PARENTING FREEDOM

.: attachment parenting, homeschooling, gentle discipline :.
  • .: Favorite Quotes :.


    small-c conservative with no left turn
  • .: Waiting for Baby :.

  • Inspiring Posts to Encourage Creativity

    carol | August 16, 2010

    The Joy of Watercolors
    http://ponderedinmyheart.typepad.com/pondered_in_my_heart/2010/06/watercolor-year.html

    We have all the watercolor supplies and recommended DVD ready to go.

    Mila’s Daydreams
    http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/

    We bought some new colored blankets and are planning to do this during the next few months. :-) This is the hat tip for the idea, but I hope I will be creative in coming up with my own baby landscapes. (Most pictures will likely be for registered readers.)

    Water Ballet
    http://www.elizabethesther.com/threes_a_crowd/2010/08/water-ballet.html

    And pretty much every post by http://www.kellehampton.com/

    In Remembrance of the Wonderful Headmistress of our Local Christian School

    carol | June 29, 2010

    Mrs. M. was most definitely greeted by our Lord with,

    “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
    Matthew 25:21

    We knew Mrs. M. and her family since my parents first began homeschooling my sister in the early eighties. She was a professional teacher who homeschooled her own three children, and then she began to educate other children who needed her until she had a full-fledged private Christian school. When running her school, she continued to be very supportive of homeschoolers and even offered her school for art/music/sports, etc. every Friday. My children and I visited there on Fridays for almost three years. We have many memories of those years.

    Mrs. M.’s school was home to a variety of children from various circumstances and backgrounds. There were Christian children, doctors’ children, poor children, children too smart for the system, challenged children, previously bullied children, children given up on by the public schools, etc. There were even children of other religions (like Muslim) whose parents wanted something better for their children than the public school system. Mrs. M. was a loving servant to each one.

    “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
    Matthew 25:40

    When I think of how Mrs. M. loved, helped, and encouraged the many children who went to her school over the years, she reminds me of Lady Liberty.

    “Give me your tired, your poor,
    Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
    The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
    Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
    I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

    Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)

    And this was the way it was at Mrs. M.’s school,

    “Even the people that you reject can make it here.”
    Glenn Beck

    Mrs. M. passed away at the age of 63. She has three grown children (late 20′s, early 30′s) and a little grandson. Their father also died just a few years ago. May God bless them.

    Spring Pictures

    carol | May 11, 2010

    Here are some of our spring pictures that I am willing to share publicly. Go here for the private pictures: http://parentingfreedom.com/2010/05/11/spring-pictures/ (Send me information about yourself if you want access.)


    First backyard soccer of the season – April 6, 2010
    B11, L5, C8


    C8 enjoys listening to audio books on her MP3 player
    April 12, 2010


    Inspired by a library book


    Paint – April 23, 2010


    Brushes


    Backyard soccer with Daddy
    April 25, 2010

    We got our trampoline last year, and I am surprised that it continues to be greatly enjoyed by all of them – especially when they use nerf swords and have jumping battles.


    The day the trampoline was put together again
    May 1, 2010


    Father and Daughter
    May 2, 2010


    Derek and the children at the beach


    Note the American Girl doll in the doll back carrier
    with foam rollers in her hair while her mother plays soccer.
    May 8, 2010


    Fiddlehead picking on Saturday (Not so pretty, eh?)

    Beautiful and Terrible Music + Lego

    carol | April 28, 2010

    I thought this was great:

    Lopez Tonight: William Shatner & Lin Yu Chun Duet (4/21/2010)
    http://www.tbs.com/video/index.jsp?oid=215657&eref=sharethisUrl

    And the kids enjoyed these:

    Lego Man Prank Call

    lego indiana jones

    Spring and Easter Pictures

    carol | April 3, 2010


    Doing the Easter story


    Easter craft


    Sign of spring: fly swatting sport


    Spring flowers (We actually found the first two dandelions yesterday.)


    Yum!


    L5′s masterpieces


    Candy sprinkles


    More Easter cookies


    Sprinkles on the floor


    Twitterpated doves


    C8


    La di da!


    The mess


    Falls

    Click here for private pictures:
    http://parentingfreedom.com/2010/04/03/spring-and-easter-pictures/

    Decorating for Christmas 2009

    carol | December 28, 2009


    C8 and L5 decorating the little ceramic tree from Grammy G.


