that we have done other books on tape with them, so theyre used to sitting and listening and not having to see the story in a movie form. I long ago realized I did not want my children to be couch potatoes or addicted to television. So, while we do have a television, we use it only for the occasional movie or educational show. We do not have cable or any other kind of hookup for it; it works only with the VCR and DVD players. I am thankful for this, as my kids love to read and love to listen to stories. The stories are told from the viewpoint of a young boy named Bill Collins. He and his gang members: Poetry, Circus, Big Jim, Little Jim, and Dragonfly, have many adventures and narrow escapes! The narrator has just the right voice to bring them all to life and keep you on the edge of your seat! These stories have great ethics and promote good Christian values. I love that they honor obedience to your parents and encourage kids to do what is right. We are planning a trip to the zoo soon as a birthday present/school field trip, and the kids have already informed me that were listening to these books on the way. Its a two-hour drive one way, so Im sure well get through quite a bit. Of course, their daddy doesnt get to go with us, so well have to re-listen to the stories he missed with him later. He loved reading the Sugar Creek Gang books when he was young, and I think he loves listening to them more than the kids do! You can purchase all thirty-six books through Beloved Books or just purchase a single volume or even just the first story! Volume 1 (which we reviewed) costs $54.95 with free media rate shipping. Product review by Erin Slocum, blogging for the Schoolhouse Review Crew at For Him and My Family
Sugar Creek Gang Series on CD

Beloved Books www.BelovedBooks.com 810-735-0977
Beloved Books offers many audiobooks (stories) for the listeners reading pleasure. I was privileged to get to review Volume 1 of the Sugar Creek Gang Series. A 12-CD compilation, it includes six stories: The Swamp Robber The Killer Bear The Winter Rescue The Lost Campers Chicago Adventure The Secret Hideout Written by Paul Hutchens, the first Sugar Creek Gang book was published in 1939. His lifelong sport of choice was fishing, which is evident in the stories in the first chapter! Several years
Samsons Classroom
www.SamsonsClassroom.com 518-356-0039 Samsons Classroom is an online membership site that gives your children in grades K through 5th grade practice with sight words, spelling, and reading. There is nothing to download to your computer; you simply log in anywhere you want to use the website. This was especially helpful to us because the kids were able to use Samsons Classroom while we were at the library. You simply choose a level to start at, and then your child reads a short story and answers questions about what was read. This site offers really great reading comprehension practice. My
108 January 2013 Lab
8-year-old daughter enjoyed this section, and my 9-year-old son didnt like it as much, but he is a reluctant reader unless it is something that really interests him. My 6-year-old daughter needed my help with this section. The Sight Words with Samson section was voted the most fun part of this site by all three kids. I dont believe they realized how much they were learning as they played it. Even my reluctant 9-year-old asked to play this. I have noticed improvement when reading aloud since he began playing the sight word games. Spelling with Samson can be customized to give practice with the spelling words we are using each week. I also sneak in words I know they have trouble with. My 9-year-old proclaimed this was the best way ever to study spelling words. My 8-yearold was also very enthusiastic about practicing spelling this way. Their test scores have proved it to be an effective method for both of them. For my 6-year-old I didnt customize her word list. She has not yet started a formal spelling program, so I just let her play with the lists already provided to see how she would do. She did surprisingly well with threeletter words. I think this is a good practice site, but I would not use it as a substitute for a good solid language arts program. I am not a fan of video games, but because these are educational I let them give it a go. I must admit I did see improvement in spelling and in reading comprehension with my 9-year-old son especially. This format made learning and practicing fun for him. Must be a boy thing! The girls enjoyed it too, of course; they both ask to play it just as often as he does. (. . .) I appreciate the extras that are offered as well, including printable worksheets, lesson plans, and awards for the kids. (. . .) A family membership at Samsons Classroom costs $50 per year for up to four users. A $30 per year option is available for just one student. Classroom options are also available. Product review by Beth Morris, blogging for the Schoolhouse Review Crew at Stair Step Homeschool Academy
Eye Level Reading Rulers

