October 21, 2008 by KellyH.

One of the “classes” I teach my children is Life Skills. I used to not count it as a class… it was just ‘life.’ But lately I find that I’m doing more and talking less. So, I’ve tried to change that by including them in what I’m doing. My daughter is still a bit young to keep proper tension for crocheting, but she enjoys sitting next to me while I crochet. My two younger sons enjoy making pillows with my sewing machine.

My latest project is the task of using up extra yarn. To teach that, I made a turtle pillow from scrap yarn. The main body of the turtle was made from yarn I had leftover after making an afghan for my daughter.

I enjoy crocheting. I can sit near my husband while he watches football or a NASCAR race, have a child cuddling next to me, or sit alone and listen to music. Many years ago, while pregnant with my first son, I began making an afghan. It would be a ‘playmat’ for my new baby to lay on. Because of its size, I soon set it aside and promptly forgot about it. It remained unfinished for years. Then one year I found a pattern for a Bible afghan. It was composed of blocks, which made it easy to work on, and each block represented a Bible passage. I completed that within a few months.

The Bible afghan inspired me to dig out my baby afghan and finish it. Last year I completed the baby afghan. I presented it to my oldest since I had originally made it for him. Being 17, he politely declined. I gave it to his youngest brother. You may notice that the water has a section that is a different color–I ran out of blue yarn. Since I had bought all my yarn 17 years ago, I was unable to get an exact match. I told my son, “that’s the deep end of the pond.”

One of my other sons took such an interest in the baby afghan that I agreed to make him an afghan, too. He found a really neat pattern, and I proceeded to make him a flag afghan.

I’ve picked out a few more afghans that I really want to make, but I’m not sure who will get them. As my husband said, “make it — we’ll find a home for it.” I think I may make a few more turtle pillows, too.

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September 5, 2008 by KellyH.

As I go through the new lessons, I’m editing the work that Grace and Pam have done–meshing it together, splitting it where possible, trying to arrange each unit just so. As I move along, I pull up pages from the last unit to use as templates (for continuity). I think that’s one of the things that is slowing me down. I’m trying to make notes as I go, sort of create a style sheet for the pages. It’s tedious. Earlier this week was my birthday, and I spent the day creating Language Arts lessons for one of the units. My mom called to wish me happy birthday and she asked what I was doing. After I explained about the editing and the fleshing-out of the curriculum, she said, “That sounds like work.” I said it was, but that I was really, really enjoying it!

I LOVE doing this! The hardest part is coming up with Science lessons, or Social Studies lessons. I’m better at Creative Writing and Language Arts, and even Life Skills (yeah, I’m including Life Skills in this curriculum). But, I have lots of ladies to bounce ideas off of, and they’re all praying for this curriculum to get finished. I can’t wait myself!

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August 18, 2008 by KellyH.

Every now and then I stumble upon a homeschool bulletin board and find questions about using The Weaver Curriculum. Recently, I found a post that really saddened me. The woman said she could not use Weaver because of the time involved to prepare the lessons. At first, I thought she was probably over-organizing things and trying to memorize the lesson plans. But then I read how long she is taking to prepare: 45 minutes.

Forty-five minutes! This mom felt that 45 minutes was too long to spend to prepare for the day of educating her children. I started thinking about activities that take 45 minutes to complete…

• Cleaning the pool
• Quiet Time
• Making supper
• Preparing for church (includes washing my hair)
• Washing a load of laundry

I’m sure there’s more, but those are the first that come to mind. Is 45 minutes too much time when it comes to my children? Obviously not since I spend about that much time cooking for them each night.

How much time does a pastor spend preparing Sunday’s sermon? Or the Sunday school teacher; how much time is spent preparing to teach one day a week? What if a hairdresser didn’t take time to talk to the client, but just started cutting and curling her hair. The client would not get what she needs from that hairdresser! Doctors, plumbers, police officers–they all spend time learning their trade so they can do their best to serve their clients. Your children are your clients. Have you spent any time preparing for their education?