    The Fisher-Price Nativity Scene


    Our Teddy Bear Christmas Tree


    This year, I surprised the children with their own trees for their rooms.
    The pink is for C8 of course.


    B11 and L5 have the blue one in their room.
    The little trees add a new tradition.

    More September Pictures Set 2

    carol | December 26, 2009

    September Pictures of the Children Set 2

    carol | December 26, 2009

    I only posted pictures up to the end of August 2009, so I thought I might catch up a little. Most of the posts will be private, but I will publicly post some of the pictures of the children with their backs to the camera, as well as scenery.

    Rock on homeschoolers! The future is bright! Astounding results from new study!

    carol | December 3, 2009

    Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults
    Synopsis
    http://www.hslda.ca/cche_research/2009StudySynopsis.pdf

    Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults
    Full study:
    http://www.hslda.ca/cche_research/2009Study.pdf

    Home Education in Canada: A Report on the Pan-Canadian Study on Home Education 2003
    Synopsis
    http://www.hslda.ca/cche_research/SummaryFinal.pdf

    Hat Tip:
    New Study: Home-Educated Canadian Adults Excel
    http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/dec/09120305.html

    “A new study released yesterday by the Canadian Centre for Home Education (CCHE) reveals that home-educated adults in Canada excel in all measured areas of adult life, including education level, religious observance, civic and community participation, life satisfaction, and income.”

    “The results were astounding…”

    “The study found that, when measured against the Canadian average, home-educated adults were more socially engaged and almost twice as likely to have voted in a federal election. Their average income was higher, with more self-reliant sources of income, such as investments and self-employment. In fact, of all respondents, there were no cases of government support as the primary source of income.”

    “The respondents were happier in their work and about their lives in general. They also have more varied recreational pursuits. The study notes, for example, that the respondents ‘were much more likely than the comparable population to have read books and attended concerts of classical music or theatrical performances.’ Overall, when reflecting on the value of being home-educated, most felt that it was an advantage in their adult life.”

    Christmas Decorating and Family Christmas Traditions

    carol | November 24, 2009

    Christmas Decorating and Family Christmas Traditions
    http://parentingfreedom.com/2008/12/04/christmas-decorating-and-family-christmas-traditions/

    "Introducing children at the age of five into the structure and discipline of a classroom could even be harmful."

    carol | October 22, 2009

    I agree with this study, especially because I have a 5-year-old that is my fourth child. He plays, plays, plays, and we do very little schooling yet.

    Cambridge Study Says 5-year-olds Too Young To Start School
    http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09102105.html

    “A study of primary education by Cambridge University recommends that formal schooling of children should begin at the age of six, a year later than the present norm in the UK…”

    “No evidence suggesting formal teaching environments benefited young children…”

    “Introducing children at the age of five into the structure and discipline of a classroom could even be harmful…”

    “‘If they are already failing by the age of four-and-a-half or five it’s going to be quite difficult to get them back into the system again. They are not going to learn to read, write and add up if you have alienated them,’ Pugh said.”

    “The report recommends that children up to the age of six should instead continue the more informal, play-based education typically found in nurseries…”

    “Other studies have found marked negative effects from the introduction of 3 to 5 year olds to formal schooling, including brain chemistry damage, aggression, negative social and emotional development, and illness.”

    Canoeing on a Summer Evening in Canada

    carol | September 22, 2009


    B and Papa


    N and Nana


    N15 and C


    Matthew and S5


    Derek and L and Me

    Preparing for the Homeschoolers' Poetry Recital

    carol | September 14, 2009

    We have had a fun morning selecting poetry for the children to memorize for the Homeschoolers’ Poetry Recital on Friday.

    N15 (Grade 11) plans to recite this poem:

    Durin’s Song 
    J. R. R. Tolkien

    The world was young, the mountains green,
    No stain yet on the Moon was seen,
    No words were laid on stream or stone,
    When Durin woke and walked alone.
    He named the nameless hills and dells;
    He drank from yet untasted wells;
    He stooped and looked in Mirrormere,
    And saw a crown of stars appear,
    As gems upon a silver thread,
    Above the shadow of his head.

