I'm Baaaaack!

Well, I hadn't planned to leave my fledging blog without post for a whole week! But, as homeschoolers especially know, life happens!

This week alone we have been unpacking the house (from the sale that fell through 3 days before our buyers close day, and 1 1/2 weeks before ours), having revival, handling job loss when the company that hired my husband 3 weeks ago decided they did not have enough work to keep him, trying to regroup after a less than stellar start to our school year (gee, I wonder why???? LOL), and handwashing ALL our families dishes since my dishwasher broke!!!! Of course, you would be amazed at the number of things that have broken around here lately! The trash compactor broke a few weeks back- though we were blessed this week to find one in excellent condition for super cheap on Craigslist. The backup battery in the alarm system has died, the flusher thingy on the toilet broke in half. Not long ago my husbands car wouldn't start (ahem, it was the electronic key tumbler for you automotive people out there!), the battery was bad and the starter was cracked. The tires on my van had to be replaced (thanks Dad!) and today, when Jeff was mowing the yard, he came in with yet another broken thing- this time from the lawnmower.
I am also short on some home items that we got rid of in preparation for the move (we're downsizing, or at least we were going to downsize!). Like bookshelves, and a swingset.....

It would be super easy, in situations like this, to be really frustrated and upset. But you know what? I am blessed beyond measure. Who am I to complain? This has been a tough time, really it has been a tough year. Beyond the things going on right now, we have suffered the loss of a family member recently and a miscarriage.

I heard a sermon once where the pastor preached on how, often when the Bible begins to retell something, it says "And it came to pass". This sermon focused on how things like this in life did not come to stay, they came to pass. I know this is true, the burdens and troubles that seem so common these days will not last forever. For now, I know that every need that I have has been met by an awesome God. Not always in my time, but alway on time.

As I work to slowly, but surely, handle all the things that have come about in our lives, I am amazed at how God is working in my life, even in the tough times. I do not relish struggles, but I trust that God will lead our family though them, and one day when telling our story we'll be able to say "It came and It passed".

I hope that if you are passing through struggles, you will also look up, and allow God to sustain you.

Product Review- Jonathan Park

One of my absolute favorite learning materials is an audio series from Vision Forum called Jonathan Park.

We stumbled upon these because my son loves audio recordings. They looked like something he would enjoy, and I trust the content of materials from Vision Forum. So, we ordered a set one year for Christmas. I had no idea what an awesome science/creation/ apologetics study we were about to embark on.

These audios are really fabulous and they are so very informative! They follow young Jonathan Park and his family through all kinds of exciting adventures, while at the same time providing your child (and you!) with a great understanding of the wonderful world God created.

This series has helped my son to gain a firmer foundation in his faith, because he has the answers to questions that so many people are asking. Brandyn has been well known to get into a deep discussion with adults discussing the science of God's creation, evolution, millions of years and dinosaurs. He has begun discussion in his church classes about these things, which opens such wonderful doors for others to learn more about the Bible and our world.

If you are looking for a fun and exciting way to learn science with a firm Biblical foundation, take a look at the Jonathan Park audio series. You can use them as a science study, you can listen to them in the car, or just in your free time. I can really say that they are worth every penny you spend on them! (And no, I don't get paid to say that!)

More on Field Trips- Meeting your Goals

Once you have decided where you are going, and you know what goals you have set for your learning while you are there, you need to decide how to meet those goals.

If you are going to the zoo to study wildlife native to Africa, you will want to get on the zoo website and find out what animals they have from Africa. Then consider how you can travel through the zoo to see the animals you want to see while meeting your needs. One concern we have with toddlers is making sure that we can pass a restroom every 15-20 minutes, take time to think about what concerns your family has and how you can meet them during your trip.

If your zoo has signs with loads of animal information and maps, you can plan to spend time at each animal enclosure reading them and checking out the maps. Try not to narrate the whole thing to your child. Instead you may try something like this "The area in red on the map shows us what part of the world the Panda Bear lives in. Can you look at the map and see where you think this might be?" Be sure to make your conversation appropriate for their age and level.

