homeschool

A Mother-Daughter Reading Club

May 7, 2015 by Guest Writer

Christy was not a reader. Neither was Karen, her mother. So they weren’t excited about the idea of a Homeschool Mother-Daughter Book Club—until they tried it. The dry run, which took place at their home, was so successful that the two decided to take part in several other club meetings!

The elements included in their reading club included four or five girls of similar ages, their mothers (age is not an issue here!), a book that they all agreed on, and a pair of hostesses with adventuresome spirits. Once the members had committed to reading a specific book by the day of the club meeting, the mother-daughter teams made their own reading schedules.

What Mother Daughter Book Club Looked Like

Karen and Christy chose to set aside reading times through the week. Most days they tried to read on their own. But when Christy got bogged down, Karen would read to her. As the club meeting time drew closer, Christy often read aloud while Mom did the ironing. The other reading teams plugged along too, some making better progress than others, but everyone still keeping her eye on the goal—reading the whole book by the meeting time.

Activities to do at the club meeting evolved as Christy and her mom talked about the novel. They decided to start the meeting with a quiz to see who could match the characters with quotations from the book. Christy also searched for foods mentioned in the novel and then typed out the sections, including page numbers, where she found each one. She and Mom had to use some imagination, but those sections from the book determined what they served for refreshments at the meeting. Typed in a special font and printed on colored paper, the quotations made classy looking labels for the different foods. They brainstormed for other ideas and came up with a funny song from the novel’s time period and a game that families of that era used to play.

Excitement was high on the evening of that first Homeschool Mother-Daughter Book Club meeting. Even the few who hadn’t quite finished the book liked getting together, talking about the characters, and comparing favorite parts of the book. Of course, the snacks were a hit too. The meeting ended with another mother-daughter team claiming hostess duty for the next event.

If you’d like to start your own Homeschool Mother-Daughter Book Club, here’s a list of suggested titles to get you started.

Suggested Titles by Grade Level

Grades 2–3

Carolina’s Courage by Elizabeth Yates

Find adventure as Carolina Putnam’s family moves by covered wagon to the plains of Nebraska.

Jenny Wren by Dawn L. Watkins

Jenny, an orphan, learns to trust God and people who love her.

Roses on Baker Street by Eileen Berry

When Danae’s family goes on furlough, she has a difficult time “finding roses” in America.

Very Like a Star by Dawn Watkins

Rigel, the smallest bee in the hive, works to be dependable.

Grades 4–6

Captive Treasure by Milly Howard

Captured by a Cheyenne raiding party, Carrie learns to depend on God.

Feather by Susan Page Davis

Feather is terrified when vicious raiders kidnap her and take her far from her village.

Mary Slessor: Missionary Mother by Terri B. Kelly

A biography of Mary Slessor a missionary to Africa

The Secret of the Golden Cowrie by Gloria Repp

Connie better understands her family as she solves the mystery of the golden cowrie shell.

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Elizabeth Ann’s life is turned upside-down when she goes for an extended visit to the Putneys.

Grades 7–12

Ellanor’s Exchange by Linda Hayner

Miss Ellanor Fitzhugh finds herself in the middle of a dangerous political game as she enters society.

A Sparrow Alone by Alicia Petersen

An orphaned Jewish teenager, Mala meets Jesus of Nazareth, who changes her life.

• • • • •

Written by Gail Y.

A Tale of Microwaves and Greenhouses

April 30, 2015 by BJU Press Writer

Did you ever have one of those moments when you just wanted to test something for yourself? Many good ideas never progress beyond the thinking stage because of a lack of resources, but every once in a while, the opportunity to make that idea a reality presents itself. My coworker Stephen Garrison and I experienced this recently after discussing internet claims that microwaved water causes death or deformation in plants. During our discussion, we gradually realized that we didn’t have to just talk about it; this was something we could test ourselves.

