BJU Press Blog

How a New Homeschooler Balances Her Day

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about homeschooling. Even though I was homeschooled for more than six years, the idea of setting up my own homeschool is overwhelming. There’s a lot to think about and plan for. One topic that I’ve been researching lately is scheduling. One of the big benefits of homeschooling is flexibility in scheduling the school year. When you start and when you finish is completely up to you. But individual days need to be scheduled too if learning objectives are going to be met.

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How much flexibility should there be in the daily schedule?

One homeschool blog that I have found particularly helpful is No Twiddle Twaddle. The author, Bethany, is a new homeschool mom, and she has blogged a bit about their first year. Her post “10 Tips for Starting to Homeschool” is a great resource for those of us who are just getting started. I love the way that she adds personal illustrations to each of her big ideas.

In this post, Bethany mentions the need to balance flexibility with structure. First, she urges her readers to take advantage of the flexibility that homeschooling offers.

I found that allowing ourselves the enjoyment of the flexibility of homeschooling helped keep our family from getting stressed out by the demands of homeschooling, and it also helps my kids stay on task when they know that working hard means extra time for play.

But she also mentions the need for structure.

It’s great to be flexible, but I quickly found out that starting lessons late in the morning meant school stretched forever into the afternoon (which is no fun when the sun is shining outside). I also found that I needed to be firm about making my kid use the bathroom and eat a decent breakfast before school. You really can’t learn anything when you are taking a gazillion breaks.

Bethany’s comments about the need for balance in every homeschool was a good reminder for me. I doubt my homeschool will lack structure—I tend to be a very task-oriented person. But I need to remember to pay attention to the needs of my students. Nurturing my children is infinitely more important than crossing off the items on the daily to-do list. I imagine that schoolwork may need to be put off some days in order to deal with heart issues. And that’s OK.

The tips in Bethany’s article gave me a lot to think about. Among other things, she talks about the need for a support structure, for organization, and for being teachable and learning from our own mistakes. If you are like me and are thinking about taking the plunge into homeschooling, I recommend that you read the rest of her excellent blog post.

BLOOD

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When I was a youngster and would get a cut or scrape, I remember my mother saying, “Let it bleed and it will clean itself out.” Blood cleans a wound. When it comes to the wound of sin, only Christ’s blood can wash and heal. His faithfulness in presenting Himself as a sacrifice means that sin’s corruption need not overtake our souls and drag us down to hell.

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“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). The blood of Christ was the atoning sacrifice that provided forgiveness of sins to all who will believe. God forgives believers on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. “How much more shall the blood of Christ . . . purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14). “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The present tense verb cleanseth promises constant cleansing through the blood of Christ. John refers to Jesus Christ the faithful witness, and prays, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, . . . to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5–6).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The blood of Christ cleanses us.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (January 13 reading).]

Mice of the Herring Bone: The Triumph of Civility

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TWP-Mice-Herring-Bone-12-2015he mouse-duo of Charles and Oliver scamper across the pages of Tim Davis’s adventure tale being clever, brave, and comical. Their first perilous encounter is with some rough-hewn pirate canines, who convincingly flaunt their lack of class. At first unaware of the presence of mouse spies, the undignified and impetuous sea-dogs spill their plot to steal a sunken treasure after her majesty’s ship—the Nine Lives—has done all the work of bringing it up. Excitement follows when Charles and Oliver are discovered and captured by the motley crew. But through a series of unfortunate and fortunate events, the mice escape from the Herring Bone and resolve to take their chances aboard the Nine Lives, which—as its name indicates—is “manned” by a mouse’s worst real-world enemies.

Spoiler Alert!

Where “rough and rude” was the order of the day on the Herring Bone, by contrast, the Nine Lives proves to be a place of polite decorum. And Charles and Oliver’s brave risk and cleverness save the day for the patient felines. The Nine Lives crew gets to hang on to the treasure, the crusty canines get marooned on an island, and the mice sail off into the sunset with the prospect of reward from the queen herself. As civility triumphs, Charles and Oliver are likely to become your child’s new heroes.

Few fictional characters delight young readers more than well-personified animals. Believable personalities combined with a stellar plot easily draw listeners/readers into a satisfying fantasy experience. Charming ink illustrations pepper the pages. Kick off this JourneyForth series with Mice of the Herring Bone and then continue your delightful midwinter romp with Mice of the Nine Lives, Mice of the Seven Seas, and Mice of the Westing Winds Books 1 & 2.

Last Chance for Stanford 10!

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It’s that time of year—time to start planning for spring standardized testing. Remember, these tests shouldn’t be “high stakes.” They’re more like a checkup that monitors growth. When I was a kid, I loved testing. I was tested by our local homeschool support group every year from first grade through eighth grade.  I know standardized testing was a headache for my mom (she coordinated the whole thing for about forty families), but it was great for us kids. There were three half-days of testing. Each day after our testing, we’d get to play together for a couple of hours. And when we were all finished, we had a huge pizza party.

Here at BJU Press we just finished mailing out our 2016 Testing Catalog this week. If you’re used to using the Stanford Achievement Test Series (known as Stanford 10), this is an important year. Pearson, the publisher of the Stanford 10, is discontinuing the test after this year. Pearson is also discontinuing the related abilities test called the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test® (or OLSAT®).

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If you’re looking for an alternative to the Stanford 10, the Iowa Tests® are a good option. The homeschool support group that my family participated in switched from Stanford to Iowa Tests when I was in third grade. In fact, the Iowa Form C is the most up-to-date standardized test available. BJU Press enables you to test any time of the year with the Iowa Tests. You can browse the Iowa Tests on our homeschool website. If you decide to use the Stanford 10, here are a couple of important dates to keep in mind.

          April 30 is the last day to order Stanford Tests.

          May 31 is the last day to send completed Stanford Tests back for scoring.

It’s very important to observe these dates. BJU Press is not permitted to fulfill any Stanford Tests orders after April 30, 2016, or to score Stanford Tests after May 31, 2016. And of course, no one wants to do standardized testing in the summer anyway . . .

Happy testing!

ALL

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Because the Lord Jesus was “tempted in all points like as we . . . yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), He understands every temptation I face. I rejoice in the “all’s” shared below. I rest in the confidence that Christ’s work leaves nothing undone.

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“When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). God is with His people to extend comfort in every trouble they may encounter. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). God does not treat His children as orphans. God has a bountiful supply of blessings for every believer. The believer should heed Peter’s exhortation, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God cares vastly more for the believer than any parent could for his child. “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: God shall supply all your need.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (January 6 reading).]