    The world was fair, the mountains tall,
    In Elder Days before the fall
    Of mighty kings in Nargothrond
    And Gondolin, who now beyond
    The Western Seas have passed away:
    The world was fair in Durin’s Day.

    A king he was on carven throne
    In many-pillared halls of stone
    With golden roof and silver floor,
    And runes of power upon the door.
    The light of sun and star and moon
    In shining lamps of crystal hewn
    Undimmed by cloud or shade of night
    There shone for ever fair and bright.

    There hammer on the anvil smote,
    There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
    There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
    The delver mined, the mason built.
    There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
    And metal wrought like fishes’ mail,
    Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
    And shining spears were laid in hoard.

    Unwearied then were Durin’s folk;
    Beneath the mountains music woke:
    The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
    And at the gates the trumpets rang.

    The world is grey, the mountains old,
    The forge’s fire is ashen-cold;
    No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
    The darkness dwells in Durin’s halls;
    The shadow lies upon his tomb
    In Moria, in Khazad-dum.
    But still the sunken stars appear
    In dark and windless Mirrormere;
    There lies his crown in water deep,
    Till Durin wakes again from sleep.

    B11 (Grade 6) plans to recite these two poems:

    All That is Gold Does Not Glitter
    J. R. R. Tolkien

    All that is gold does not glitter,
    Not all those who wander are lost;
    The old that is strong does not wither,
    Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
    From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
    A light from the shadows shall spring;
    Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
    The crownless again shall be king.

    The Road Not Taken
    Robert Frost (1874–1963)

    Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
    And sorry I could not travel both
    And be one traveler, long I stood
    And looked down one as far as I could
    To where it bent in the undergrowth;

    Then took the other, as just as fair,
    And having perhaps the better claim,
    Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
    Though as for that the passing there
    Had worn them really about the same,

    And both that morning equally lay
    In leaves no step had trodden black.
    Oh, I kept the first for another day!
    Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
    I doubted if I should ever come back.

    I shall be telling this with a sigh
    Somewhere ages and ages hence:
    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
    I took the one less traveled by,
    And that has made all the difference.

    C8 (Grade 3) plans to recite this poem:

    The Secret

    We have a secret, just we three,
    The robin, and I, and the sweet cherry tree;
    The bird told the tree, and the tree told me,
    And nobody knows it but just we three.

    Of course, the robin knows it best,
    Because it built the ……. I shan’t tell the rest;
    And laid the four little …….. somethings in it;
    I’m afraid I shall tell it this very minute.

    But if the tree and the robin don’t peep,
    I’ll try my best the secret to keep;
    Though I know, when the little birds fly about;
    Then the whole secret will be out.

    L5 (Kindergarten) plans to recite this poem (with my help if needed):

    The Little Turtle
    Vachel Lindsay

    I had a little turtle.
    Who lived in a box.
    He swam in a puddle.
    He climbed on a rock.

    He snapped at a mosquito,
    He snapped at a flea.
    He snapped at a minnow.
    And he snapped at me.

    He caught the mosquito.
    He caught the flea.
    He caught the minnow.
    But he didn’t catch me!

    Canadian Summer: Floating Down the River

    carol | June 26, 2009

    Ever since I was a little girl, we spent many summer afternoons floating down the river. The weather forecast hasn’t been reliable lately, so we are glad we ignored it and floated down today. Nana and Papa came with us and the weather stayed nice.

    We have such a short summer season here in Canada, and with all the global cooling around here lately, we have to take advantage of every bit of summer we can get.

    Floating down the river involves: inflatable vinyl boats and paddles for all, air mattress to make my (and L4′s) boat more comfortable, air pump, ropes, cooler (cookies, chips, water), life jackets, swimming sneakers, bathing suits, camera, grandparents, beautiful river, Grampie’s car to drive us back up to get our van…

    Now I’m prepared for the forecast: a week of showers…

    Hungry Hungry Ants

    carol | June 9, 2009

    C7: “Can I have some sugar?”
    Me: “Why?”
    C7: “Well…”
    Me: “To feed something?”
    C7: “Yeees.”
    Me: “Ants?”
    C7: “Yes! Nana just let us bring home a bucket full of ants!!!”

    Thanks, Nana. We can always use more ants.

