Joy In Our Journey
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  • Home
    • Disclosure Policy
    • About Me
  • What's New! (Blog)
  • Low-Carb Lifestyle!
    • Trim Healthy Mama-inspired Grocery Lists
    • THM-style Beverages >
      • Mock Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos
    • Family Favorite Recipes (Not Low Carb) >
      • Snacks >
        • Delicious Homemade Gooey Granola Bars!
        • Healthy Peanut Buttery Treats
      • Soups and Stews >
        • Jamaican Seafood Chowder
        • Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
      • Salads >
        • Red Cabbage Coleslaw
      • Main Dishes >
        • Beef >
          • Beef Stroganoff
        • Chicken >
          • Chicken Fiesta
          • Chicken Nachos
          • Marinated Zucchini and Chicken Sandwiches
          • Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas
          • Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
          • Green Chili Chicken Lasagna
        • Lamb >
          • Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder
        • Seafood >
          • Chilled Quinoa and Salmon Salad (E)
          • Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
        • Pasta Recipes >
          • Baked Lemon Pasta
          • Paccheri (Pasta) with Cauliflower and Tomatoes
      • Desserts >
        • Cookies >
          • Free Christmas Cookie cookbook download!
          • Healthier Gingerbread Man Cookies
          • Healthier Holiday Cut-Out Cookes
          • Maple Leaf Cookies - YUMMM!
        • Donuts
        • Frozen Desserts >
          • Lemonade Ice Cream Pie
    • Recommended Ingredients and Foods >
      • Inspiration Mixes - Gluten/Dairy/Caseine/Wheat Free and delicious!
      • Organic Maple Syrup
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Curriculum & Product Reviews >
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews >
        • Art >
          • ARTistic Pursuits
          • Simply Draw!
        • Grammar >
          • All About Homophones - (Marie Rippel)
          • Time 4 Learning
          • Daily Grams
        • Handwriting >
          • Cursive Handwriting - New American Cursive
        • History >
          • The Mystery of History >
            • MOH vol. 3 Audio MP3's
          • Tapestry of Grace History
          • U.S. History >
            • America, The Last Best Hope (William Bennett)
          • Winter Promise
        • Latin >
          • Latina Christiana, by Memoria Press
          • Visual Latin
        • Literature-based Unit Studies >
          • Beyond Five in a Row
          • Further Up and Further In by Diane Pendergraft
        • Logic and Reasoning >
          • Building Thinking Skills (Critical Thinking Skills Co.)
        • Math >
          • Math Mammoth
          • Math Tutor DVD.com
          • MathRider: Horselovers' Math Facts Software Game!
        • Music and Composers
        • Online Educational Courses >
          • Aleks Online Courses
        • Science >
          • Apologia Science >
            • Apologia Science's Notebooking Journals
            • Zoology 1 - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
          • Science Weekly newsletters
        • Spelling >
          • Phonetic Zoo (by IEW)
        • Writing >
          • The Write Foundation: Level 2 - Paragraphs
          • WriteShop's StoryBuilders
      • Homeschool Product Reviews >
        • eBooks >
          • College Success Begins at Home (TOS eBook)
          • Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool
          • Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!
          • The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner
        • Online Educational Website Memberships >
          • KB Teacher
        • Science >
          • Polymer Crystals
    • Driver's Education for Homeschoolers
    • Foreign Language >
      • Latin >
        • Christmas Songs in Latin
        • Latina Christiana (Level 1) >
          • Latina Christiana Level 1 Lesson Links >
            • Charts and Helps
            • Year One Sayings
            • LC1 Intro and Lesson 1
      • Latina Christiana (Level II) >
        • Latina Christiana Level 2
        • LC2 Intro and Lesson 1
    • Forms and Charts >
      • "Week At A Glance" Planner
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
    • Free Audio Books to Download
    • Free Homeschool I.D. Cards!
    • Government and Civics
    • Handwriting
    • History: Classical / Chronological >
      • The Mystery of History, by Linda Lacour Hobar
      • The Middle Ages (MOH vol. 2)
      • Ancient History (MOH vol. 1) >
        • Ancient Rome >
          • Roman Architecture
          • Roman Houses
          • Roman Town (software game by Dig-It)
          • Roman Trade and Commerce
    • Language Arts
    • Science
  • Free Printables
    • Holidays >
      • Christmas
  • Book/DVD/Audio Reviews
    • Children's Movie/DVD Reviews
    • Other Product/Company Reviews
  • Home & Family
    • Frugal Living
    • Gardening and Herbs
    • Marriage - God's Way
    • Life at Home
    • Godly Kids & Teens >
      • Godly Womanhood
      • Sharing God With Your Children
      • Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home >
        • Keepers At Home - "Beginning of Club Year" Helps
        • Keepers At Home - "End of Club Year" Helps
        • KAH Skills >
          • Bible Memory >
            • Memorizing New Testament Books and Their Meanings
            • Proverbs 31:10-31
          • Cake Decorating
          • Card Making >
            • Stitched Cards
          • Computers
          • Character Studies >
            • Contentment and "I'm Bored" phrases
            • Willingness
          • Decoupage
          • Hospitality
          • Library Skills and Literature Pins
          • Sewing >
            • Beauty and the Pig - Goldie Doll
            • Edwardian-Style Aprons
            • Paper Piecing
      • Children >
        • Bible Study Bookmarks
        • The Church History ABCs (for kids!!!)
        • The Lord's Prayer - copywork
        • Some Thoughts...Family Bible Time
        • Running Away...with permission
      • Young Adults (Teens) >
        • Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss
        • Deeper Roots: Discovering Our Amazing God
  • Frugal Family Trips to Washington, D.C.
Picture

Brittany's New Piano...a Lesson in Frugal Living

8/6/2010

6 Comments

 
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    Last weekend, our family bought a piano.  We came across a great deal, and decided to go ahead and buy it even though we hadn't planned for that in our monthly budget...and we hadn't even been looking for a piano.

     This was one of those moments when I can clearly say that God worked this all out for us in a matter of hours.

     Our family already has a piano.  My parents bought a beautifully sounding, rebuilt piano for my mom when I was probably in upper elementary school.  Years later, my mom fell in love with a different piano, bought it, and gave me her "old" piano.

     If my family already has a piano in our living room, why did we buy a second piano?

     Here's the L-O-N-G explanation of why we unexpectedly went ahead and purchased a second piano last weekend.

    

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     Several decades ago, my widowed grandmother married "Whitey", a nearly-blind musician, and piano tuner/rebuilder.  I was around seven or eight at the time.  "Whitey" (not his real name...but his nickname by which he always went) had the whitest hair I'd ever seen...and the pinkest skin.  He was actually albino.  I've never seen an albino person since he passed away, but he was truly albino.  I remember that one winter, he grew out his beard to match Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and they could have been twins.  No kidding.  And my dad, that year, grew a thick beard and looked just like Abraham Lincoln.  They got quite the stares from others when they went out to the store together once.

