So we are counting down the days until we get back into the school swing. My two oldest attend our church’s private school and I am teaching the younger two at home. I have a preschooler and a 2nd grader. Here’s what the big picture looks like for this school year.

• Bible/reading: NP 2nd grade lessons Bible as Reader
• History: MWOG
• Literature, geography, science: NP 2nd grade lessons
• English: Rod and Staff
• Art: NPCG Art, with supplemental materials
• Math: Making Math Meaningful

Almost everything here is planned for me. Because I work full time and attend school myself, I can’t get into a lot of lesson planning from scratch. This is a very workable plan for us. It keeps us in the BPA but not overwhelmed with creating my own plans.In the near future I will go into a bit more detail about what we are going to do.

My sons and I can hardly wait for the new school year! I know God has good things in store for us.

Last year was challenging (but when is homeschooling not challenging really) because I have always struggled with doing things the “right” way using the Biblical Principle Approach. Actually the BPA is beautifully simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple. Adding a 5yo to my 6th and 3rd graders had me a bit stressed. I wrestled with the idea of individual subjects, of textbooks, of private school. Some health issues have added to my struggle and I wasn’t sure what I could do, much less if I could do what I wanted to do. Then in a conversation with my husband it all fell beautifully into place.

So here are our plans for this year.

Bible: Judah Bible Curriculum (my favorite) and trying to work in some study of the Days of Awe. We are in grade 4.10 of the rotation.

Integrated studies for history, literature, English and geography. I am using a history backbone and we are learning through literature. Lots of great books. I am using Genevieve Foster’s book Abraham Lincoln’s World as a basis for our history and it’s working out great. The time period this year is mainly the 1800′s and we will finish the year with a study of our state’s history. Our overarching Principle for this year is America’s Heritage of Christian Character.

Math: Ray’s and other resources I have to add variety, along with studying a few mathematicians.

Science: tons of experiments from Janice VanCleave’s books. Earth science, oceanography, astronomy, and cytology.

Music: it’s always happening here. Two children take lessons at a local music school and my husband is a musician. We do some extra music games and then we try to have family praise & worship.

Foreign language: the girls want to learn Spanish so we are using The Easy Spanish. It really is easy (gentle lessons).

What will make what we do Biblical Principle Approach? Ask Renae.

Here’s what our weekly schedule looks like:

• daily: Bible, math and integrated study
• science, Spanish and art 3 days a week
• oldest daughter is starting homemaker lessons that she is working on independently
• I also work with my 5yo on phonics and a few simple things separately

Not complicated, not too much. Mainly reading great literature and learning from books (which is what literature means). I am finally getting to see my dream fulfilled and I am so thankful. (If you note the date on that post you will see how long this process has taken me!) I will try to post more often about how our year is progressing, like I did in my journal’s early years here (feel free to peruse the archives).

If you have written about your home educating plans, please feel free to leave a comment & link to it.

Word studies are hard. And dry. And time-consuming. At least that’s how some people see it. Even the title makes me chortle. Who ever heard of such a thing as actually being fun? Well, everything we do for our kids’ education can be something we enjoy. If not all of it, then at least some part.

You may not know what a word study is. Or you may avoid them. Or you may do them and not know them by that name. Whatever category you fit in, I think you can see word studies not as a necessary evil, but as an important tool in your home educating process. Any home educator can implement word studies, no matter what approach or curriculum is in use. It’s a powerful way to bring a subject alive for teacher and student.

…Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom,  and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach…   Daniel 1:4 KJV

A word study is simple and straightforward. One way to do one is as follows:

1. Choose a key word from your study in any subject.
2. Define the word from Webster’s 1828 dictionary.
3. Underline key words in the definition and look those up in the 1828.
4. When you feel you have defined it sufficiently, begin to find the words you underlined in a Bible concordance. Write down any scripture you deem relevant to the words and definitions.
5. Using all this information, write your own definition of the word.
6. Using the information you have gathered, deduce the Biblical principle from the study.

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. Jer. 15:16 NIV

Now who wouldn’t like to do that? Seriously, there is something really exciting about learning something new about a word you assumed you knew the definition of. And it’s even more exciting to see what God has to say about that word. Or with that word.  Why do I want to do a word study?

• To understand the English language better.
• To have mastery over a topic/subject so I can teach it better.
• To deepen my understanding.
• To learn God’s thoughts on a matter.
• To improve my scholarship.
• To increase in wisdom.
• To discover the Biblical principles on a matter.
• As a springboard for a new/deeper study (AKA “rabbit trail”).