Crossbow Education www.crossboweducation.us 704-987-1501
Crossbow Education works to help people with dyslexia and other reading challenges. They sent us a package of their Eye Level Reading Rulers, which comes as a ten-pack of colors and costs $16.95. We received these colors: yellow, grass, celery, aqua, jade, magenta, sky, purple, orange, and pink. Each has one glossy side and one matte side. According to the website, Visual Stress sufferers find that Eye Level Reading Rulers reduce page glare, dancing and blurring text and other symptoms, while also providing valuable tracking support for reading. As you may know if you read this blog regularly, my 12-year-old daughter (M) is dyslexic/dysgraphic and also has some vision problems, so we were eager to put these to the test. I also wondered whether it would help D, my 5-year-old new and enthusiastic reader, to track what he was reading. M took a book that she had difficulty seeing properly and tried each ruler out on it. She was amazed to find that with the yellow and orange rulers, she saw so much better that she didnt even need her glasses! I was skeptical until she effortlessly read the words without transposing a single letter and without holding it 2 inches from her face. SOLD! I dont need to know why this works, but were both thrilled that it does. The rulers have a wider window to read a paragraph and a narrower window to isolate a single line. M was fine with the paragraph size and has spirited a ruler up to her room for late-night reading because previously she has tended to fall asleep with her glasses on . . . mid-chapter. She has the other ruler in the computer room.
For D, my new reader, the aqua and purple single-line rulers seemed to help him read the words more easily, although he couldnt verbalize exactly how they helped. My guess is that it is because of the combination of a softer view with the tint and only one line to look at once. Now I was really curious, because I have the attention span of a fruit fly and wondered if these would help me in any way. Well, yes and no. I found isolating a paragraph was helpful, but no one color specifically helped with this. Either way, Im keeping a couple as bookmarks for when Im reading for work and not pleasure. If you think that these might be useful to you or someone in your family, the best way to test it is to order the multi-pack like I received, and then just order a pack of only the color that works for you afterwards. Crossbow also sells full-page overlays to help with visual stress and something that I will be ordering for every member of my family, a Virtual overlay for Windows or Mac, as well as many other products. Product review by Erin (Eddie) Dean, blogging for the Schoolhouse Review Crew at The Usual Mayhem
ZooWhiz
www.ZooWhiz.com 866-215-4620 Did you ever want to be a zookeeper? I think on the list of childhood answers to What do you want to be when you grow up? zookeeper probably ranks pretty high on the list. It seems like so much fun to have all of those cuddly, growly animals to play with all day! Of course, as adults we are aware of all of the drudgery that would accompany the fun. Mucking stalls is no fun at all. Very few of us will experience the privilege of owning a real life zoo. Heres the good news: Owning a virtual zoo is not nearly as far-fetched. With a ZooWhiz Premium Membership ($14.95), your child can have lots of fun owning a virtual zoo without any of the drudgery! In fact, your child will even have fun while learning . . . At least, that has been our experience. Ask my 6-year-old son which numbers he can add to make 10 and he can
Lab January 2013 109
list every pair, thanks to a game inside the world of ZooWhiz called Congo Match in which students have to shoot numbers into a Congo line to make 10. The game moves pretty quickly just enough to challenge the student (and Mom). Not only will your child have to know sets that add up to 10, but he also will have to think quickly. Combo Congo was my favorite game in ZooWhiz, mostly because I thought it was fun and addicting myself. Level 1 might be easy, but it gets hard fast! Other fun and educational games are included in the Arcade area with your Premium Membership to ZooWhiz too, but thats not all. In order to play games in the Arcade, you have to earn game time. In order to earn game time you enter the Learn and Earn area, where you earn both game time and coins. Within Learn and Earn you can choose to work on Math, Words, or Reading problems. The problems range from basic to advanced skills, depending on where you start your student. ZooWhiz works for children up to 15 years of age and has more than 17,000 problems! I played around with my 11-year-olds account and found that I had to really think in order to answer some of the questions correctly. (. . . ) Of my three children with Premium Zookeeper accounts, my 6-year-old is the most excited about ZooWhiz. Today when I asked him to play he said, Oh, I love that game! While playing ZooWhiz he works some on phonics, some on thinking skills, some on science, and some on math. I usually need to sit next to him and read some of the directions since the game does not have an option to turn on audio directions. I have two small frustrations with our membership. If the game would read aloud the directions to my little guy it would make using this product so much easier! I am also slightly bothered by the occasional advertisements that pop up promoting other educational membership websites. My Bottom Line: ZooWhiz makes a great supplement to our homeschool classroom, especially for my younger students. We are very likely to renew this subscription. If you arent sure if ZooWhiz will work for you, you can always have your child play the free version first and then upgrade to the Premium Membership at any time. At
just $14.95, I think the ZooWhiz Premium Membership is a fantastic value in online educational gaming. Product review by Amy Blevins, blogging for the Schoolhouse Review Crew at Bow of Bronze
KinderBach iPad App