     Because Whitey was albino, he was legally blind.  He could see the television if he had a large screen (for back then) and sat closely to the TV.  He read the newspaper and magazines with a large magnifying glass.  Even as a child, this was how he lived.  He couldn't legally drive because of his poor vision, so my grandmother drove him around for years to his piano tuning jobs.  If it was a quick tuning job, she waited in the car or in the person's home.  If it was a more lengthy repair job, she would drop him off and pick him up later.

     I cannot say that I know a lot about tuning pianos or rebuilding pianos.  I actually know very, very little.  But, Whitey did show me what to look for when purchasing a piano:  felts and hammers all in good condition, not eaten up by moths; strings firm and secure; no evidence of mice or rats in the piano casing; keys not sticking; block in good condition and not cracked; etc. 

     He would frequently pick up pianos at garage sales for sometimes as low as $25 - $100 back then.  Once he had the piano home, he would rebuild it if it needed a lot of work.  Then, he would resell the pianos, easily recouping his costs in supplies and time, and make a decent profit.  After all, pianos were his livelihood.

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     Even this last weekend, I didn't understand how much pianos cost, until I spoke with my parents about how much they have paid for used pianos over the years.  But, when I played the keys on a piano at our church's garage sale last weekend, I knew that the price they had listed for the piano ($300) was a steal!

     I am pretty fussy about pianos.  The sound and touch or feel of the keys are pretty important to me.  I don't care if it is a baby grand or a school model or an upright.  I'm looking for the touch and feel of the keys; how responsive they are, the clarity of the sound, etc. 

     Most people are only concerned with the "look" of the piano cabinet or casing.  This is really not all that important to me.  Sure, it would be wonderful to find an inexpensive piano that not only sounded great but looked great, too, but that hasn't happened to me yet!  As long as the piano hasn't been through a fire or a flood, I'm not all that concerned about the "look" of the wood.

     I was excited about the piano at the church garage sale when I saw it on Thursday, two days before the sale began.  The sale benefits groups of people from our church who travel to the Philippines and work in ministry there, so we save up the items we want to give away or donate, and take them down for this garage sale every summer.

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     I knew from past experience that Elmer probably wouldn't be interested in buying the piano for Brittany.  After all, we didn't have any place at all to store it in our home.  One piano plus two large fish tanks take up all of the wall space in our living room. 

     I placed an "ad" for the piano on our local homeschooling Yahoo group, so that maybe another family in our county would have the opportunity to get a decent piano for a great price.  Even though the front of the wood case of the piano had some big scratches, it also came with a very decent matching wood piano bench...and benches are usually very hard to find with pianos, especially matching ones.

     I suggested that if a family was interested in buying the piano, they should go down to the church the following day, on Friday, before the sale, and pay for it and make arrangements to move it to their own home.

     On Friday morning, I was speaking with my mom on the phone.  I told her about the piano.  She said the words I never thought I would hear her say:

     "That's a great price!  If you would like to store the piano at our house, so Brittany can have it in her own home in a few more years, we will let you store it here."

     I was shocked.  The last thing my parents need is a second piano taking up wall space.

     But she offered. 

     My response was, "Elmer will never say 'yes' to buying a second piano."

     My mom responded, "It wouldn't hurt to ask him.  Tell him how expensive good pianos are."

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     I got off of the phone and prayed about it.  After mulling the situation over, and discussing it with Brittany, and praying some more, it was around 11 a.m.  I decided to call my husband and ask him about buying another piano. 

     When I reached him on his work cell phone, I said, "You're not going to believe this, but I have found an excellent piano in almost perfect condition - inside - that I think I could buy for Brittany for around $275...and guess what?  My mom said that she would store it at her house for us."

    I expected there to be dead air.  Silence.  Or, an instant "no." 

     Instead, he said, "This is a really great deal?  You think it is worth it?"

     And those wonderful words..."Yes, go ahead and drive down to the church and make them an offer."

     I put down the phone and couldn't believe what I had just heard.  My husband is not a stingy man at all, but both of us have always lived fairly frugally and rarely make spur-of-the-moment financial decisions.

     Brittany screamed with excitement when I told her about it.  I also warned her, though, that someone else might have already come by the church and made them an offer on the piano.

     She knew that if it wasn't the Lord's will to have the piano, it wouldn't be available.

     Well...no one had come by to purchase it!  So, I wrote the check on the spot - for $275. 

     You may think that this is a lot of money to pay for something that is "used."  For something that isn't in pristine condition.

     Let me share with you what I know about prices for pianos.  I don't have a lot of experience in pricing pianos, but I have learned a little bit after this weekend.

     When my parents were living in New Zealand, my mom wanted to buy a piano for their home.  She loves to play the piano!  They found a used piano that wasn't in very good condition, but was still playable, for between $300-$400. 

     This was back in the 1960s.

     When I was around five years old and we were living in Texas, they wanted to buy a piano so my mom could begin teaching my twin sister and I to play the piano.  (The piano from New Zealand wasn't shipped back to the States - too expensive.)  I think we bought our piano at a second hand store or Salvation Army or something like that, and I don't remember how much it was, but it wasn't cheap.

     After my grandpa rebuilt the piano I currently own, my mom bought it from him for around $1500-$1800.  It isn't a fancy piano, but it is a Baldwin that really holds its tune well and has a wonderful touch and feel to it.  Thirty years later, it has still never needed any additional work done on it.  Of course, I have always kept the piano on an interior wall, and have kept it tuned every year or two.

     My mom gave me my piano when she found another piano she fell in love with; my parents paid around $1500 for it. 

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     They also bought a piano for my sister from my grandfather, before he died.  I don't know how much that one cost, but it was in a similar price range.

     A couple of years ago, we were at a friend's home, and she was showing us the new "used" piano that they had recently purchased for their daughter.  While it had a nicely carved "outside", I was very surprised to hear the price they had paid for it, and to hear the sound of it.  I thought it sounded horribly, even though they had purchased it from a piano dealership in our community.  It had a cracked block that was held together with bungee cords, of all things.  When I played it briefly, I had to stop.  I couldn't stand the sound of it!  And they had paid almost $1000 for the piano.  The salesman assured them that a cracked block really wasn't that big of a deal. 

     I disagree, but I didn't say anything to my friend about it.  I have just always felt badly that they were ripped off at that purchase.

     Brittany's "new" piano is made by Baldwin, has that same wonderful touch and sound that I love, and only needs a tiny bit of work done to it.  We examined it thoroughly, and we will hire the local piano tuner to come out in the next few weeks and tune it plus make any minor repairs that he deems are necessary.