Some tips to enjoy your word study more:

• Don’t do it when you are tired. Nothing is fun then.
• Give yourself plenty of time. Do it in chunks even.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment. Then expect amazing things to happen because God will show up right in the middle of your study.
• Get your kids involved. Let them be your research assistants. Make it a family affair. (read: don’t be a martyr, studying alone for hours on end with frequent sighing and complaining.)
• Don’t do them all the time. They are not necessary every week.
• Don’t give independent word study assignments to young kids. This is a bad idea. When your kids are younger the word studies are for you to digest and give to them on their level. As they get older you can introduce the idea and start walking them through the process in small doses.
• If you don’t like them, ask God to change your heart. Things you hate to do can actually become joyful times with the Lord. It is always delightful to spend time in His word.
• Share what you learn with your spouse and anyone else who will listen. Don’t become obnoxious, but share what you learn liberally with others. They probably can use something you learned.
• Reward yourself when you are done. (Ooooh, I hear M&M’s and a bubble bath calling me, but I digress…)
• Invest in quality tools. A nice pen, clean paper, a Strong’s concordance will make you more willing to get the job done. And who doesn’t enjoy a nice writing pen?
• Be willing to stop and enjoy what you are learning. Take a breath, sit back and Selah–think on these things.

TEST, v.t. To compare with a standard; to try; to prove the truth or genuineness of any thing by experiment or by some fixed principle or standard; as, to test the soundness of a principle; to test the validity of an argument.             (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

Testing is something I believe in. As a Christian and believer in God’s word, I take examples and commands seriously. God says to test Him (Mal. 3:10), test spirits (1 Jn. 4:1) and to test our faith (2 Cor. 13:5). According to Webster’s definition, I have a standard, a fixed principle (God’s Word, the principles of the subject, the rudiments) that I am to judge my children against. It is my right and responsibility to make sure they are adequately mastering the principles I am trying to teach them.

Evaluating your kid’s proficiency can be a “testy” subject among home educators. To formally test or not to test? There are valid reasons on both sides of this issue. Whether you are a tester who is tired of the routine or a non-tester who may be thinking of an occasional assessment, these out-of-the-box ideas may get you thinking about testing in a different light.

• Have them write and act out a play demonstrating understanding of concepts.
• They can explain what they have learned to a grandparent or friend.
• Older students can write (and grade) and essay test for you to take on what they have been learning.
• Make an art project illustrating principles and ideas of the subjects.
• Make a board game with ideas they have learned.
• Put the questions on index cards spread on the floor. Let them jump from card to card to answer the questions.
• Write a newspaper article or newscast. This is great practice for fact-filled learning.
• If you need a traditional test, let them verbalize the answers instead of writing them. Younger students think much faster than they can write, so verbal tests can ease their testing anxiety.

Any of these activities can give you a great idea of how much they have learned without traditional paper and pencil testing. You may do many of these things now and not think of them as evaluation tools. Next time you need to test, try one of these and see if your kids don’t ask you to test more often!

If you have been schooling for any length of time this has probably come up. What do you do when you are too sick to have a regular homeschool day?

• Having a schedule in place is critical for these times. If the children are used to routine then they can keep on doing the next thing, with you supervising from the couch. It can be a lifesaver, especially with the older kids. You can have them do their next assignment and put it aside for checking later.
• Younger children? Ask family and friends to help out.
• Take them to a fellow homeschooler’s home for the day. It’s a good opportunity for them to see what other homeschooling families do.
• Keep a “sick day” box or list together. It can be a lifesaver, filled with a movie, dress-up clothes, or other low-clutter items that will keep them busy. It will seem like Christmas!
• List things for a scavenger hunt.
• Have them take turns being mommy’s helper, fetching anything you might need.
• Have them do school in the room with you so you are available.
• Get out the board games, or any quiet game they can play together.
• Get your playpen ready for the babies and let the other children help entertain them.
• Have the kids write a song or a play and perform it for you.
• Use it as an opportunity for them to pray for you, and any other sick people that come to mind.
• Have them make you a get well card.
• Set a timer and have them do light housework in small spurts, like folding laundry or washing windows.
• See who can be the quietest. Offer a prize at the end of the day.
• Have the older children plan the evening meal. Have them make menus cook and serve those eating.
• Older children can research and develop a plan of care for a person in your condition. Simple research and writing skills can uncover a wealth of information, including alternative treatments.
• Have the children read aloud to you.

