Field Trip to a Cheese Farm

In November, we went to a Cheese Farm/Store to see how cheese is made.  Unfortunately, they were finished making cheese when we arrived and were cleaning up, but we saw some photos on the wall, as well as a video showing and explaining the process.

 We were able to watch some ladies cut the cheese into smaller blocks.

This young lady is putting out some samples.  There were samples all around the store, so we got to taste lots of great cheeses!

These ladies were packaging the cheese by coating the cheese with a thick wax and applying a sticky label. 

We were able to buy a couple different kinds of cheeses in their store to take home.  Yummy!

What Do You Know about Benjamin Franklin?

Do you know he was self-educated?  Do you know all of the things he invented or started?  Do you know how instrumental he was in the beginning of the United States?

Our youngest son and I learned lots of great things about Benjamin Franklin by reading:

We learned how difficult his life was at times and what a remarkable person he truly was.  We thoroughly enjoyed this story and will remember it for a long time to come.  Read this wonderful book and learn more about Benjamin Franklin today!

Lapbooks

Lapbooks are fun, creative and great for the hands-on learner.  Our youngest son made three of them this year.

In the center of this one, are the lyrics for the old song "Rockin' Robin", which our son learned as a fun part of this lapbook.

 Above and below, you can see how some of these items open up to reveal information about each bird.

The following photos are of the largest lapbook we did.  It was a huge project that ended up taking us months to complete.  The theme is Christmas Around the World.  There was also a coloring page to go with each country, so he colored them and we hung them on the wall.

The large flap that says "Australia" and has a kangaroos can be lifted to reveal three small booklets that tell about Christmas Preparation, Traditions and one other aspect of Christmas in Australia.  Each country had these.  Also, the smaller one at the top that says "All About Australia" is a booklet.  You can turn the pages and see Australia's flag, read about famous landmarks, famous features and fun facts.  Each country also includes one of these, as well as some of the country's Christmas songs, recipes and a craft or two. 

Our son had fun doing all of these lapbooks but said his favorite one is the one on Birds.  He loves to learn about animals of all kinds.  

You can find many resources for creating lapbooks on the internet at places like Pinterest or websites such as www.homeschoolshare.com.  Many of these offer free templates and free downloadable printables, making it even easier to create a lapbook.

Making a Salt Dough Map

Our middle son is studying The Mystery of History Volume One this year.  I love reading the lessons with him and having the Biblical history and World history together so you can see the connection of what was going on in different parts of the world at the same time the people and happenings of the Bible, that we are so familiar with, were happening.  One particular lesson required our son to make a salt dough map of Israel and Judah and to include a flag for Samaria in Israel and a flag for Jerusalem in Judah.

Here's how we did it:

One cup of Salt 

Add one cup of flour 

Add just enough water, to make a dough. 

 Divide your dough and add food coloring

Israel is green and holds the flag for Samaria and Jerusalem is orange and holds the flag for Jerusalem.  The blue dough is water -- The Mediterranean Sea on the left and the Jordan River which includes the Dead Sea in between the land masses.

You can check out The Mystery of History by clicking on their link on my sidebar.

Differences Between Boys and Girls and the Value of Tears

My last post was about discussions with our children.  As our oldest quickly approaches adulthood, some of these discussions revolve around personal relationships especially between guys and girls.  Recently, our son has mentioned something about my being "so emotional" on a couple of occasions, and saying "I can't discuss certain things with you because you get too emotional".

After giving it some thought, I sat down with him and explained to him how he sometimes takes the discussions to a point where I need more time to think about it more before I can discuss it further.  To which he responded, "That makes sense.  I thought you were just getting too emotional and angry and that's why you wanted to stop the discussions."

Then I explained to him that he should really consider the fact that females are emotional and that if he plans to marry one day, he needs to be a bit more understanding of that fact.  I explained to him how I have never really been much of a crier, but that as I get older, I cry much easier than I did when I was younger.  To which he responded, "Well, your tears are actually a good thing.  When we are discussing something and you just get angry, it makes me angry and I just want to win the discussion, but when you cry, it's like a check.  It makes me stop and think because I don't want to hurt you."

To me, it appears that my tears cause a sense of protection in him and there is value in that.  The Bible wants men to protect their wives and if tears bring out that desire to protect, in my son, I see that as a good thing, as long as a girl doesn't simply turn the tears on to suit her own purposes, which I have seen some girls do.  True honest feelings are good things to share.