     Sometimes, even while living frugally, a snap decision must be made in order to save a lot of money. 

     Brittany and Kelsi thought at first that $275 was a LOT of money to pay for a used piano.  However, when they began hearing how much my parents have paid over the years for various pianos, my girls agreed that this was a worthwhile investment to withdraw money from our savings account and purchase the piano.

     And Elmer?  He just shook his head as my parents relayed how much decent pianos cost.  He was very, very happy that we found this piano.  He knows he's going to need the extra money he just saved to pay for two daughters' weddings some day.  So he was happy to have me write that check last Friday, and easily save him at least $1000. 
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6 Comments

Dreams and Designs: Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool

8/4/2010

0 Comments

 
Dreams and Designs: 
Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool


An eBook from The Old Schoolhouse magazine


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     When my children were very young, we had very little extra money in our budget.  We stayed home a lot, kept things simple, enjoyed friendships with other families and our church members, rarely traveled, and just enjoyed bonding as a family.      We began homeschooling when our oldest was four.  Technically, we began homeschooling the day she was born, but that just shows our view of what homeschooling really is…a lifelong love of learning and discipleship with your children!


     I wanted to do preschool types of things with my children, but didn’t have much money.  My mom suggested some ideas we could do at home together, and I also gleaned ideas from my friends.  I bought a couple of books that had a lot of ideas, and we did some things from that.  Several times, I asked my girls’ Sunday School teachers how the girls were doing.  They were surprised to learn that our girls weren’t attending a local preschool, because they were social, obedient (for the most part!), had preschool skills, etc. 


     I firmly believe that if a parent is able to stay at home with their children, attending preschool is not a necessary part of childhood.  Learning a lot of preschool-types of skills IS necessary, but they are so easily taught by Mom or Dad.  I only knew one other gal who had children my daughter’s age – when they were babies – so she and I began meeting together once a week for a playdate.  Not only did I enjoy the time to visit with another mom who shared similar beliefs and values as me, our daughters grew up together and learned so much from each other.  As time went on, we made friends with other families who had young children, and our circle of friendships grew.
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     Because I have always loved learning, I wanted my children to love learning, too.  I made it a big priority in our family to have plenty of story times, arts and crafts, practice with letters and numbers, colors, days of the week, and so many fun little skills like that in our daily life.  But it was still very casual and lots of fun and games – plus, I spent very little during the day doing this with the girls.  No need for 2-4 hours per day, that’s for sure!

     What happened because of all of this?  Well, when our oldest had reached the age to attend kindergarten in our state (she was 5-3/4 by the day school started), we realized that even with working casually with her over the last couple of years, she was advanced in her skills, and would have been bored to tears in kindergarten.  This led to our journey in homeschooling, and it has been such a blessed adventure. 

     While many families think to themselves, "Wow – my child is far advanced beyond her peers – she is going to be at the top of her class!" when their children start kindergarten, I think this attitude is actually harmful to our children.  Why be prideful about our children, and then use that pride to actually harm our children by not allowing them to flourish and grow academically at their own pace and in so many other ways? 

     Our attitude instead was, "Wow – my child is advanced beyond her peers – what can we do to teach and nurture her at her level now, so she won’t be held back academically and emotionally?"  After years of teaching in the public school system and working with children voluntarily, I can’t imagine placing an advanced child into a kindergarten program where 95% of the classmates don’t know their seasons, days of the week, letters, numbers, colors, etc.  And lest you think that things improve all that much in the first grade, you would probably be dismayed to learn that almost all first grades spend 26 weeks of the school year (out of 36) learning the letters of the alphabet and all of the other things I’ve already mentioned.  (The reading/spelling curriculum we use taught all 26 letters in 5-7 days, easy.  Why drag this out over six months, unless a child has learning disabilities?  I just don’t get it.)

     Now, I know that the masses need to be educated, but why should we hold children back who are reading and understanding at a higher level?  And for the average boy?  Why, quite a few of them would often be better off not even starting school until they are around 7, unless they are the type who really loves to sit still and learn!  Public school organization is so feminized, anyway – why should boys be spending most of their young lives sitting squarely in a desk, doing pencil and paper work, and cutting with scissors?  Let them be boys and learn in a mode that meets their needs, without all the sitting time when they are younger…

     Okay, I’ll get off of my soapbox. 
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     Today, I just finished reading a new e-book called, Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool that is offered in the The Schoolhouse Store, part of The Old Schoolhouse magazine.  Even though I haven’t used preschool activities for a lot of years now, it was so much fun to read through this 54-page ebook!      

     I would have really enjoyed using
Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool in our preschool and early elementary years.       Donna Campos, the author of this e-book, offers so many creative ideas of activity centers, learning stations, preschool activities, and skill development.  What impressed me the most is that she provides very cheap and inexpensive methods and ways of doing this in your own home.      

     I used to receive those colorful, flashy catalogs in the mail when the girls were younger.  After all, I was still on a lot of "teacher" mailing lists, right?  I would see so many things that looked so wonderful to have in our home, but the price tag kept me from ordering much at all.  If I had a copy of
Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool, I would have thrown out the catalogs and just enjoyed using the ideas in this e-book instead!     
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     Donna teaches us how to make and use calendars that are large and hands-on, how to design puppet theaters and scrolling stories, and how to design personal partitions that give children their own little space to work on school projects or activities.  She also provides many ideas of how to design activity stations and centers, something that started to become very popular in the public schools in the 1990s, but hardly anyone had the extra time or money to use them in their classrooms.      

     Donna also provides us with photos and directions on how to design different types of storage containers and rolling carts, plus a lot more, with household items.  For those who like having everything "in place" in their homes, this would be a dream come true!
     

     Just when you think this e-book couldn’t provide any more for your family and learning, she also discusses many ways to use file folders to enhance learning.  I was impressed with the detailed directions to make file folder timelines for history studies.
    

     She also includes a section on some great ways to use cheap and inexpensive index cards for lots of learning activities, including for those children who have learning challenges or are on the autism spectrum. 
    

     I really appreciate Donna Campos’ heart for the family and how to educate children frugally as well as having a lot of fun with them.
    

     The next time you are tempted to plop your children into public school, or keep them at home with a boring stack of workbooks, consider bringing this e-book into your home: 
Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool

     I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! 
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I received one copy of Dreams and Designs - Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation has been provided.

Copyright © 2009 by Julieanne Miller

0 Comments

What's in the Bible? (by VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer)

8/3/2010

0 Comments

 
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    Most people have heard of VeggieTales, the children's Bible DVD series that has been around for about 10-12 years now. 

     But have you heard of the What's In the Bible? series?

     Creator Phil Vischer, of the What's In The Bible? DVD series originally developed the VeggieTales series years ago. 