How much prep time is too much? For each family it will be different. Perhaps 45 minutes is too much, but if it is then I suggest the family check into another form of educating their children. Where are you spending your time? Is that activity more important than your child’s education? Is your child worth your time? Only you can answer that.

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August 11, 2008 by KellyH.

Can I do this with little ones?

Yes, you CAN do this! Many of us do! But… BUT!… it takes some commitment and some sacrifices on your part.

I’m used to popping in a BJU video to ‘do school’ while I tend to the little ones, housework, etc.

Instead of letting your TV, or some textbook, or even some worktext, “teach” your children, YOU will have to do it! You will have to set aside your housework, just like you would if you were going out to work each day. You will have to find a way to include your younger children, or work around them, just like you would if you were teaching Sunday school class with a few unruly children in attendance.

What many women have found helpful is to have “chore time” in the morning–usually the time right after breakfast. Spend about half an hour getting some sort of house cleaning done, or whatever needs doing (laundry, crock pot cooking, etc). Immediately following this is school. You’ll be distracted by the little ones frequently, but it’s important to get right back to school as soon as possible. Show your children how important their education is to you!

Another trick that is often used, is working one-on-one with the children. While you are working with one, the others tend to the little ones. Then you trade off and work with another child while the first one tends to the little ones. The beauty of homeschooling is that it teaches priorities. The needs of the younger siblings are important, but teaching them to wait, or to be quiet, or to entertain themselves, is part of their schooling. The older students learn these same qualities, as well as discipline to not run off whenever Mom turns her back. (A couple of mine are still working on this trait!)

The ladies who make up the U-Weaver email list are here to support you as you homeschool your children. But, the work must be done by YOU. We’re just words on your computer screen–we can’t teach your children for you–but we CAN pray for you, and we will!

Posted in Frequently Asked Questions | Print | 1 Comment »

August 6, 2008 by KellyH.

Back in December AOP offered me the chance to help write their Web content for the Weaver line of products. After much prayer and discussion with my husband, I gladly accepted the job. When I completed the Weaver line, I was invited to help with the LIFEPAC^(R) line–again, I accepted the job. I finished my part of the job mid-February and then turned down the opportunity to help further because of the need to prepare for a writing conference I was going to attend in March.

I’m happy to announce that AOP’s new Web site is now LIVE! This is a really, really
cool site, too! An initial skim through shows that it’s not just a bunch of links–it’s information, too! And if you find the info helpful, there’s a place “rate” the page. How cool is that?!

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I’d like to point out the sections that God graciously allowed me to help with:

Start by going to http://www.aop.com/.

You’ll see four boxes, with the first being “Visit AOP Homeschooling.” Click there.

On the next page, at the left, there is an arrow next to “The Weaver Curriculum.” Click that and you’ll see “overview” and “curriculum.” Click on “curriculum.”

Click on any of the folders for the various Weaver products and you’ll be taken to short description pages. Click on the name of the product for more info, and you’ll be taken to the long description page. I wrote all those descriptions!

If you go back to the homeschooling page, you can click on the arrow next to “LIFEPAC^(R).” Click on “Grades.” Click on “3rd Grade.” That first product, the 5-Subject Set, I didn’t write. But I wrote all the other descriptions for 3rd grade!

There was minimal editing; as I compare what I wrote with what’s posted, I see they kept about 95% or more of my original descriptions.

I’m just so tickled! I’m still in awe that God brought this opportunity to me, that I could be of service to this company.

Tell all your homeschooling friends to check out the new site. And encourage them (and yourselves) to use the “Was This Page Helpful” stars to rate the pages. This will help AOP to fine tune the descriptions in the future. (Hopefully all of my descriptions will be helpful, and they’ll ask me to write more content for them in the future!) Be sure to leave a testimony (see the tabs at the bottom of the description pages) for any products you’ve used–let others know about products that you’ve found helpful!

Posted in Resources | Print | 1 Comment »

July 19, 2008 by KellyH.