You will also want to consider what kind of preparation you will want to do with your child. In the above example, you would want to start your study of Africa. Where is it? What kind of climate do they have? What animals may we find there? Laying this foundation will let your child relate to what they see and provide a much better learning experience!

Field Trips- The Where and Why

Being prepared is the first step towards taking a field trip. Where will you go? What will you do when you're there? What things do you want your children to learn and how will your trip accomplish those objectives?

Start by deciding what you want for your child to learn from a trip. For example:

-If you are studying local government, a field trip to your state capital would help your child learn more about our government.

-If you are learning about fire safety, a trip to the fire station and a talk with a fireman would be a great learning tool.

After deciding where you want to go to meet your learning goals, take time to familiarize yourself with the place and what types of things you can expect there. Make a list of things you want your child to learn from the trip (i.e. if you were going to the fire station, you may want your child to be able to recognize a fire truck and also to see a fireman in their fire-rescue outfit so that your child wouldn't be afraid if they ever needed help during a fire).

When I studied fire safety with Ruthie last year, she was afraid of the fireman in their rescue clothes that we studied. They really do look strange to a child who doesn't understand that there is a real person under there who wants to help them! Our library had a fireman come and do a presentation during story time at about the same time we were studying this. So, Ruthie got to see the fireman in his outfit, and then realize that he was really a person under there! He said that he always tries to show children what he looks like in his rescue clothes because in a fire, they are already scared and often try to hide from the fireman.

Once you know what your child needs to learn, brainstorm ways that you can help your child to achieve those objectives during your trip. We'll talk more about this tomorrow!

Field Trips - Preparing Your Children

The most important thing you can do when taking a field trip is to take the time to talk with your children about where you are going, what they will see there, what things they should look out for and also how they should behave. Clearly lay out your goals and expectations.

I prefer to plan some time before (or occasionally after) the trip to lay a foundation, or build upon the foundation of the trip to add to their experience. Often times we learn best by linking things together. I can tell my daughter about the stork at the zoo, but when she sees the stork (which is her FAVORITE animal!), she puts all the information together in her mind and therefore remembers better.

The zoo is one place that we visit fairly frequently, so I do not generally take the time to study animals before we go. However, the last time we went to the zoo, we took pictures of several animals and of the information boards about them. We will use the pictures and info to make a scrapbook about the animals we saw. This allows us to build on the foundation of our visit.

Likewise, you can lay the foundation for your trip before you go. Years ago, my parents were taking a trip to Boston and invited my son Brandyn to go with them. He was in second grade at the time. We took weeks to study the early history of America and places, things, and people he would be able to learn about and see when he was in Boston. This study really paid off, because even years later he is the most informed child I know about the Revolutionary War and that time period.

Tomorrow we'll talk about some other things you can do to make your field trip most productive!

Field Trips

One of my top 10 reasons for homeschooling is to give my children the opportunity to learn about life through living! There are so many wonderful opportunities available to teach our children (and probably us adults too!) more about our world & our past.

We live farther in the country, and while we do take trips to the zoo, museums, farmers markets, presidents homes, our state capital, etc., we much prefer to stay a bit closer to home. It works better with the baby's nap time and saves money on gas.

Some trips that you could probably find within a fairly short drive are:
- police station
- fire station
- post office
- hospital
- library
- print shop
- veterinarian
- farm/orchard
- city hall

We also like to keep an eye out for cool events that we know our family may enjoy, such as Colonial Festivals, Threshing Days, Harvest Festivals or Indian Pow Wows. You can watch for these type of things in your city's newspaper or on their website. Your homeschool support group can also be a great source of information. Many support groups also organize field trips that you can take part in!

Remember to check back in on Monday, we'll be talking about how to prepare our kids for field trips.

Legal Pad Give Away Winner

Congratulations to Danielle! She is the winner of 3 free legal pads! Thanks to you all for reading and leaving a comment!