Other ideas? Post a comment. This is far from an exhaustive list!

Notebooking is one of the best ways to demonstrate your individuality in your lessons. But sticking some worksheets in a binder is not true notebooking. You must generate the material yourself and it is a reflection of you, not simply a regurgitation of someone else’s thoughts.
In case you find yourself in a rut, here is a list of creative expression. You can also download the 25 creative notebooking ideas here.

1. paper folding
2. portraits
3. write a story and illustrate it
4. collage
5. mosaic with construction paper or magazine pictures
6. drawings
7. cut outs
8. silhouettes
9. rubber stamping
10. stickers to add to a picture or draw around
11. photographs
12. coloring pages
13. printable fonts that can be colored
14. pockets to put things in
15. door or flaps to hide things
16. pop-ups
17. paintings
18. rubbings or impressions
19. CD recordings of kid’s voice, documents, music, video, etc.
20. fold out pages for long projects
21. sew paper
22. create an award
23. cut words and letters from newspapers or magazines
24. create a small book and place in a pocket on a page
25. paper weaving

If you want to add to the list please leave a comment.

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 can relax. Just as happens in a church full of individuals, the Holy Spirit has a wonderful way of tailoring the lesson to fit the needs of the hearer. I never cease to be amazed that a room full of people can hear the same sermon, the same words and scripture, and get something intimately personal from it. Only God’s living Word can do that.

The Holy Spirit is here for, among other things, education.  John 14:26 Jesus says that when He left the Holy Spirit would come and “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” “All things” there means in the Greek just that–all things. So rejoice that the Holy Spirit is there to teach you, to teach your kids, and to teach you to teach your kids all things.

If you are struggling in an area such as math or history or even how to schedule your day or deal with a difficult character issue, help is a prayer away. God gives wisdom liberally if we will only ask (James 1:5). And when we don’t even know what we need the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26) and Jesus (Rom. 8:34) both are praying God’s will on our behalf. Praise God! If you are weak in an area let God show Himself strong. I can tell you from experience those are the most exciting lessons of all because I cannot do that in my own ability. (2 Cor 12:9)

I encourage you to be careful not to put your lessons in a box and think there will be amazing revelations every day in every subject. That won’t happen. Many days will be pretty average. But that’s what makes the special times so special. And God’s grace is in the every day, speaking in quiet whispers through His Word in every subject.

With the Biblical Principle Approach that places God’s Word at the center of every subject, you can’t help but have Holy Spirit inspired lessons each time you pick up your Bible and read His life-giving words to your family. It’s rhema.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.      Hebrews 4:12

As we prepare to get back to our lessons next week, I’ve been prayerfully considering what to do and what to avoid this year. These are some things I’ve realized:

less is more. I don’t have to teach a lot to teach a lot.

• it depends a lot on my preparation as a teacher. I am not confident when I just open a book and try to teach. I must internalize what I am teaching.
• My kids need things in small bites, and our schedule reflects that.
• I don’t need lots of stuff (like teaching aids and such). It clutters and actually distracts us from learning.
• I must be sold out. I can’t be half-hearted in educating my kids.
• I need to plan things. I’m not good with a vague idea of how the year will go. If it’s not written down, I probably will not do it.
• I have to be careful not to overplan (see #1)

I am seeing what I can keep, what I can do differently and what I can simply let go of. That process really charges me up for the next year. I feel things are fresh again and I’m ready to take on another year.

Well I sort of hate to do this, because as soon as I post it here, it probably won’t get done as written. ha! I am looking forward to this year more than I have in a while. I have renewed vision and I have studied hard to prepare myself. Also I have accumulated many resources so I have enrichment activities at my fingertips. (I am NOT going to get into a lecturing rut this year.)

Our over-arching principle is the Christian Principle of Self-Government. All we do this year will focus on being more self-governed in our spiritual lives, in our lessons, in our chores, in our personal lives, in our speech and in our service to others. More than anything else, I want us to increase our self-government this year. If this time next year we are more self-governed, I count the year a raging success.