     I received a copy of also What's In the Bible? Volume 3:  Wandering' in the Desert from Tyndale Publishers for the purpose of showing it to our family and then writing a review.  I wasn't sure what to expect, since I'd viewed numerous VeggieTales movies over the years. 

     In some ways, it is similar to the VeggieTales movies.  It is very fast-paced, switches scenes about every three milliseconds (!), has numerous characters with a variety of voice styles and accents, and contains frenzied music.

     In other ways, it is very different from the VeggieTales movies.  The topics and themes are quite different, and this series is much more like Sesame Street than "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything".

     What's In the Bible? attempts to show children, book by book, what the Bible is all about.  Volumes 1 and 2 cover the book of Genesis.  There is a lot to cover in that wonderful, miraculous book, so I can see why it took two DVDs to cover the book of Genesis.

     Volume 3:  Wanderin' in the Desert focuses on the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.  That's a lot to cram into one DVD, but they have done it fairly well.

     The beginning of the DVD summarizes what was learned from the first two DVDs, albeit rather quickly. 

     I haven't seen volumes 1 and 2, but apparently, they covered these basic questions:



  • What IS the Bible?
  • Who WROTE the Bible?
  • What is sin?
  • Who were Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph? 
   

     The very brief summary covers the second half of Genesis plus Exodus in about 1-2 minutes...you can decide if that is adequate for your family or not.


    The Volume Three DVD contains two parts.  Part One focuses on the book of Leviticus.  The DVD discusses the following:


  • "Holy" means dedicated to or set apart for God, a bit less concrete for the age group this video seems to be geared toward, but then the actual term "holy" is described in several scenarios to help make it more understandable. 
  • A map of Israel is shown, but for most children (and some adults!), it isn't provided in a context that they can really understand.  If they had started with a globe and then zoomed in to where Israel was located, that would have made more sense, in my opinion.  
  • It has a nice explanation of who the Levites were, from whom they descended, and why they were "set apart."  
  • The DVD addresses some of the odder rules found in Leviticus.  It discusses the differences between ritual holiness and ethical holiness.  
  • The word "Pentateuch" is also discussed.  I thought it was interesting, though, that they never explained that "penta" means "five."  That would have been logical to include that information here.
  • The DVD briefly covers why Europeans began to disbelieve the try stories of the Old Testament, and then discusses some of the archeological evidence that proves that the Exodus and Moses' leading of the Israelites really took place. 


     While I really do like the way that such uncommon topics are shown and taught to children, I get really tired of children's DVDs being such an insult to their intelligence.  When movie makers determine that children cannot sit still to learn something without the scenery/characters/music/etc. changing every 2 seconds, they have insulted every child who is capable of sitting down and learning something well without having to be treated like a five-month-old baby. 

     We finally stopped allowing our children to check out some VeggieTales movies from the library because some of them were so frenetic.  One of our children preferred "frenzied" movies to all else, so in order to encourage better listening skills and attention skills, we stopped having those types of movies in our home.  Now that she is much more self-controlled and mature, we allow them once in a while.

     I do feel sorry for families who may have children with audiological challenges.  There are so many different accents presented in this particular DVD that for some children, they may not understand some of the lingo in the movie. 

     I didn't care for the way the rules in Leviticus were referred to as "wacky" or "crazy".  While I'm pretty sure that Mr. Vischer is merely attempting to be "cool" and "funny", I don't think any part of Scripture, not even one word, is "wacky" or "crazy."  It all has a purpose.  Seventh Day Adventists and people who continue to keep the ritual laws of the Old Testament may be offended at the explanation of why the ritual laws are no longer kept; that we only follow the ethical laws now.

     But I am glad to see that some of these Old Testament topics are being explored with children.  That is not an insult to their intelligence!

     Part Two of the DVD covers the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy, and answers the question:  "What is the Pentateuch?" 

     I would prefer this DVD series if they told the true Bible story first in a realistic setting, slowly, so it is respectfully understood by younger children.  I don't believe that in order to view and understand the Bible stories, that children need to be exposed to them at a frenzied pace.  Even my 10- and 12-year-old children will tell me that it makes the true stories less believable.

     Then, after telling the true Bible stories in a respectable manner, they could place the "What's In the Bible"  sections in after the true story has been told.  Otherwise, for children who have never heard the true Bible versions of the Old Testament stories, they would be confused...they wouldn't understand who all the people are, and what God's purposes have been in their lives.  

     What's In The Bible? is a combination of cartoon animation, computer animation, and live filming.  Like all other VeggieTales movies and most other children's movies, adult level jokes are made about topics that children would know nothing about (Wall Street bankers, nuclear bombs, galaxies, "The King and I" musical, etc.), which I have always thought was strange.  Also, the live singers that appear a couple of times in the DVD, the Bentley Brothers, are a low-budget version of something from the 1970s.  None of us seemed to care for those two singing segments in the DVD.

     To summarize, this isn't your average VeggieTales movie.  The topics and themes are at a much higher level, although the acting and method of delivery are again aimed at a younger group of children.  I would have made some changes to the way the concepts are delivered, especially for children who aren't familiar with the Holy Scriptures.

     Most younger children will need to view this movie a number of times in order to begin to get a grasp on the concepts presented to them. 

     If a family is studying ancient history and is wisely including biblical history with their homeschooling, then this DVD could play an important role in helping children summarize the books of the Old Testament.

     Here is a link for further information about this DVD series:

http://www.whatsinthebible.com/

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Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of What's In The Bible, Vol. 3 for the purpose of writing an unbiased review of this product.  No other compensation has been provided.

0 Comments

How Expensive is Homeschooling After All?

8/3/2010

10 Comments

 
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    This is a "blast from the past", an article I wrote in 2009 about the long, detailed school supply lists I'd been seeing in some of the local stores in town.  Keep in mind that not every public or private school family must comply with an expensive list of school supplies; I realize that, too!  But to follow a few of the local lists I saw, it would be quite expensive to prepare a child for school...

     Tonight, I’ve been mulling over some of the costs of homeschooling our children.  Sure, we don’t have a second income, so if I include that, it costs well over $45,000 each year to homeschool our kiddos.   But leaving the "second income" portion behind, I’m starting to think that it is far less expensive to teach my children at home than I originally thought.

     Every year, we do what most homeschooling families do:  we purchase curricula.  Since I don’t choose to buy kits or sets of workbooks and packaged curriculum, I spend a lot of time researching what we are going to use…and the least expensive place to purchase it.  Amazingly, there are some curriculum items we use in our family that are cheaper at smaller "mom and pop" homeschooling sites vs. big name sites like Amazon and ChristianBook.com .  It is nice to have many months to figure out what we are going to use and where we are going to purchase it. 