Our conversation might have never have been anything more than another one of those unfulfilled good ideas if biological sciences teacher Ginger Ericson hadn’t needed an example of a controlled experiment for her upcoming seventh-grade Life Science Distance Learning course. Our idea seemed perfect because it would be a fairly simple experiment and because it would test a question that buzzes around the internet.

At the beginning, the biggest obstacle to our plan was finding a location to carry out our experiment. This time of year, temperatures can vary wildly in Greenville. Furthermore, the effects of the different water treatments, if any, would be diminished if the plants were exposed to rain. So we needed a controlled environment, one that filtered out factors such as rain and temperature fluctuations.

We were able to gain access to a fully climatized glass-metal greenhouse. This type of greenhouse is completely enclosed, so no rain can get to the plants inside, and the internal temperature can be kept constant.

Our setup was fairly simple.

We filled fifteen four-inch pots with wet potting soil.

We planted three or four Brassica rapa (turnip) seeds in each pot.

Three groups received a random group of five pots:
- a control group
- a group to be treated with water previously boiled for five minutes on a hotplate
- a group to be treated with water previously boiled for five minutes in a microwave

We placed the pots in the greenhouse and allowed the seeds to germinate.

Now that the plants have germinated, we continue watering each group with the corresponding water treatment and recording measurements for
- plant height,
- number of leaves, and
- number of flowers.

These data should give us an indication of what effect, if any, the different types of water have on the plants. Check back with us in May to find out the results of this good idea turned into reality.

• • • • •

Elwood holds a BA in biology and an MA in English from Bob Jones University. After working with the video lesson department at BJU Press for five years, he now serves as a secondary-level science writer at BJU Press. When not working, he enjoys taking random college classes, reading, playing disc golf, and hanging out with his wife and three kids.

We’ve Updated Our Distance Learning Ordering Process!

April 23, 2015 by BJU Press Writer

Here’s some exciting news about Distance Learning! We’ve streamlined our online ordering process to make purchasing the Distance Learning courses you need quick and easy.

Finding a Course

It’s so easy to find the products. To order any Distance Learning product, just go to Distance Learning and select either the grade or the subject you’re looking for. (The Distance Learning link is also located on bjupresshomeschool.com in the menu at the top.)

Learning About Your Options

The layout of the product pages lets you see all the information at a glance. At the top there’s a picture of what’s included. Just below the picture are sample videos for the grade or subject you’re viewing.

Want to know more? Click the Details, Contents, or Instructor tab located just above the sample videos to get answers to questions you may have about the course.

If you’d like to order the course without books or you need it on DVDs or a Hard Drive (available for Grades 1–8), you can select those choices from the Other Distance Learning Options box to the right of the sample videos.

For some upper-level grade kits, you can choose to include a foreign language course at no extra cost.

For Grades 1–12 (in the Online or DVD format), you can substitute up to two courses (from Grade 1 or above) up or down two grade levels by clicking on Customize my kit. For example, if your child is ahead in math, you can order Grade 1 Distance Learning Online, but substitute Grade 2 Math for Grade 1 Math.

Ordering Your Selection

Once you’ve decided what you would like to order, simply click the Add to Cart button to the right of the product picture.

As part of the checkout process, you’ll need to agree to the terms. Online classes also have a student registration process that sets everything up for access to the online courses.

Check out our Distance Learning courses on bjupresshomeschool.com, and choose the ones that are just right for your kids!

From Student to Teacher

April 21, 2015 by Karin

One summer as a young teenager, I begged my parents not to give me a teaching role in our backyard Bible club. My big sister was the one that all the kids adored, and besides, I got stage fright, even in front of a crowd of five-year-olds. Somehow, I still ended up teaching the missions story for the club. At the first meeting, I read the story directly from the book, making little eye contact with the children. To my surprise, they eagerly listened, and I slowly started to engage them more.