    Homeschooling at the Beach in May

    carol | June 7, 2009

    What Kind of a Homeschooler Are You?

    carol | June 2, 2009

    1. What time do you get up?
    I usually get up between 8 and 9. One child gets up earlier than me, the others later.

    2. What do your children wear to school?
    Sometimes they start by wearing a blanket, but they mostly get dressed in regular clothes – except when they are doing school in bed at night or early morning.

    3. What curriculum have you tried and hated?
    I have tried LOTS, but I don’t want to give folks a bad name.

    Some FAVORITES are ABeka Phonics, Saxon Math, Vos’ The Child’s Story Bible, Kingfisher Encyclopedias, Easy Grammar, Veritas Press Omnibus, all the classics, and so on…

    4. Who is your most inspirational homeschooling role model?
    My mother. She homeschooled my sister for 12 years.
    Dr. Robinson. He taught me the brilliant method of self-teaching.

    5. ABeka, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, or Classical?
    ABeka Phonics is the best… Classical for grades 7 and up.

    6. Favorite response to “What about socialization?”
    “Isn’t that the truth?! You are exactly right! Socialization is a PERFECT reason to homeschool!”

    Here are my poor, unsocialized little urchins:

    7. Favorite subject?
    Reading aloud a good chapter book, especially one that gets us all in tears, and we need a whole box of tissues.

    8. Favorite field trip ever?
    I especially love ANY field trip that takes us somewhere fun on a beautiful spring or fall day when everyone else is in school.

    9. Best thing about homeschooling?
    FREEDOM

    10. Sports, music, or art?
    All three, although different children have shown talent in different areas.

    11. Priority for 9 year old: beautiful script handwriting, or lightning fast accurate typing?
    We don’t usually start a typing program until grade six, and my boys’ handwriting could be better, but my 7yo daughter has lovely cursive writing.

    12. Best one stop shopping for school books?
    Amazon.ca (or.com)
    Christianbook.com

    13. One subject you didn’t get to this week:
    Ha!

    14. What will you do when you run out of kids to teach?
    I don’t teach (except for phonics). When my children grow up, I will be a librarian for my grandchildren. Here are some of my homeschool bookshelves:

    15. Ever give school books as Christmas or Birthday gifts?
    Ha! ALWAYS! But they love them.

    16. Better late or early (delay formal education at home, or start as young as possible?)
    Better to start when they are ready, but I have tended to start later with each child.

    Harry Potter: What is a Christian Parent to Do?

    carol | May 3, 2009

    I have had several conversations with Christians who are afraid of the Harry Potter books and movies because they connect them with the occult. Oddly, NOT ONE of those people actually read the books.

     LISTEN to the excellent audio lecture at the following link. It is 95 minutes. The article is just a summary of the speech.

    J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter by Jerram Barrs
    http://www.bethinking.org/your-course/j-k-rowling-and-harry-potter.htm

    “However none of these books are encouraging occult practice. The magic is simply a part of the imaginative worlds that Lewis, Tolkien, and Rowling have created. In such an imaginary world, people can become invisible; animals talk; mythical creatures like unicorns and centaurs exist; and rings and spells work wonders.”

    “Some people have gone on record as stating that they believe that J.K. Rowling is purposely and explicitly teaching occult and even Satanic practice.”

    “As a Christian, I have to say I am profoundly ashamed of those who have responded with this kind of malicious gossip. Rowling has stated that she does not believe in the occult, and she certainly does not wish to promote it.”

    Yep. No occult. I actually read ALL the books.

    J.K. Rowling also has a very deep understanding of the folly of those who turn their eyes blindly towards evil and of evil’s destructive consequences.”

    I agree with this completely. This theme throughout the books so aptly represents our times.

    “The Word of God challenges us to be prepared to celebrate anything that is good and true, wherever it is found.”

    I also agree with this. This can be an invention, or a scientific discovery, or simply wisdom in a children’s book.

    I appreciated the reference to John Calvin at the end of the above link. Read more…

    Hat Tip: TulipGirl

    Here are some great books to give you more insight into the Harry Potter series:

    My favorite Harry Potter blogs:

    http://thehogshead.org/
    http://hogwartsprofessor.com

    A wonderful addition to your Christian home library!