As for our actual lessons, I have taken a decidedly low-key approach. I am not going to overplan and overschedule. I am planning less material so we can actually savor the material, and work on doing an excellent job as we increase our capacity for Christian self-government. I am tired of rushing from thing to thing. We will do less to do more. What I mean is we will get more in-depth with the principles and not just stick to the surface with facts. Here is our schedule:

MWF:Bible, literature, science (M and W), math, Princess G will do this reading program

TT: Bible, HisStory/geography, art, math (reinforcement)

daily: creative writing, reading aloud, family altar, Spanish

This is very manageable for our family. I try to do Bible and academics in AM and enrichment in PM (after lunch). Science works well for us in the afternoon so we have more time for experiments and walks. Art and writing are also good in the afternoon when we have time to enjoy them. Spanish will move to the evenings so we can do it as a family.

Here are my resources:

Bible: JBC–love this curriculum, but it is an investment of time, because you have to do the work yourself. There is a support group too.

HisStory: my own plans with the help of Lisa’s Freedom and Simplicity in HisStory materials (although I do love Mrs. Smith’s HisStory books for kids too!)

Science: Dr. Worthington Hooker’s materials

Literature: my own plans, lots of good literature, main study will be Bach (I think!)

Geography: various stuff from HomeschoolEstore and other sources

Creative writing: this book

Reading aloud: many books, along with some help from this book

Art: various sources, including this excellent book. Also we will make many books by hand, along with ATC’s and other various paper arts. Also I like to use art cards, so we will work them in somehow.

Read this post about how I actually plan my lessons with the help of Mr. Rose’s book.

One book I highly recommend is Managers of Their Homes. I read it often for help with ordering our days.

Please leave a note if you’d like me to list the resources I use to enrich my lessons. There are so many great books out there and they are so much fun!

Those of you who know me well know how dear Mr. Rose’s book is to me. It is invaluable in my BPA quest. I thought I’d share a way of planning lessons using his book. It’s not the only way, but one way it can be done, even for new families who want to create their own BPA lessons but don’t know where to begin. This is after you have gone through the section on p. 118, have a working knowledge of BPA and a personal philosophy of education written down (mine is in the clear pocket on the front of my teacher’s notebook).

(Re)read the section on ”Education for the American Christian Home” (beginning on p. 85).

Starting on p. 119,  you can see the subjects broken down into goals and objectives. Here is a list of page numbers you can write in under each subject:

• History (Elementary): objectives p.204
• History (Junior High): objectives p. 204
• Geography: goals–p. 259, overview p. 260
• Literature: see charts pp. 343-351
• Arithmetic: goals p. 241, rudiments p. 237, biblical origin and purpose p. 236, 234
• Algebra: objectives p. 445, vocabulary of algebra p. 427
• Science (A&P): rudiments p. 467, goals p. 468, overview p. 469, principles p. 457
• Economics: goals, overview p. 415, rudiments p. 402

Of course, you need to read the section for each subject, but this will give you a quick reference from the lists on p. 119-123.

As an example, take geography. I am planning for a 4th grader and a 1st grader. Here’s how I plan these lessons.

1. Prayer. I have to have the Holy Spirit to help me plan what my kids need to know this year.
2. Make a grid with the months on the side and the subjects across the top, so I can see what I am studying in each subject to create cohesive plans. 
3. See the geography topic on p. 120 for a quick glance at the subject.
4. Read the section on geography, written by Katherine Dang (259-273).
5. Note the goals on p. 259. (If I have 4 R’ed this, then I refer to my own goals.)
6. Note the overview on p. 260 (If I have 4 R’ed this, then I refer to my own overview.)
7. I make note of what I am studying in His Story and try to work geography alongside the subject. If it will not work there, then I will look to literature.
8. Using my overview and goals, I chart the months out. From there I am able to plan weekly lessons, using the biblical principles and leading ideas I deduce from 4-Ring and from The Encyclopedia of Bible Truths for School Subjects. I also add living books, mapwork, reference books and more to enliven the lessons.

I put the year’s master sheet into my teacher’s notebook so I can see my whole year on one page and how all the subjects are connected.

I love planning my own lessons this way because I can meet the objectives using the overviews and still create individualized lessons for my family. And Also I have a plan until I have 4-R’ed that subject and found my own objectives and so on. For more help on utilizing Mr. Rose’s book to the fullest, read my posts under the category Rose’s Guide.

Because we work with the seeds of principles, our lessons can look very different from yours and still we can both teach the same rudiments. With the overviews in Mr. Rose’s book I have a general direction to head in, but I can take my own path to get to the destination. I love that!