Kinderbach www.Kinderbach.com 563-332-0587
Levi cannot help but like KinderBach. When we reviewed the online lessons (here) last year, he was hesitant for about five minutes. Then, he would daily ask me to sit and do KinderBach with him. Even on weekends. Having purchased an iPad this fall, I asked if hed like to try the Classroom version of the KinderBach app. He hesitated for a minute (hes a cautious boy) then said, Sure, and hes never looked back! KinderBach is a system of teaching basic piano and music skills to young children (aged 37, but it may even appeal to slightly older children as well), developed by Kerri Gregor, who has the perfect personality for teaching a child of this age. She has a great way of relating to the kids that keeps them engaged and listening. The classroom app contains the first three levels of the KinderBach curriculum (which you can view here), which will include skills such as learning the basic layout of a piano keyboard, learning note values of quarter-notes and half-notes, learning note symbols (an animal stands for each note: A donkey for D, an eagle for E, etc.). Proper hand and key position and simple note reading are covered as well. By the end of this series, your child will be able to read the basic notes of the C scale! Each of the three levels has ten lessons. In each lesson, there is a short introductory video, which explains what skills your child will learn and practice. Then, there are four videos that teach the child skills. In the picture above, you can see easy links to the games and print pages for the lessons (you need an AirPrint compatible printer). The ? takes you to a FAQ page on the website. The website says that there are enough lessons, utilizing 150 videos,
for a years worth of music training, but honestly, Levi loves it so much that Im not sure it would last a full year! The classroom app is available at the iTunes store for $26.99. This is a great value, because you can use it over and over with all the kids in your household. In addition to the lessons, there are six games that reinforce the skills the kids are learning. Levi wants me to tell you that the games are his favorite. (. . .) My recommendations and thoughts: I still love KinderBach, and Im so happy Levi likes it too. The app will remain as a part of school for the rest of Levis first-grade year. I noticed last year that Levi does not seem to possess an innate skill for rhythm, so Im hopeful that hell learn this (at least) by the end! I love the app interface and only hope for two new additions with future upgrades: a place to bookmark where youve left off on lessons and the ability to set up multiple users so that more than one child can keep his place in the game, as well as keep his score separately. Oh, and one other upgrade: more levels and lessons, pretty please! If you have young children and you would like to begin integrating some music education into their day (whether you homeschool or not), KinderBach is a great starting point. Product review by Alane Abbett, blogging for the Schoolhouse Review Crew at Reaping a Harvest
The Pilgrim Story
Dayspring Christian Academy www.DayspringChristian.com 717-285-2000 It is a fact that they landedand remainedthat matters, not where they landed. Yet it is no bad thing for a nation to be founded on a rock. Rose T. Briggs
Eighty percent of Christians lack a Biblical worldview. Thats 8-0. And thats Christians. I often hear homeschoolers speak that the main reason they choose to keep their children at home is so that they can teach from a Biblical worldview. But if 80% of us dont even have a Biblical worldview, I wonder what exactly that looks like for most homeschools? Does it mean you pray together and read Bible stories? Does it mean that you use a curriculum that is unabashedly Christian? If so, then thats a good start. But is it enough? Dayspring Christian Academy is a Christian school in Mountville, Pennsylvania, built on the model of the Principle Approach method of education. The Principle Approach is Americas historic method of Biblical reasoning, which places the Truths (or principles) of Gods Word at the heart of education. Each subject is predicated upon Gods Biblical principles, and students are taught to think and reason from principles and leading ideas using The Notebook Method to Research, Reason, Relate, and Record (www.principleapproach.org). Recently, Dayspring Christian released their first online course for homeschool, The Pilgrim Story. Written by Mary Stauffer, a teacher at Dayspring, The Pilgrim Story teaches the true history of the Pilgrims, using original documents. The course is self-paced, using an interactive slide presentation with audio lectures. Also available are printables used to create a student notebook. I received the full course with six-month access. The usual cost for this history course is $99. This is not your typical Thanksgiving Pilgrim story. This meaty history course will help your students understand not just how the Pilgrims came to the new world, but why they came, how they sacrificed, and on whose authority they stood along the way. Written with grades 36 in mind, The Pilgrim Story is divided into five units: Unit 1Introduction, Unit 2 Preparation, Unit 3The Journey, Unit 4The First Winter, and Unit 516211623. Within each unit, we discovered several lessons, a worksheet for each lesson designed to help Ben follow along during the lecture,