Our oldest son has been a learning experience for my husband and myself as well, for neither of us grew up with any brothers, so neither of us experienced an example of how to parent boys.  Many people have paid us compliments on our boys over the years, and I am grateful to our heavenly Father and his grace because He knows the mistakes we made, but by His grace, our boys are good, young men who look to the Father and His word for guidance.  I pray they always will, and though, I know that my husband and I had a part in teaching them, I truly give the praise and glory to the Lord, for I believe, with my whole heart, that, as the Bible says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

So, I believe that even the mistakes we made along the way, and those we will most likely still make along the way with the other two, will be used for the good because or our love for God, as well as the boys' love for God.

Our oldest son also pointed out that as he has no sisters growing up with him, I am his only example of female behavior.  He really likes the example of Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti by Bill and Pam Farrell.  He said that knowledge, that men tend to compartmentalize things, while, for women, everything is connected, helps him in understanding us, emotional females too.

Discussion -- A Homeschool Blessing

One thing that I find such a blessing in is the relationships you build with your children through homeschooling.  In the time spent with them, you discuss many things as you teach them, and as they grow, they just naturally discuss things with you.

Our oldest son, for example, can wear me out with discussions.  He is very intelligent and very academic and analytical and so he likes to discuss EVERYTHING!  Though, he can be tiring, and even frustrating at times,   I feel so blessed that he chooses to discuss things with his father and I.  He doesn't take things out to just his peers or buddies he's hanging around with.  I know he still discusses many of the same things with his friends, but I am just so glad that he still wants to discuss things with us.  There are times when he frustrates me because he asks a LOT of questions and I give the best answers I can off of the top of my head, but sometimes I need to take some time to think about what he's asking.  You know, chew on it or mull it over for a while before I can put something into words.  So sometimes I have to stop the conversation and pick it up again at a later time and he doesn't always like to wait.

This child, well, very nearly man, asks hard questions!  He talks to us about ALL KINDS of things -- general, political, spiritual, Biblical, the list goes on and on.  He stretches us!

But I am grateful and blessed that he chooses to discuss with us and values our opinions, even though he rarely agrees with them these days.  It is so good to be able to know his thoughts and opinions as it not only helps us in still offering some guidance, but it shows me how to pray, not just for him, but for our other younger sons.

So, treasure the time you spend with your children while you homeschool them, and be sure you talk with them from little on up.  You won't be sorry you did.  Open communication has long time value.

What Do You Know About Worldview and Are You Teaching It To Your Children?

What is worldview?  Everyone has one and it is either in line with God or against God.  Your worldview is how you look at and view everything around you, and how you do that is very much based on your belief system.

Well then, you say, we're fine because we believe in God, but are you sure that you have learned to discern everything around you through that filter?  Remember that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to devour us and he attacks us in such small subtleties, that we and/or our children can be lost before we even know what is happening.

It is so important to learn how to sift everything that you see, hear, watch, read, listen to through a filter and be sure to throw away the trash and cling to the things of God.  In today's society, we are constantly bombarded with information and entertainment and we need to be sure that we are focusing on the information and entertainment that we believe God would approve of -- information and entertainment that show God's character.

How can you do this?  One way is to study Starting Points Literature.  It is an in depth high school study.  Some middle school students, those who are very studious and academically inclined, would also benefit.  It is worth three high school credits, and it is a life-changing experience.  Our oldest son took the class at a co-op when he was about 12 years old, and to this day, (he is now just about 18), he still talks about that class and how much it meant to him, how much it helped him and how much he learned from it.

I plan to teach it at our co-op for the 2013-2014 school year and to study it at home with our 16 year old son, and when our youngest gets a bit older, I will study it with him as well.

You can find out more about it and purchase it at:
 http://www.cornerstonecurriculum.com/Curriculum/SP/sp.htm

If this is a bit pricey, I suggest you look somewhere like Amazon for the reading materials and only buy what you really need from Cornerstone Curriculum.  That can make it affordable.

I highly recommend this curriculum to anyone who really wants their children to be in tune with God when it comes to what they read, what movies they choose to watch, what music they choose to listen to and what video games they choose to play, as well as other things.  It will have life-long value.  You may even learn more about your own worldview and you may even fine tune your own worldview while teaching/studying this to/with your child(ren).