Another summer during my high school years, my parents sent me to a Christian youth camp that focused on preparing teens to lead Bible clubs. We learned how to creatively introduce, explain, and review memory verses and songs. We took notes on the components of a Bible lesson and the basics of classroom management. We practiced sharing the gospel. After our training, we spent the rest of the summer going into the neighborhoods of our city and leading week-long Bible clubs. It was during that time that my heart was irreversibly captured with a love for teaching children, especially teaching them biblical truth.

The next few years brought more opportunities to sharpen my newfound desire to educate—from teaching in Sunday school, vacation Bible school, and after-school Bible clubs to teaching English as a second language in China. I eagerly consumed articles, books, and courses on effective teaching. I even took notes while observing my favorite teachers at church, on BJU Press Distance Learning videos, and at college. Now I have the joy of teaching my own children, the most challenging and rewarding teaching role I’ve ever had. I’m thankful my parents gently pushed me into teaching, unlikely candidate though I was.

I’d like to encourage parents to think of ways they can give their teenage students opportunities to develop teaching skills. It may not come naturally, but students can learn through avenues such as mentoring under an experienced Sunday school teacher, taking a teaching class, reading a book on effective teaching, practicing with younger siblings, and volunteering for children’s ministries at their local church.

The benefits your students will receive from improving their speech and communication skills through teaching might initiate a lifelong career. Learning to teach will likely be an asset in their future families (perhaps even through home education), church ministries, and careers. How will you encourage your teenage students to step out from behind the student desk, face the crowd, and teach?

Family Devotions (Part 6)

April 6, 2015 by Karin

As we teach our children the Scripture during family devotions, we must not miss the main point, which is the gospel, the good news of God’s redeeming plan through Christ. The Bible isn’t merely a book of character-building stories to orient a child’s moral compass; rather, it uncovers our spiritual bankruptcy before a holy God and reveals our wonderful Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

While the gospel is central, there’s a reason the Bible isn’t a four-point salvation presentation in tract form. We ought not to ignore any of God-breathed Scripture, all of which is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, ESV). Even the genealogies, long and tedious as they can be, show the authenticity of the Bible’s history and the faithfulness of God in preserving the line of Christ.

Law, history, poetry, and prophecy in the Old Testament also serve a purpose.

Law

Passages on the law of God point our children to God’s perfection, our inability to meet God’s righteous demands, and the Lamb of God, who perfectly fulfilled the law and shed His blood for our sin “that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24 NKJV). God gives new hearts so believers have the power to obey the imperatives given in the New Testament (1 John 2:3–4, 3:9).

History

The historical books in the Bible dramatically tell our children the story line of redemption, as each character and every event bring us closer to the climax of Christ’s coming. The New Testament writers demonstrated how the Old Testament characters showed our need for Jesus and salvation by faith:

Adam and Eve: Romans 5:12–21
Cain and Abel: Hebrews 11:4
Noah: Hebrews 11:7
Abraham: Galatians 3
Moses: Romans 10:5–10
David: Acts 2:25–36

Poetry

The Bible’s unsurpassed poetry reveals God’s character and works. The worshipful psalms and instructive proverbs teach our children the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). Such reverence should drive them to be reconciled with God through the cross. On the cross, the sinless Christ bore our sin and then rose from the dead in victory over sin and death, granting eternal life to all who turn to Him in repentance and faith.

Prophecy

Reading the books of prophecy with our children reveals man’s stony heart and need for God to give a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). This regeneration was made possible through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. Detailed prophecies pinpointed the person and work of Christ, hundreds of years before He fulfilled them.

As we engage our children in family devotions, we must remember that our children aren’t born with neutral hard drives that simply need to be programmed with the right software. They’re born with the deadly virus of a sin nature passed on from our first father Adam. That’s why Jesus said we must be born again (John 3:3–8).

We can’t cause this change of heart in our children, so that they repent and believe in the Lord Jesus. But we can be faithful to pray for them and teach them through family devotions, so that they when they’re grown, we can remind them of their biblical heritage (2 Timothy 3:14–15).

May the Lord grant us grace in the task of family discipleship. What a privilege we parents have to lead our little ones to the Savior!

Read the previous family devotions posts.