While we were outside the other day (saying goodbye to visitors–Hi, LaDawn!) my children spotted a small snake near the edge of the driveway. He was small, so we thought he was a young snake. I got my camera and snapped a few photos so we could find out what type of snake he was.

Imagine my surprise when we discovered this is a Western Pygmy Rattlesnake!

He was a tiny little guy. See those twigs? That longest one is only about four inches long. According to OKSnakes.org, this guy is probably full grown.

And, yes, he’s venomous–all rattlesnakes are venomous. No, we never heard a rattling sound. This is a very small snake, with a very small rattle–hard to hear in most cases, and I’m glad I didn’t let any of my children get close enough to try to hear it!

Once I had identified the snake, I was quick to explain to each of my children that this snake could hurt them. I’ve been trying to give them all a healthy respect for wildlife. I don’t want them to get hurt through ignorance or naivety.

How safe are your children? Do you know what kinds of snakes and spiders reside in your neighborhood? Check your local library for books on snakes, spiders, and other forms of wildlife. Learn to identify the more common critters. Teach your children to be safe and keep their distance.

Posted in Science | Print | No Comments »

July 4, 2008 by KellyH.

Although it’s just the beginning of July, thousands of homeschooling parents around the world are gearing up for their child’s senior year of high school. As school begins again in the next month or two, they’ll start to make plans for graduation next spring. Having just gone through this process, I shared how it was organized in my article, Organizing a Homeschool Graduation, at Suite101.com.

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July 2, 2008 by KellyH.

I’ve become a contributing writer for Suite101.com. My first article, titled Clean Up Your Homeschooling Area, was recently posted. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Posted in Teaching Tips, Miscellaneous | Print | No Comments »

June 30, 2008 by KellyH.

I just made the most amazing meal! I don’t know why I haven’t tried it before, except that I was afraid my family wouldn’t eat it. I’ve had bland chicken and dumplings in the past, but this recipe tasted delicious!

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Chicken ‘N’ Dumplings

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 T. oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 can biscuit dough (10 biscuits)

Cut the chicken into large pieces. Place in a large saucepan with the vegetables and chicken broth, and simmer until chicken and vegetables are tender (about 5-10 minutes).

While this is cooking, combine the oil and flour in a small saucepan to form a paste. Add the milk and spices, and then heat over medium heat until it begins to thicken, while stirring constantly.

Pour the sauce into the pan with the chicken and vegetables. Stir until the sauce is blended into the chicken mixture. Place the biscuit dough over the chicken pieces, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the biscuits are done.

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That’s all there is to it! If you’re interested in more delicious recipes like this, check out Miserly Meals, by Jonni McCoy. That’s where this recipe came from. This is so easy to make, you can even make it for lunch! And if my family liked it, your’s will too!

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May 12, 2008 by KellyH.

Warm weather brings so many distractions: prepping the pool for summer; hikes in the nature park; parking farther away from building entrances to get more exercise; cleaning up the yard; and the list goes on. Although I’m not much of an ‘outdoor’ person, I do enjoy relaxing outside while visiting with friends and relatives. Last week I had the opportunity to do that while visiting my mom.

My two youngest were daring enough to swim in the lake at Grandma’s house. These two are fish; they had splashed around in our in-ground pool the day before as it was filling. I think the lake was slightly warmer, but not by much!

Church activities and out-of-town visitors are another big distraction. Two of my sons are helping with the Upwards football evaluations this week, keeping them busy after supper each night. My cousin called today and we hammered out plans for her to visit with a few of her children. I say “a few” because she has twelve. Yes, I said twelve, and the ten youngest are boys. She’s only bringing five boys, leaving the other five with their older sisters and father.

How can I best utilize these distractions for educational purposes? I’m hoping to keep the children informed and involved in all that’s happening and being planned. I’ll keep them focused on seeing the world through God’s eyes with guided discussions and questions when possible. I’ll also use the distractions to keep the children busy while I plan out our next unit of study!

Posted in Life Skills, Teaching Tips | Print | No Comments »