Category Archives: General BPA

Hope for the next generation

Posted on February 27, 2009 by

My oldest daughter (10) entered this year’s essay contest from our state’s Christian homeschool organization. The topic was “The Role of Christians in Government.” When I saw the title I knew she just had to enter. It took a lot of prodding but I finally got a paper out of her. She typed it up, then saw that it had to be hand written, so she copied it and we put both copies in the … read on, my friend…

Posted in General BPA, Government, History | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Creating unit studies using the Biblical Principle Approach

Posted on February 13, 2009 by

Unit studies (which I prefer to call integrated studies) are wonderful. Teaching all the kids all together, planning one stream of lessons for the whole bunch is smart and interesting, and you actually retain more information as you see how it is all connected. However, the thing that always has concerned me is the tendency to focus on facts. It is easy to get caught up in the activities and the topic and lose sight … read on, my friend…

Posted in General BPA, unit studies | Tagged , | 4 Comments

10 reasons to buy the curriculum guides even if you don’t use the Noah Plan

Posted on February 6, 2009 by

 The Noah Plan curriculum guides from the Foundation for American Christian Education are hefty tomes full of almost anything you need to know to teach a subject using the Biblical Principle approach. But those who use a different approach can still gain a lot from FACE’s work. Timelines. While not comprehensive, their timelines are well done and informative, and highlight the use of the subject for the advancement of the Gospel. They are helpful for … read on, my friend…

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Where our allegiance lies

Posted on January 25, 2009 by

This blog is not known to be particularly involved in current events and other potentially controversial things. However I heard a bishop say something last week that convicted me.  On the radio show Janet Parshall’s America last week Bishop E.W. Jackson was on talking about his ministry and taking calls from listeners. One caller offered the idea that Jesus got down with the people and was basically okay with them being in sin. This got … read on, my friend…

Posted in Bible, General BPA, Journal | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Case for Excellence part 1

Posted on January 14, 2009 by

In American society today there  seems to be an allergy to excellence, at least to the Christian idea of excellence. On the one hand you have children afraid to look “smart” in front of their peers. and on the other we have the Martha Stewarts working hard to convince us that perfection is possible. Kids are texting and losing what little grammar skills they may have once possessed while they try hard to be “gangsta.” … read on, my friend…

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Spirit-led lessons

Posted on June 21, 2008 by

My most exciting times as a home educator have come under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Without the help of the Holy Spirit my lessons become dry and frankly pretty boring. I thought I would share some thoughts concerning this. If you are a Christian teaching your children at home, you probably already have experienced spirit-led lessons, even if you didn’t know it or call it that. When you are teaching multiple grades together you … read on, my friend…

Posted in General BPA, General Lessons | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Christian History study course starts next week

Posted on April 1, 2008 by

I am hosting a history study here on my blog beginning Monday, April 7. The resources you need are these two books here (click the pics to purchase), along with a Bible. I also recommend a notebook, lots of notebook paper, 8 dividers and a nice pen. Since we use the notebook method in BPA, you know we always need more notebooks! I will post on the week’s lesson and then (hopefully) you will leave … read on, my friend…

Posted in Christian History Study, General BPA, History | 11 Comments

The rewards of notebooks

Posted on January 11, 2008 by

Notebooks are not a new idea. Many of the founding fathers kept notebooks of their lessons and discoveries. What is so special about notebooks, as opposed to, say, workbooks? I say a lot. Production. A notebook is not simply a container of a child’s work. It is a tool for learning and self-government. It requires the child to be a producer of education and not a consumer of information. The child is an active part of … read on, my friend…

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Individuality of subjects

Posted on January 8, 2008 by

The first Biblical principle we study, and the overarching principle as well, is “God’s Principle of Individuality.” This principle can be seen everywhere, and we focus on seeing it in the subjects. If God cares about individuality, then if we study the subjects individually we are enjoying the distinctiveness of each subject. There is a rich history, diverse vocabulary and important principles that each subject contains. A goal of learning with the Biblical Principle Approach is not … read on, my friend…

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Reasoning with young children (part 3)

Posted on September 19, 2007 by

In the final part of this series I wanted to end with some practical application, because that’s what I enjoy. Imagine the classical music playing in the background as you gather your little chicks for a day of lessons. As you finish your opening prayer your little cherub-faced angel is looking up at you longingly for some words of inspiration. You pontificate as your child sits at your feet, enraptured by your wisdom. Yea, right. … read on, my friend…

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