vocabulary words, quotes from original sources, mapping, and other activity sheets and crafts. The printables are very nicely donereally beautiful, in fact. Each lesson is designed to be completed in 3045 minutes. The hallmark of the Principle Approach and this course are the Biblical principles taught. (. . .) From the very beginning, we knew this was a different kind of Pilgrim story. It began with King Henry VIII and his reasons for starting the Church of England (he wanted to divorce his first wife because she had not given him a son, but the Pope would not grant him this divorce), from which the Pilgrims eventually will escape. During this first unit, Ben also learned about the significance of the Geneva Bible and explored why he believed we should all be able to study the Bible for ourselves. He loved the Greek translation project and was challenged by the activity designed to make him think about his internal property. All of this was information pondered long before getting the part where the Pilgrims actually boarded the Mayflower, but it showed Gods providence leading up to their journey. One of my favorite assignments had a list of trials encountered by the Pilgrims. Ben had to decide which Christian character each trial would have produced and explain why. For example, one trial listed was Left the Church of England to form Separatist Church. Ben chose liberty of conscience as the character trait produced, with the explanation of the Pilgrims disagreed with the church, so they broke the Kings law in order to follow Gods law as they understood it from reading the Bible themselves. Wow! That took some real thinking on his part, and thats what I love most about The Pilgrim Story. (. . .) Ben has thoroughly enjoyed The Pilgrim Story as well. The audio/visual format, along with the notebooking activities, has been the perfect combination for him. Its very similar to the way we already homeschool, so it was an easy fit for us. The lectures kept his attention, especially with the aid of the worksheet that is filled out during the lesson. There is built-in review with each lesson, and each unit ends with the option of either a multiple-choice test or optional essay. (. . .)
You can purchase your six-month access to The Pilgrim Story for $99 by visiting the Dayspring Christian Academy website. While the website states the course is for grades 36, I would not hesitate to use it up through the 8th grade. While Ben is perfectly capable of working through this course independently, it has been a joy for me to participate along with him. Thank you, Dayspring, for the opportunity to use and review The Pilgrim Story. We are very grateful. Product review by Marcy Crabtree, Assistant Marketing Manager for the Schoolhouse Review Crew, blogging at Ben and Me
Deep Blue Kids Bible
Abingdon Press www.DeepBlueKidsBible.com www.AbingdonPress.com 800-251-3320 A kids study Bible seemed a little over the top, but I am trying to get the boys into their Bible study so I am willing to give it a try. Once we received the Deep Blue Kids Bible, we were hooked and I do mean we. With any new-to-me translation, I always pick a couple of key verses and look them up to get a feel for the translation. I started out with 1 John 3:13: See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called Gods children, and that is what we are! Because the world didnt recognize him, it doesnt recognize us. 2 Dear friends, now we are Gods children and it hasnt yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because
1
well see him as he is. 3And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. With a clearer view we dived into the study aspects of the Deep Blue Kids Bible, knowing the translation wasnt going to change our understanding of the words but only clarify it. The front of the Bible described various in-text notes that we would find. Cameron immediately liked the sailing theme, as our school mascot is the Sailors. The front of the Bible also had a nice variety of tools, including an abbreviations list that opened up a lot of conversation about the history of the Bible in print, a measures list that explained the various measurements used in Biblical times and mentioned in the Bible, and finally the preface that talked about the translation and a little bit about the King James Version, which again led to conversation and connections, as we had recently studied Bible translations in a different unit. Joining the Deep Blue Crew are Asia, Kat, and