      But tonight, something curious happened.  I was entering a contest on a frugal blog, and we were supposed to answer the question, "What do you hate most about back-to-school shopping?"  When I first read the question, I couldn’t think of anything I hated about preparing for a new school year.  I love the curricula I choose…if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t have chosen it, right?    I decided to email the owner of the blog and ask her if I could instead share in my comment what I LOVE about back-to-school shopping, because I truly couldn’t think of anything I hated about it.  She replied to say that this would be great…that she doesn’t want to exclude anyone from entering the contest.

      So, tonight, I went back to her frugal living-type of website, and posted my comment. I shared about how I loved shopping for school supplies with the girls in tow, because we only needed a few things each year since our school supplies don’t typically get lost, broken, or stolen by other children in the classroom. 

      I shared about the excitement the girls and I have each August as we go shopping for one special outfit that they will wear for their first day of the school year.  (Most of their other clothes are hand-me-downs, super clearance rack deals, or homemade clothes, etc.)  It’s a special time together, and a fun "girls time" day as we do this together, because we rarely buy them nice, new clothes at a nice store. 

      I talked about how I love planning their lessons ahead of time and prepping for the new school year.  I’ve always been a teacher at heart, and this to me is like a fun hobby!  Yes, I do get tired during the school year, but during the summer, this is fun!  So, you may ask me if I’ve had a busy summer, and I will answer wholeheartedly, "YES!" but it is a fun kind of busy, because I am doing something I love to do.

      After I placed my comments on her blog posting, I was curious about what some of the other 722 entries said.  These moms were writing about what they hated about back-to-school shopping, so I wanted to know what they had to say. This is when things became interesting.

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     The #1 complaint amongst these parents was obviously that it is SO expensive to prepare children for going back to school.  Well, I think to myself, if they carefully watch the sales, they can purchase the back-to-school items very inexpensively, right? 

     Like for around $10, right? 

     You know, the 5 cent glue and the 79 cent Crayola markers, and the 9 cent package of ruled paper, right?  That’s what I would do, if I was preparing my children to go back to public school in the fall, right?


     Well…
gone are the days where most school supply lists provided by the schools merely call for #2 pencils, a pencil box, ruled paper, crayons, and a box of Kleenex.  Now, some of the schools are very explicit about what they will accept for school supplies, especially at the jr. high and high school levels:
  • Crayola crayons in specific colors only
  • soft pencil pouch, no bright colors (prefer navy), 8 x 10
  • 3" three-ring binder in "almond" color (note that it is very difficult to find 3" binders in some towns), or exact color binders for each of the different school subjects you have in high school
  • blue folders (you’d best NOT buy red, or you’ll be in trouble!)
  • 24 glue sticks
  • 3 school uniforms that cost upwards of $200
  • baby wipes
  • clear or mesh backpacks that will fall apart after three months they must be purchased three times per school year
  • special kind of calculator
  • folders with brads and pockets 
  • …and on and on goes the list. 

      Some moms said that to purchase all of the supplies for two elementary-aged children was costing them almost $200! 


Yikes.  What is going on?
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     When I was a teacher, every year the office staff would ask me what I’d like placed on the school supply list for the 4th graders.  I’d just keep it the same as it has been for the last 50 years…crayons, #2 pencils, eraser, ruled paper, binder, glue, scissors, box of Kleenex. 

     I NEVER made the children put all of their school supplies together into a big box or drawers or something, to make it a community "socialist" school supply free-for-all. 

     Because the Kleenex wouldn’t fit in the students’ desks, I placed those in a cupboard, and we all used them during the school year. 

     I knew from human experience that if the school supplies were in a "free for all" situation, they would be abused and not taken care of, because no one "owned’ any of them.  But, if they each had their own supplies purchased by their parents, they would take a bit more care to be responsible with their supplies.  (At least, that was my hope…and the parents’!)


     Instead, all of the other school supplies stayed in the students’ own desks, for their own personal use.  I made sure that they all had their names on their own supplies, so no one could argue that so-and-so stole their school supplies. 

     I knew that I’d have students each year who couldn’t afford school supplies, so I purchased a few extras from the really cheap back-to-school sales the week after the 4th of July, and I kept those in my desk and privately handed them out to the students who needed them. 
This way, if a parent wanted to purchase really nice, expensive colored pencils for her child, she could do that, and her child would have those in her own desk for her own use.  If a parent needed to purchase Dollar Tree colored pencils or crayons, she could do that as well.  Everyone had the freedom to purchase what they could afford to purchase. 

      My attitude about the specific brands for products, navy pencil pouches, red or blue folders, 3" binders, etc. is not very positive.
 

     Red folders are not going to improve a child’s education, are they?  Almond colored binders are not going to enhance a child’s academics.


     Who is making up all of these lists, anyway?


     Lots of moms commented that even after following the school’s supply list, their children would still come home after the first day of school with a new list of items that the teachers supposedly required them to have.


     My first experience with this was a few years ago when I happened to be in our local Staples store on the evening of the first day of school.  I don’t remember what I was purchasing that day, but I clearly remember the horrified looks on parents’ faces as they came into the store accompanied by their teenage sons and daughters.  For some of the upper math classes at the high school, they were required to have a specific graphing calculator that cost around $125 to $200.  I couldn’t believe that!  I took upper level math courses in high school, and we did all of our graphing by hand.  It was really cheap that way!  (By the way, families can purchase those same calculators, slightly used, on eBay and Amazon.com these days for a lot less money.)

     The parents were frantic, because of course, the store ran out quickly and their children didn’t have the calculators they would need the next day at school. 


     I realize that some of the cheaper school supplies these days are not that great.  I really don’t like using El Cheapo glue or colored pencils that have been manufactured in China. 

     I prefer better products. 

     But, if my children’s school supplies were required to go into a "community pot" where everyone would just take and use what they wanted, then I would be buying the cheaper brands, even if the teacher’s supply list called for Prismacolor colored pencils.  I’m sorry, but I would be sending Crayola or worse. 

     I’m not going to support that kind of socialism. 
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     Many other parents commented about hating the expense of buying clothing for their children.

     One mom commented, "When I was a child and in school, we would continue using clothing from the previous school year, if it still fit.  Nowadays, that isn’t an option.  The kids insist on having everything brand new, that no one at their school has ever seen before." 


     Over and over again, moms were mentioning how expensive it is to clothe their children for school.
While I think that my girls have too many clothes in their closets, it isn’t because we spend a ton of money on clothing.  I’ve already mentioned above where most of their clothes come from. 

     This concept that everything has to be brand new for the new school year is teaching our children a big, fat lie. 

     We’re teaching them the opposite of frugal living.  We’re teaching them that we deserve to have everything brand new, even if we have to put it on charge cards and we really can’t afford to pay cash for it right now. 


