BJU Press Blog

Successful Learning

You want your children to succeed in their education. We do too. We offer practical tips for teaching your children math, science, writing, and more! These tips can be applied to any homeschool curriculum. There are also highlights of our new textbooks with examples of how our curriculum trains your children to have success in their learning.

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Black History Month

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February is coming up soon, and for educators that means Black History Month is too. Below you’ll find a quick reference guide for several figures in American history (who I think are inspiring!) as well as a list of kid-friendly resources for Black History Month. This list is not comprehensive but provides some ideas to help you get started. Happy learning!

Phillis-Wheatley-poem-2016

Notable Figures in U.S. History:

Phillis Wheatley (1753–84)

Phillis Wheatley distinguished herself as an early American poet. Her works clearly express her inner thoughts and reveal how much influence Christianity and a classical education had on her. “On Being Brought from Africa to America” uses color imagery on multiple levels to emphasize the poem’s message. What is arguably Wheatley’s most impressive accomplishment was her success in getting published at a time when few women—let alone those of African descent—were viewed as serious writers.

Learn more about Phillis Wheatley

Study three of her poems

Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827-1901)

Mr. Revels served as a chaplain in the Civil War. After the war, he became the first African American U.S. Senator, representing the state of Mississippi. His willingness to forgive Confederates as well as his advocacy for racial equality marked his time in Congress. He was a true leader and a Christian.

Learn more about Hiram Rhodes Revels

Doris “Dorie” Miller (1919–43)

“Dorie” Miller bravely served his country in the U.S. Navy. December 7, 1941, was a defining day in his life. During the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Dorie quickly found a machine gun and returned fire on the enemy. He received the Navy Cross for his actions in the attack.

Learn more about Doris “Dorie” Miller

Additional Resources:

What do you highlight during Black History Month?

Homemade Christmas Gifts

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I always encourage my children to make gifts to give their grandparents and other extended family members for Christmas. My children enjoy making them, and other family members enjoy receiving them. Below are some of the gifts we made at our house this year.

Necklaces (recommended for children 4+)

These are very simple and inexpensive to make. Just purchase some large metal washers (from any store that sells home-improvement items), some inexpensive nail polish, and some narrow ribbon. Paint the metal washers with nail polish, and apply a clear top-coat once the paint dries. Cut an eighteen-inch piece of ribbon and thread it through.

painted metal washer with ribbon

Wooden Spoons (recommended for children 3+)

Purchase some wooden spoons. Wrap painter’s tape around each spoon, halfway up the handle. Allow young artists to paint a design on the handle with acrylic paint. (You can use washable tempera paints as well.) Allow the spoons to dry completely before removing the tape, and then cover the painted area with a nontoxic sealant.

painted wooden serving spoon and fork

Homemade Ornaments (recommended for children 2+)

This one was a little more time-consuming, but still inexpensive and fun. Start by making the dough (recipe below). I did this part during nap time since it involves constantly stirring a mixture on the stove.

Ornament Dough
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup water
Directions

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan (mixture will be thin). Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens enough to form a ball. Remove from heat and cover the pan with a wet paper towel to cool.

After the dough has cooled off, knead it several times and roll it into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Allow children to use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Young children may also enjoy molding the dough into their own shapes (my toddler did!). Place the shapes onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Use a drinking straw to cut out circles at the top. Let the ornaments air-dry overnight to harden, or bake them in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 250 degrees.

These ornaments are a pure-white color, especially if you allow them to air dry. (Baking them in  the oven may result in backs that are slightly browned). You can thread ribbon through them, and give them away as-is. Or you can decorate them with paint, glitter, and beads like my kindergartner did.
tree and bell Christmas ornaments

Did you make Christmas gifts with your family or class this year? Tell me about it in a comment.

Welcome to October!

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Welcome to October! A wonderful month characterized by cooler weather, remembering important discoveries, and (for me) family celebrations. This tenth month of the year brings joy and happiness in so many little ways. But I have to admit there’s also something about this month that I always found puzzling—its name.

Have you ever wondered what the word October means?

Curiosity finally got the better of me, so I looked up the meaning. Names are important because they can describe a person, give insight into the meaning behind a concept, and provide understanding of a place or thing. The word October is no exception. The etymology of the word is Latin.

Its prefix, octo, means eight.

Other words that use the prefix octo are octopus (eight tentacles), octagon (eight sides), and octave (eight notes). But remember, October is the tenth month of the year. So where’s the connection with the number eight?

image of a desk calendar opened to October 1

The meaning of October relates to the Roman calendar.