Edgar. Cameron enjoyed the characters and really got excited to find the characters throughout the Bible, especially with the Gods Thought/My Thoughts sections. This past week the boys were working on Psalm 23 in Sunday School, and when we looked it up in the Deep Blue Bible, Cameron found a Life Preserver under the Scripture that talked about why Psalm 23 is so popular and reaffirmed what the teacher had been talking about: God is always with us and protects us. (. . .) I want the boys to be able to find the answers they are looking for, and to that end I have made sure they have a variety of translations available to them when studying; thankfully, this one is more than just another translation. It is full of tools and resources to really help them get deep into the Word. Deep Blue Kids Bible has resources online as well. This Bible is available at a variety of online retailers and in a variety of covers and also offers teacher and class resources. I am very grateful for the opportunity to review this particular Bible with Cameron at this season of our journey. Product review by Cariann McCready, blogging for the Schoolhouse Review Crew at Unionvale Homeschool
WealthQuest for Teens
WealthQuest for Teens, Ltd. Jill Suskind, M.Ed. www.wealthquestforteens.com 781-724-0382 My boys have been meeting with friends for an informal finance class twice a month. Its a wonderful class, taught by a dear friend, but I thought it might be helpful for my boys to do some additional studies in between meetings, so I signed them up for an online class called Wealth Quest for Teens. Dont you love the logo? Your Teens Financial Fitness: Make it Real, Make it Matter, Make it Last. I appreciate the fact that, as practical as the videos are, they also spend quite a bit of time discussing mindsets about money. They carefully examine different stereotypes people have about money, the rich, and the poor, and help to build a healthy attitude about taking responsibility for your own money. I should note that it is not a Bible-based program and the purpose really is to help kids learn how to build wealth. It seems rather foolish now, when you stop to read the name of the program, but I was genuinely surprised by the way the program emphasizes the endgoal of getting rich. However, the methods used fully fall in line with Biblical principles (including 10% giving) and do not conflict with Christian values. Also, even though there were several comments about getting rich, the end result of the program is a healthy attitude about making your money work for you and being able to meet responsibilities comfortably. I think the get rich comments are geared toward teenagers who are daydreaming about such things. It is a great hook for garnering their interest. Currently, our economy is in such condition that even teens and children have a
different perspective about money than we had at that age. The dream of being fabulously wealthy has been replaced with the hope to be able to pay my bills and take care of my family. This program was created before the downturn and will hopefully inspire more dreaming, which is required for improving the economy anyway. The program begins with seven videos. These teach the things you need to know in order to become rich. These things, in order, are Financial Literacy, Income, Knowledge, Money Management System, Really Good Reason, Habits and Attitudes, and Financial Freedom. The videos are interactive, requiring students to hit pause occasionally and complete online questions and quizzes. At the end of each module, students are asked to print out the lesson to add to their binder. In addition to the videos, the program also includes a thirty-three-page downloadable Quick-Start E-Book. (. . .) Just a couple of mild frustrations: You cannot rewind videos. There is a pause button if you need to walk away for a bit, but if you miss something, you have to watch the entire video from the beginning to watch any of it again. The videos refer to an Advanced Seminar and information that will be learned in those sessions. However, at this time there is no Advanced Seminar. It is still only in the idea stage. It has been interesting to watch financial discussions begin with my children. Weve had many discussions about the economy, but not personal finance. We dont do allowances in our house, so there has been little need for much money management for my kids. But my oldest is 15 and it is certainly time to begin teaching him responsibility in this area. Hell be old enough for a job next year. Will he work that job to pay for random entertainment, or will he make that money work for him? The course takes six weeks to complete and costs $39.95 for one years access. The program is intended for high school students aged 1419, but Joel (my 12-year-old) followed along just fine. Product review by Jenn Harrison, blogging for the Schoolhouse Review Crew at White Trash Mama
Federal Individual Income Tax Course