     My girls would be horrified if we went shopping and bought them 20 outfits or something like that. 

     One of them would actually refuse to come home with more than 1-2 outfits.
 


     Many parents mentioned the awful peer pressure and the whining of their children to have this outfit, and that outfit, and of course, the outfits don’t color coordinate with other outfits to make better use of their clothing dollars. 

    
Sigh.  Is it just me, or are we giving in to our children’s selfish demands to live like millionaires? 

     Come on, most of us cannot afford to be raising our children with an endless supply of money coming out of our pockets! 

     Some of these issues should have been dealt with when their children were ages 3 and 4.
  • No whining. 
  • No complaining. 
  • No grumbling. 
  • Be thankful for what you have. 
  • I will give you $100 for back-to-school clothes; if you choose to spend it entirely on one single outfit or one pair of shoes, that is your problem. 
  • Get a job if you don’t like the clothing and school supply options I can afford for you.
    
   
    Truly, I’m not trying to be unkind here, but these are selfish demands that most families cannot afford.

     I haven’t even begun to mention the school fees these days. 

     I learned last week from a store employee that the high schools here (and maybe the junior high schools, I don’t know) in our town require students to pay a textbook deposit for their texts each year.  This way, if a textbook isn’t returned or is returned damaged, the school isn’t going to have to pay for the books to be replaced.  While this makes sense to me, it does continue to add to the upfront costs of attending public school. 


     Then, you have the yearbook fees, parking fees, registration fees, school physical fees, club and activity fees, sports fees, $3,000 for being a cheerleader, and on and on and on.


     It’s actually quite mind-boggling to me, how expensive it is to send children to many public schools.


     No thanks. 

     I think I’d rather spend $500 or so each year in purchasing my own school curricula, and not having to deal with spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on school clothes, accessories, supplies, fees, and whims of the school district.  That’s $250 per child that is very well spent!


    Homeschooling seems like the cheaper option, now. Never thought I’d say that!

    What do you find most expensive about the school option you’ve chosen for your own children?  How do you work around your education expenses to make things less costly for your own family?

    Please share!  I’d enjoy reading what you have to say.

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© Copyright 2009 by Julieanne Miller

10 Comments

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham, Jr.

8/3/2010

2 Comments

 
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    I think it's safe to say that there are very few non-fiction books I have read that I agree with everything in that book, from cover to cover.

     In order for a book to rise to this status, first of all it must have been written with a biblical worldview, because the Bible is the first book I read years ago that achieved the "100% Agreement" status for me.  So, the Bible is my ultimate standard when reading other non-fiction books. 

     I have now read and reviewed two books written by Voddie Baucham.  I can honestly say that this man writes with heartfelt biblical conviction, backed up by Scriptural verses kept in context, in a way that will revolutionize Christian families and churches in America if they choose to follow the clearly biblical principles he discusses.

     I think I can also say with some conviction that after reading Family Driven Faith, you will either LOVE this book, or you will HATE it.  I believe that there will be very few people who will find that they are "neutral" about this book. 

     Family Driven Faith addresses such key issues in Christianity today, regarding American families and their Christian take on life, and churches, that you will either have a completely opposing worldview from Mr. Baucham, or you will rise up and applaud him with each page that you read.

     I applauded.

     I nodded my head in agreement.

     My heart warmed to each chapter as I continued reading.

     If you would like to know my own innermost thoughts and convictions about raising godly children, esteeming marriage and children, the biblical "look" of a godly church, the education of children, and more...you will be interested in reading this book, whether or not you will agree with me.

     After reading Family Driven Faith, you will either despise me, or you will embrace me.  I expect to receive the cold shoulder by some.  I already have by a few.  My husband and I are considered "strange" by a lot of Christians.  They don't understand our rational for what we do.  The way we are raising our two daughters doesn't "fit" with the modern American view of raising families, even among the average Christian family.

     Here is a look at the chapter titles you will find in Family Driven Faith:

Doing What it Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk With God.

Contents

1. The Lay of the Land
2. A God with No Rivals
3. Learn to Love
4. Give Him Your Heart
5. Teach the Word at Home
6. Live the Word at Home
7. Mark the Home as Gods Territory
8. Enjoy the Gifts Without Forgetting the Giver
9. The Coming Revival: Is the Church Ready for Family Driven Faith?
10. A Radical Departure from the Norm

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Here is my own quick summary of each chapter:

Chapter One:  The Lay of the Land.  Mr. Baucham quickly summarizes the basic differences between American culture, American Christian culture, and his own views of marriage and family.  He addresses the devastation we are seeing as a nation, including the low percentage of children raised in "Christian" homes continuing on with their faith that began when they were children.
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Chapter Two:  A God with No Rivals
.  Baucham introduces the reader to the many and various idols most Christian families in America hold fast to.  He clearly states,

"A family without a commitment to the God of the Bible has no hope of stemming the tide of cultural onslaught.  If we mix a little biblical truth, a little secular psychology, a little romance novel ideology, and a little eastern mysticism, we will get a deadly mixture of lies.  Unfortunately, this is exactly what many Christian families do." 

     You may not like some of the idols Baucham relates to the reader.  That's okay.  It is all food for thought.  Maybe it will reveal something in your life that you have been trained to think was "okay" for you and everyone else in Christianity.  Maybe it won't.
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Chapter Three:  Learn to Love
.  Our lives, our families, and our homes should be characterized by sincere, humble love for all.

"Our homes must be rife with the aroma of love.  Those who visit us should notice immediately that they have left the world of self-serving, egocentric narcissism and have entered a safe harbor where people value and esteem others above themselves.  Outsiders should enter our homes and never want to leave.  Our neighbors should find excuses to visit us just to get another whiff of the fragrant aroma of love.  The brokenhearted should long to be near us.  The downtrodden and the abused should seek us out.  Families on the brink of disaster should point to us and say, "Why can't our home be like that?"

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Chapter Four:  Give Him Your Heart
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Choosing to follow Christ is more than just a one sentence prayer we mumble at age four.  (My opinion here.)  Choosing Christ as the Lord of our thoughts, actions, and life is something that should revolutionize and transform us.  We will never be "perfect" in all things, but there's no reason why after being a "follower of Christ" for 20+ years, our worldview should still be almost completely against the things of the Scriptures.