The ancient Roman calendar, a lunar calendar, only has ten months in a year. As its name suggests, October was the eighth month in that calendar. However, over time the Roman calendar was replaced by the Julian calendar; and then later the Gregorian calendar—which is what we still use today. The current system is a solar calendar of twelve months. That’s right—October now finds its place as the tenth month in the Gregorian calendar despite the meaning of its name.

Curious about the third syllable in the word Oc•to•ber?

According to Dictionary.com, the ending “is probably from -bris, an adjectival suffix.” This explanation also ties back to the Roman calendar. It’s believed that the first several months of the calendar were named according to the agricultural seasons, but the rest of the months were simply named according to their corresponding number placement in the Roman calendar.¹ So October is not the only month whose name reveals its placement in the Roman calendar—September (seventh month), November (ninth month) and December (tenth month) do too. Now isn’t that neat!

What do you enjoy most about the month of October?

¹ december. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/december (accessed: September 28, 2013).

September Is for Reading Books and Hugging Grandparents

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I love to read. It’s one of my favorite things to do—that and spending time with family, like my grandparents. What could be better than an afternoon spent with a book or a beloved grandparent? Because both of those are important to me, I was excited to see that September celebrates them. In addition to being Read-A-New-Book Month, September is also the time to celebrate National Grandparents’ Day! Need a little inspiration to celebrate these holidays? Keep reading for some ideas.

image of a stack of novels

As an educator, you can use books for just about anything. If it’s a rainy day, let a few students choose a favorite book to read aloud to the class. Or when your class seems to need some quiet time, have the students read silently at their own desks or in a specially designated spot in the classroom. One of my favorite things when I was in school was the teacher reading to us. It was usually a book I hadn’t read, so with my teacher’s help I was reading a new book. And discovering new favorite stories!

But how you can you and your students celebrate grandparents? Since grandmothers and grandfathers treasure just about anything their grandchildren give them (aside from empty candy wrappers), it’s great to make something that they can keep in a scrapbook or photo album. You could have your students write about a favorite thing that they’ve done with a grandparent—like picking apples. They can also write down stories that their grandparents have told or draw pictures to illustrate them. Give your students some nice paper (construction  paper or cardstock) and maybe even stickers or stamps to dress up their work. Then invite them deliver their masterpieces to their grandparents. (You might want to send along some tissues in case their grandparents tear up.)

Are you excited about September? I sure am! I hope that you have a happy month and enjoy the beginning of autumn.

Loving the vivid fall colors,
Carolynn

What are you looking forward to this month?

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August activities

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August is here, and, for many of you, that means the beginning of a new school year is fast approaching. Although you might not be teaching yet, here are a few August-related ideas that you can use in your classroom throughout the year.

forsterite-olivine
Forsterite, Olivine by Rob Lavinsky/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0

Science:  August’s birthstone is the peridot, which is gemstone-quality olivine. If you’re studying gemstones in science class, you may want to have your students look up the color, crystal system, cleavage, fracture, luster, hardness, specific gravity, and streak of their birthstones. Before you begin, ask students the simple question, “Where do minerals (such as olivine) come from?” Christian students will likely answer, “God made them,” and that is certainly true. However, as the following text from Earth Science explains, the Flood had a huge impact on the location and variety of minerals in the earth:

The Flood completely transformed the earth’s surface. The catastrophic processes of the Flood broke apart the original materials that God had made during the creation week, both physically and chemically. New minerals and ores formed in different places. Though the Flood is a testimony of God’s judgment in the devastation of the earth, it is also a testimony of His grace in providing new minerals for man to use.

—Earth Science (4th ed.),  p. 194

Literature: August 6 is Alfred Lord Tennyson’s birthday. Elements of Literature includes one of his poems entitled “Lady Clare.” The poem explores the nature of true love. Encourage critical thinking in your students by asking them questions related to the poem’s theme. Below are some examples of critical-thinking questions from the Teacher’s Edition of Elements of Literature.

What does it mean to truly love someone? How does one demonstrate true love? What does true love look like in a person’s daily life? How does it manifest itself in the midst of difficult situations or obstacles? What does true love value most in a person?

—Elements of Literature Teacher’s Edition (2nd ed.), p. 311

Heritage Studies: August 6 is also the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima near the end of World War II. Help your students understand the devastation this bomb caused to the city by showing them pictures of the aftermath. Or search history.com for video footage of the atomic bomb being assembled, the Manhattan project, and more.

Do you know of any other teaching resources related to August? Let me know in a comment!