National Tax Training School www.nattax.com 800-914-8138
Individual Income Tax Course. The course is offered in two options: Complete Course with 4 years PostGraduate Support$795 Complete Course with 2 years PostGraduate Support$495 (There are payment options for each of these; check the website for current options.) NTTS says that those with at least two years of high school can do well in this course. It is for those who have no experience with taxes, as well as a refresher course for previous or current tax preparers. The course might also be eligible for college transfer credits; check with your college of choice to find out. (. . .) Some details and my thoughts on this course: Honestly, I was nervous that the language would be above me. Ive never done taxes before, and although I have worked in a tax office, if we werent tax preparers we were discouraged from learning tax lingo. The introductory letter that accompanied the course did
For years, no exaggeration, Ive wanted to do taxes. Ive looked into local tax courses but just never took the plunge. I think part of it was that I was intimidatedtaxes intimidate a lot of people! The goal for taking a tax course, personally, would be to have a part-time home business, as well as to do my own taxes. About the time that the thought was in my mind again to try a tax course, National Tax Training School came up for review with the Schoolhouse Review Crew. How quickly do you reckon I filled out that form? National Tax Training School (NTTS) has been in the business of tax education since 1952. They specialize in offering complete accredited tax courses via distance education, especially for home study. NTTS offered some of the Schoolhouse Review Crew members the opportunity to review their Federal
comfort me some; I felt that this was a company, a school, interested in the success of its students. At the website it says that some students complete this course in as little as eight weeks, but I knew I wouldnt be able to finish it in that amount of time. Fortunately, I do have a year to complete the course, with extensions available. Weve had the course for six weeks and Ive completed six units. Initially, I hoped I would be able to get through two units a week, but life has thwarted that plan. The lessons are very straightforward and easy enough to understand. I did feel that the inclusion of information that would be covered indepth in a later lesson, but not in the lesson I was studying, was a little distracting. Also, there were some words whose definitions I knew in everyday life but did not know as tax lingo, and there really wasnt a definition or explanation given. Fortunately, so far there have not been very many of those. This is an instance when I would feel the need to email my instructor.
It is really set up in a methodical way; it isnt difficult to navigate. (. . .) I have learned so much from the little Ive done in this course and feel that I will be perfectly capable of doing my own taxes this coming year. Who knows? In a short time after that, I might be doing other peoples taxes. If you are considering taking a tax course, I would encourage you to look at NTTS. It is a solid course with the expertise and support youll need. If you are concerned about the cost, think of it in terms of how you will use the information you gain. If you do your own taxes, as opposed to someone else doing them, you could save yourself a lot more (but you might already have an awesome tax preparer and save yourself no more). Or if you were to take this information and take the required IRS RTRP exam, you could do taxes for others and recover your costs in a short time. Product review by Blossom Barden, North Laurel Home & School
Haptoon
Mike Halpin
Happy January!
Anywhere.
TOSAPPS.com
114 January 2013 Lab www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
Principals Office
Business Rules
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Advertiser Index
ABeCeDarian Company . . . . . . . . . . . 23 American School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Andy Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Apologia Educational Ministries . . . . 2 AppBlit, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Archers for the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Beloved Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Bilingual Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Capernwray Harbour Bible Centre . . 95 CBD / ChristianBook.com . . . . . . . . . 13 CenterForLit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Chord Buddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Citizens High School . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Classical Conversations . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Critical Thinking / Bright Minds . . . . 9 DaySpring Christian Academy . . . . 113 Deeper Roots Publications . . . . . . . . . 69 Dianne Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Econobusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Education PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Family Playhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Great Homeschool Conventions.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Greek N Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 64 Haptoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Hawkes Learning Systems . . . . . . . . . 49 Home Science Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 John Taylor Gatto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 KONOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Lukeion Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Math Mammoth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Math-U-See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Memoria Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47, 64 Moody Publishers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 My Fathers World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC New Beginnings Homeschool Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 No Ordinary Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Notgrass Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Ohio Christian University . . . . . . . . . 63 Pearson Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Perfect Praise Publishing . . . . . . . 64, 91 Reading Game, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Rosetta Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC Runkle Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Schola Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 65 Schoolhouse Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 SchoolhouseTeachers.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 1819, 105 See the Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 ShillerMath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50, 73 The Old Schoolhouse Monthly Free E-Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Triangle Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Trigger Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Veritas Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 VideoText Interactive . . . . . . . . . . 65, 73 Virtual Nerd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Worldwide Center of Mathematics . . 51 Writing Strands / National Writing Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Yellow Cottage Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Loves the Lord Homeschooled and : Aborted, Survived, Gianna Jessen