"In many ways salvation is like a coaching change.  We go form one regime (the world, the flesh, and the devil) to another (Christ).  Like a player faced with a new coach, we must learn our new playbook and our new coach's philosophy and terminology as quickly and as thoroughly as possible if we hope to succeed.  Unfortunately, many Christians are either oblivious to the larger implications of these truths or never take the time to incorporate them into their everyday walk."  (pg. 70)

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Chapter Five:  Teach the Word at Home.
  While Baucham does briefly address the benefits of home education, he primarily focuses here on the responsibility of parents to guide their children into a strong, sincere spiritual walk of faith with God.  He includes the following quote from David Wegener:

"Reading and memorizing Scripture and the catechisms of the church [as a family together at home] results in incredible development of children, both spiritually and intellectually.  What families regard as important is evidenced by the manner in which they spend their time.  Therefore, regular family worship shows the children that their parents believe that Jesus Christ is central to all of life.  This practice leaves a legacy that will benefit thousands in generations to come." (pg. 98)

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Chapter Six:  Live the Word at Home
.  I like this chapter, because it is very practical.  Baucham addresses three distinct phases of preparation for our children.  Some Christian parents will have great difficulty in working through Phase 1, so they never move on to Phase 2 and Phase 3.  Some Christian parents have done well in Phase 1, but they don't know how to capture the mind in Phase 2, or the heart of the child, in Phase 3.

  • Phase 1:  The discipline and training phase of parenting.
  • Phase 2:  The catechism phase: teaching our children what we believe about God.
  • Phase 3:  The discipleship phase:  We teach our children how to live by what they have learned. 

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Chapter Seven:  Mark the Home as God's Territory
.   
This chapter was also written to provide practical suggestions and examples for the family.  Baucham shows how parents can design their home to engage all five senses of their children in family worship. No, this isn't a step-by-step guide filled with multiple Bible lessons that can be used in the home, but clear ideas on how to make family worship time a daily observance, and a time that will be remembered throughout childhood and into adulthood, are mentioned.

Baucham confesses:  "I must admit that arriving at a consistent commitment to daily family worship was not easy for our family.  We, like every other family, have so many things to do that the time often gets away from us.  However, once we decided that our time in the Word was more important and would have a more lasting impact than anything else we could possibly do, we decided to make our family devotions the immovable object in our family life.  If school or meals or free time or anything else has to move, it can.  However, when we rise (or at least right after breakfast) and before we lie down in the evening, we will spend time together around the Word of God." (pg. 137).

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Chapter Eight:  Enjoy the Gifts Without Forgetting the Giver
.  I can best summarize this chapter by the quote that Baucham places at the beginning of it:

"Many Christians live and work in this world, as if their Christianity was a low priority in life, and this world and its pleasures were all important; when indeed the things of this world are fleeting and Christianity is the one thing we need most.      -- John Bunyan

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Chapter Nine:  The Coming Revival:  Is the Church Ready for Family Driven Faith?


Mr. Baucham doesn't believe that most Bible-believing Christian church congregations in the United States are ready for the principles and ideas espoused in Family Driven Faith.  I must say that from my experiences, I believe he is correct.  He says,


"Sometimes families who adopt the philosophies outlined in this book (which I believe are those outlined in Deuteronomy 6) are made to feel like outsiders.  Women who break the unwritten two child per family rule are often greeted with questions like, 'Haven't you guys figured out what causes that?'  Fathers who choose to emphasize their sons' spiritual growth at the expense of their participation in the all-consuming pursuit of sports sometimes find themselves being alienated by other dads.  Children who don't attend the local public high school are often looked down upon because they don't know the latest catch phrases or wear the latest designs.  The pursuit of family driven faith can be costly."

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Chapter Ten:  A Radical Departure from the Norm.  In this final chapter, Baucham clearly outlines the differences between most modern evangelical Christian churches and the less popular, "Family-Integrated Church."  He lists the distinctives of the family-integrated church:
  • Families worship together.
  • No systematic segregation.
  • Evangelism and discipleship in and through homes
  • Emphasis on education as a key component of discipleship
  • Promote a biblical view of marriage and family
  • Promote family worship/discipleship
  • Promote Christian education
  • Promote biblically qualified leadership

You can find a lot more details and information about each of these distinctives in the remainder of Chapter 10.


In this YouTube video, Mr. Baucham briefly discusses
how and why he wrote Family Driven Faith.

     Overall, I'll give this a "two thumbs up".  This man really knows the Scriptures, and he puts them into practical living for families and the church.

     You may not agree with him, and that's okay. 

     I didn't agree with a lot of these principles when we first became parents.  But the Lord has really worked on our hearts over the years, and we are doing our best to live out our convictions as they are presented in the Bible. 

     Even if you think you would hate this book, I would recommend giving it a try.  At least you'll know what's on my mind and heart after you've read it!


You can read more about Crossway Books at: 
www.crossway.org/blog
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     I received this book free of charge from the Crossway Book Review Program in exchange for an honest review of the book.  No other compensation was provided. 

2 Comments

BooksShouldBeFree.com

8/1/2010

0 Comments

 
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    Audio books are so wonderful for children to enjoy! 

Have you heard of this delightful, FREE website?

BooksShouldBeFree.com

     After learning about BooksShouldBeFree.com, I'm embarrassed to admit that a few months ago, I paid for an annual subscription to a website that organizes free audio books (in the public domain due to age) by theme, topic, style, and period.  We've used a lot of audio books like that in our home educating. 

     After finding BooksShouldBeFree.com, I don't think that I'll renew my subscription when it comes due.  The frugal side of me prefers not to pay for something that I can obtain at no cost!

     BooksShouldBeFree.com has a variety of public domain free audio books for download, including the following genres:


  • Literature
  • Adventure
  • Children
  • Comedy
  • Fairy Tales
  • Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Historical Fiction
  • History
  • Humor
  • Mystery
  • Non-Fiction
  • Philosophy
  • Poetry
  • Romance
  • Religion
  • Science Fiction
  • Short Stories
  • Teen/Young Adult

    Here is a very small sampling of the kinds of books that are offered for free download.  You'll notice that most of the books are what people refer to as "the classics", although not all of them would be classified in this way.
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     Not only does each category page show the book covers with the accompanied audio story, it also provides additional lists of up to hundreds of other free downloads in the same category. 

     The list of books is very extensive!  Most of the books I've seen on the site tonight are geared for the upper elementary through adult level, so you won't find Dr. Suess books here. 

     Now that both of my children are in the junior high school and high school years, I appreciate having free resources for their age group.  So many free sites are geared for the younger ages, so this is perfect for where we are at right now...and for the next few years until the girls graduate from high school.

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     Some children (and adults!) prefer not to listen to audio stories. 

     Maybe your child's weakest mode of learning is "audio." 

     One of my child's greatest learning strengths is AUDIO.  The other daughter's weakest learning mode is AUDIO.

     Of course, our two children are opposites when it comes to learning styles.  They are opposite in almost everything, although sometimes outside observers don't see this.  I just know that God has such a great sense of humor when He gifts our children in the way that He does! 

