Appetities

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Welcome to the 24th edition of A Living Education E-zine! We have had a busy month so far as we have under taken to grow all our own vegetables. This has involved so many learning experiences for our children, from math to co-operation and research skills to good attitudes when the going gets tough.

Possibly the most exciting happening for me is that with the exception of two pages of the almost 200 on this site, my conversion is done! I am so happy with the final result. Besides for the aesthetic enhancements that have been made, I have tried to make the site as user friendly as possible.

This now means that I have more time to devote to other areas of my life which have taken a back seat for the last while.

Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason often talked about the science of relations that our children develop when they are exposed to a liberal curriculum which encompasses great thoughts, beautiful art, worthy people and other such uplifting ideals.

These things are part of our children’s everyday lives as we choose to give them a large life experience. But at the same time there are other things that our children form relationships with – some that we may introduce and others that come into their lives through friends and other contacts.

As parents we have the ability to begin creating appetites in our children which seem harmless but as the relationship develops we notice the fruit is not good. This is when we need to not turn the other way but rather be sure to address these appetites in our children. More on this in the next section…

Raising Children

As we are raising children who need to live the majority of their lives in a world vastly different from the one we grew up in – well for my generation certainly – we need to ensure they are equipped with the right skills to be able to work in this computer age.

Some people equate playing computer games with computer skills. These are two vastly different skills. Gaming requires very little creative effort, cognitive ability or intellectual skill. Many gamers will argue that they use logic and reason…but in my opinion neither of these is in balance with the addictive quality of the game itself. There is much research on the web about how gaming (in any form) actually stunts the brain’s growth

Computer games and other such entertainment like Wii, Nintendo, Playstation and PSP’s create an appetite in our children which will more than likely become an issue when they are in their teens. These things rob more than they give, not only to the individual but to the whole family and looking into the future, appetites are created which can become contentious issues in marriages.

I am probably preaching to the converted and you may be wondering why I am focusing on this one issue as there are many other things that can take our children’s hearts. My point simply is that when our children are exposed to things we need to be very sure we know the long term implications. Like any seed that is sown in their hearts, both good and bad fruit can grow. Therefore I encourage parents to be very sure what appetites they are developing in their children.

Organizational Tips

I have a drawer in my kitchen which holds all the charger leads for cell phones, cameras and other items. The easiest way to keep them from tangling is to wind the cord around the plug and wrap an elastic band around it. See more organizational tips

Your Marriage

I have a set of prayer cards on my desk where I come to every morning to pray and read my Bible. They are Stormie O Martin’s generic cards, but they are very helpful to me when I feel like I have a hard heart towards my husband or simply just a mouthful of teeth and not a mindful of words.

She has an incredibly encouraging article about the way the Lord changed her and ultimately her husband through her prayers which you can read here

Quote

“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.” ~Bill Beattie

“A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.” ~George Santayana

“Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it.” ~William Haley

Book review

I am currently reading through Sonlight’s History of God’s Kingdom books for my daughter for her 2009 studies. She will be working through this program mostly on her own but I want to know ahead of time the materials that she will be reading and the issues presented so that I can be her mentor through the program.

One book has stood out amongst the array of fabulous books I have read so far. The Flames Of Rome is an accurate historical account in novel form of Nero’s reign and his persecution of the Christians in Rome. This is not a book for young readers and I would advise parents to pre read it before giving it to their older teen. The reason why it impacted me was the accuracy with which is was written shows the absolute worst of Rome against a backdrop of the young Christian church and the apostles who were ministering to them as well as the handful of roman leaders who did all they could to help them during this time. A fantastic, but disturbing read.

Homeschool Curriculum for Life News!

There are three other items I would like to bring to my readers attention. As some of the older subscribers to this E-zine may know, I started a second site in January. My goal with this site was to provide moms of toddlers a great resource to help them through the young years. It is not a specific homeschooling toddler’s site, but rather a way to reach moms who have never considered homeschooling their children through the school years. There is still so much to be done on this site, but as my time is limited these days it will grow at a much slower pace to what my Homeschool Curriculum For Life did. So without further ado, please pop over to my newest site www.toddler-activities-at-home.com and enjoy your visit. Please drop me a note from my contact form and give me your impressions.

I was contacted by one of this E-zine’s subscribers about her new concept which I think is ingenious. Amy and her family have started a homeschool house swap whereby you can swap houses for a vacation with other homeschoolers across the States. Be sure to visit Homeschool Neighbour to find out what they are all about.

And lastly – 4 years ago the Lord brought a true “Titus 2” woman into my life. His timing couldn’t have been better. Linda has become a true friend, although we have never met but we chat almost daily –isn’t cyberspace wonderful? Through her counsel and example she has encouraged me to allow myself to be set free in so many areas that I can know my Lord more fully, love my husband and children and create margin in my life so that our home can be the main tool used in discipling our children. Linda has created a website for Christian woman where they can sign up for her reading plans as she takes you on a journey in being released to love. You can find Linda’s site at www.revived-christian-woman.com. As there is so much to read on her site, I do encourage you to sign up for the reading plans which are listed on her site map. May you too be blessed by the work of the Lord in Linda’s life.

Take care until next time,
God’s richest blessings to you as you homeschool,
Wendy

PS Please pay it forward by sending this E-zine on to other homeschooling moms who will benefit from my thoughts. If you received this from a friend, sign up here