January 2013
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116 January 2013 Advertiser Index
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Gianna Jessen: Aborted, Survived, Homeschooled and Loves the Lord

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About Our Cover January 2013 1

introducing The Ultimate Homeschool Planning System by Debra Bell

2 January 2013 Section

From the Cover:

Gianna Jessen: Aborted, Survived, Homeschooled and Loves the Lord

106-107 98-99 76-77 94-96 40-41

Egg Carton Math

Build Your Own Computer for $50?! Fun Flight Lessons!

About Our Cover

Homeschool Faculty Editorial

Teachers Lounge The Factual Homeschooler Show & Tell

Homeschooling for Impact His Joyful Homeschooler

Mom, Dad, Will You Pass the Test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denise Mira

Leading Your Homeschool Family The Ordinary Homeschooler

The Struggling Homeschooler

Credits, Curriculum, Diplomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dianne Craft

The Unit Study Homeschooler The Literary Homeschooler

Asking the Right Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Andrews

Classrooms January 2013 5

The Classical Homeschooler

46 Homeschool Expeditions Abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Barr 48 Speaking of Math

Academic Spotlight The Artistic Homeschooler We the People

Special Feature: To God Be the Glory!

Freebie Directory Drama

Importance of the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joy Kita

Planes, Trains, Ships, and Automobiles

94 Build Your Own Computer for $50! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andy Harris

The Tech Homeschooler Legally Speaking

The Frugal Homeschooler

The Littlest Homeschooler The Old Schoolhouse Lab Haptoon

Principals Office Advertiser Index

116 Alphabetized List of Advertisers

Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter!

Classrooms January 2013 7

Everything You Know About School Is Wrong

12 Secrets of the Boarding School Curriculum of Power

John Taylor Gatto at Carnegie Hall

8 January 2013 The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

100+ National Award-Winning Books and Software!

Choose the Book or the Software for the Same Price!

Smarty Pants Puzzles Level 1

World History Detective

100+ Nat iona