     What should you do if your child's weakest learning mode is AUDIO?

     I'm not an audiologist, and when I was teaching in the public school system, I didn't even have time to think about how to help children improve their audio skills.

     So, the advice I'm offering here is just what I did with my daughter who is very weak with audio skills...or WAS very weak with her listening skills.  She has much improved this very weak area of her life now!

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      When our youngest daughter was old enough to sit at the couch with us for bedtime stories and our family Bible time each night (probably around 10 months old, although we did begin reading earlier than that to her), we noticed right away that it was almost impossible for her to sit still and listen.

     For our older daughter, sitting quietly and focusing on a story with us was a very natural trait of hers.  God has blessed her with the ability to focus and listen.

     We weren't sure what to do with our youngest in this area.  Since our goal for both girls was to teach them to sit still and focus each evening while reading the Bible together and looking at children's stories, we knew that our youngest wouldn't be allowed to be "excluded" from this family time.

     With our oldest, we just enjoyed having her sit with us, soaking in all that we shared with her.  With Brittany, our youngest, we had her sit with us for more limited amounts of time, during very short, age-appropriate Bible stories and Christian books each evening.

     As Brittany grew, we gradually lengthened the amount of time we expected her to sit on our laps or at our sides and watch and "read" with us.  I would say that we expected her to sit with us for about 2 minutes for each year of age that she was.  This seemed to be a worthwhile goal, one that we decided was obtainable for her.

     While Brittany would sit on our lap or next to us on the couch, one of us would gently rub her back, or give her a back scratch.  She has always been a very tactile and "hands on" learner.  A gentle back scratch or back rub has almost always enabled her to meet our goal of having her sit still and quiet and remain focused. 

     This is very common with kinesthetic, hands-on learners.  More than often, these are boys, but occasionally, you'll see girls like this.  That's our Brittany, and we just love her dearly! 

     Brittany was included in our home educating just because she was a member of our family.  When she saw big sister doing fun things like coloring, cutting and pasting, etc. during Kelsi's Kindergarten and first grade years, Brittany wanted to be right there in the middle of the action.  I found that if Brittany kept her hands busy, her mind would be engaged as well. 

     Sometimes, I would read stories to the girls while Kelsi worked on kindergarten skills...and Brittany would scribble as a three-year-old.

     As Brittany became used to hearing stories, and her attention began to slightly lengthen, I could tell that she still didn't really like listening to stories.  She would tell me that she really preferred to look at pictures in the books or watch stories on television, which we greatly limited (the television, not the books!).  Even at age 8, she would prefer to read picture books instead of chapter books, though she was a very solid, advanced reader by age 8. 

     I began to check out audio CDs from our local library.  I would pick out age-appropriate stories for both girls, and once or twice each week during breakfast, I would put in a CD for us to enjoy.  Now, since Brittany was still quite young (age 2-4) and sitting in a booster seat, she was "trapped" a bit at the table while she ate, being able to get tactile stimulation from moving her arms and legs and eating at the same time. 

     At first, I would check out those audio CDs that also included a paperback version of the story.  I'd spread it out on the table and turn the pages as the story progressed.  This helped Brittany to focus what she was listening to with what she was seeing on the pages of the book.

     Over time, as she grew to be five or six years of age, I began to check out some audio stories that no longer came with accompanying books.  It took her a little while to transition to those stand-alone audio stories, but because she was at the breakfast table and still had the freedom to wiggle her arms and legs (and eat food - her favorite!), this worked for her.

     When she was five, I also began having her help big sister Kelsi fold the family's laundry.  Brittany was not thrilled about such an adventure, after she got over the excitement of learning how to fold clothes.  Even though this is the only weekly chore that I pay my children to do around the house, money was not a motivator for her to enjoy folding laundry.  After all, it was WORK.

     So, to help prevent any squabbles or too much silliness while folding clothes, which would greatly slow them down, I began turning on audio stories from chapter books.  Yes, Brittany was too young for listening to an entire chapter - but again, she was in a position where she needed to stay there for an extended length of time, and she was still able to move around and touch things, which provided a tactile stimulus once again, something she really needed.

     Something wonderful happened with Brittany over the next couple of years.  She began to really enjoy listening to audio stories on CD! 

     I was thrilled!  I was SO grateful that the Lord enabled me to see this desire to move and be engaged in one of my children while she did her best to learn to listen!

     We have continued bringing home audio CDs from the library and downloading free stories for the girls to enjoy while folding clothes 1-2 times per week. 

     In fact, if they can't agree on something they'd like to listen to while folding laundry, or we haven't had the chance to run to the library that week, they have a hard time concealing their disappointment...they want something to listen to while doing their chores!  They will listen to music while they fold clothes, but that isn't their first choice.  That makes me smile! 

     Brittany's audio skills will never be the best form of learning for her.  However, at age 10 she is able to handle the challenge of sitting still and listening to the pastor at church, or a lecture on PBS, or a documentary on Netflix. 

     Of course, she still scoots close, turns her back away from me, and gives me her special look which means, "I'm ready for a back scratch, Mom!"

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     Some things never change.  But Brittany's audio skills have improved tremendously, and I am grateful that one of the ways we've helped her was to provide audio stories at her age level and interest level, at the right times of day, in the right way. 

     What kinds of things have you done to improve your children's listening skills?

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Gold of Kings

8/1/2010

2 Comments

 
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    Suspense and anticipation, page by page, are how I describe this 2009 book written by Davis Bunn. 

     How about throwing together three very unlikely characters: 

     Storm, a dealer in art and antiques, who has just been fired by her grandfather in order to protect her life;

     Harry, a professional treasure hunter who has just been released from jail in the Caribbean;

     and Emma, a United States government lawyer who changes sides midstream to join Interpol.

     After various people in the art antiquities business are murdered, these three characters begin attempting to not only solve a whole host of mysteries surrounding those deaths (including Storm's grandfather), but they also throw themselves wholeheartedly into seeking the last treasure that Storm's grandfather ever investigated. 

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     Davis Bunn has masterfully woven a story filled with suspense, intrigue, mystery, and history from ancient times through the Renaissance.

     If I hadn't studied those time periods with my children, recently, I wouldn't have enjoyed this book as much as I did. 

     But don't be afraid to read this if you know nothing or very little about the middle ages and the renaissance.  As you read, go to the computer and google a few topics such as Constantine, Constantinople, and a few other key terms and locations in this story, and you'll be set.  It will only take you a few minutes to do this as you come across certain locations or people in the story, and you'll be glad that you did.

     This is one of my favorite historical fiction books I've read in the last few years, and even if historical fiction isn't your favorite genre, the mystery and suspense, along with a touch of romance, will be enough to pull almost any reader in.  

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    ​​Hi!  I'm Julieanne!
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