Saturday, November 7, 2015

November 2015 update

I think it is about time for an update on this blog.  I have enjoyed going back and looking at my pictures and posts from the past.  I plan to, one day, come back to this post and see what we were doing in 2015. :-)
    Of course we've been super busy;  in addition to having the Amish working on our house, we have several activities in which the boys are now involved.  Mondays and Wednesdays  Justin sings with the SCCA (Stone City Christian Academy) high school choir.  Monday's class is 45 minutes and Wednesday's is 30 minutes. I usually take the opportunity to take Jonathan and Ryan to the library during that time or to finish up some schoolwork while we wait.
 On Tuesday evenings for 1 hour, for fitness the boys attend a Christian martial arts class (KICKS: Kids in Christ Kicking Sin).   Fridays we volunteer at Bertha's Mission in Mitchell, a food kitchen where we serve the people in our community.
 Yes, we are busy, but we've also simplified in a lot of ways, so that we still have plenty of margin in our lives.  One way that I have simplified is to use computer based software for Justin's & Jonathan's maths, Justin's typing practice and Koine Greek class, and for Jonathan's guitar lessons.  It has been a wonderful decision because it has freed me up to do housework and has helped them to really enjoy their schoolwork.  Jonathan, who used to despise math, actually said, "Mom, I really do enjoy and understand my math now."  "Yay," is what I have to say about that!



As I've mentioned in previous posts, we love to use these trivia cards to help us learn interesting things about science, history, art, Greek & Latin roots.  I usually try to quiz them in the mornings after we have our devotions.  I have added quite a bit of them to our collection since I last posted about them! 

Margin is so important, because it gives the boys time to draw & create interesting things.    Justin drew this bird, created the moving vehicle below it, made the Lego owl magnet and owl drawing:
J

 Ryan made this marble face:
 Jonathan's :
Ryan's left & Jonathan's right portrait drawings:

                           I still think that literature-rich life doesn't just enhance, but IS the very best education for a child.  Thank you, Charlotte Mason! Though you have been deceased for a long time, I appreciate you for introducing your educational philosophy to me!
Nature exploration is imperative for us!


    
We've also attended some interesting seminars this year.  I took Justin to an apologetics seminar by Frank Turek, the boys all attended a martial arts seminar taught by Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, and we also took the boys to a Rock and Gem show a few months ago.  

A fun thing that happened the rock and gem show was that one of our close friends who is a fossil collector showed up at the same time and gave us a tour and introduced us to a lot of people.  Justin bought the large trilobite there.  He loves fossils.

I also have tried to stay informed about what I need to continue doing to educate them in a way that will prepare them for the future.  But I have learned a couple of things that, to me, are very important:

Children are individuals - not factory model molds.  My children are each, as individuals, a whole person.  To me that means that every part of their lives is educational, not just the math & grammar parts.    These parts of their lives, though important, are not the only parts that need to be educated and nurtured.  They need plenty of time to think and to explore their own interests. I believe that God created each one of them with their very own talents that need to be fed. I believe that our home is a natural setting, and they will see how to handle "real world" things by being here and in the community- like housework and yardwork, balancing checkbooks and managing money, how to interact with and minister to people in the community, and what to do when the plumbing needs fixed.  I firmly believe that living life in a natural way, using the world, good books, and real life as our classroom is and has been the one of very best decisions that we as parents have made for these boys. I'm so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to be their mother!