Free Scripture Songs: ScriptureSongs.net

The children and I are huge God Rocks fans. We discovered them a couple of years ago on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network). God Rocks have songs that they call Bible Toons which are NIV scripture set to catchy tunes. I used to record the shows and then we'd listen to them during lunchtime. But we got rid of cable some time ago. So, there went our God Rocks.

I managed to find one of their CD's on Amazon for just a few dollars. But it only has 13 songs on it and the songs are very short. You can purchase the complete set of Bible Toon songs from their website but with the cost and shipping charges from Canada that would have to be a Christmas present for the family.

Of course, for every thing that cost money there is some sort of free equivalent available online. And thankfully I found a great site that has free songs that are scripture set to music.  ScriptureSongs.net was a wonderful discovery. The artist who's songs are on this site  plays the guitar and sings scriptures in a serene, folksy way. Think of  James Taylor singing the Word of God. Amazing! 

No Distractions

The songs really are uplifting and very beautiful.  And they stay in your mind. I have been humming and singing songs from the first CD off and on all day, and I just discovered the site yesterday. Since it is just a voice and an acoustic guitar, the scripture is what it's all about.

To King James or Not to King James

Sometimes I can not tell for sure what translation he is using. And the artist himself said in his Q&A that he is not tied to one particular translation. If that is not a deal breaker for you then you might want to check out some of the songs. You can listen to the songs individually or you can stream entire CDs. You can also download the music or burn it onto CDs and distribute it freely to bless others.

Scripture Memorization Here We Come

I can definitely see us using these songs as part of our Bible time. This is definitely a beautiful way to meditate on and memorize the Word of God

Living Books for Math - Number Stories of Long Ago

Yesterday was the first day of a new schedule that I started with the children. It is summer time but we needed a little structure, regardless. Also, I wanted to start doing some reading aloud. And since we have done zero math since our school year officially ended, that seemed like a good place to start. 

Admittedly, I was a bit inclined to be skeptical of the concept of children learning math through living books. But I am trusting in the method and giving it a go. I have one child who experienced frustration last year with math, A LOT of it. So, I figured just listening to some fun stories about it will help to get rid of the hard feelings he may have developed regarding arithmetic. 

Before bed last night I read the intro and first story in Number Stories of Long Ago. I had skimmed the story beforehand to make sure it was appropriate and was left wondering if it would hold everyone's attention. My two youngest were tired after a long evening of VBS and it showed while I read the story. But the one child that I wanted to benefit from the story the most DID! 

A look at the 2nd preface of the book explains why Number Stories was written.

PREFACE NUMBER TWO

FOR THE GROWN-UPS, AND NOT WORTH

READING

The story of our numbers, of the world's attempts

to count, of the many experiments in writing numer-

als, and of the difficulties encountered through the

ages in performing our everyday computations — all

this is so interwoven with the history of humanity

as to have an interest for every thinking person. As

the world has grown, so the work with numbers has

grown; when the world has faced the mysteries of

the universe, numbers have assisted in solving its

problems; when commerce and science have shown

new needs in computation, arithmetic has always been

ready to lend a hand. The history of mathematics is

no small part of the history of civilization.

This being the case, it seems proper to relate at

least some portion of the story of numbers to the

pupils in our schools. It can be made quite as inter-

esting as any other story of civilization, for it touches

upon a subject with which the pupils in our schools

are in daily contact, adding new values to the prob-

lems of arithmetic and giving a new perspective to

the whole study of mathematics.

This book is intended for supplementary reading

in the elementary school. It is written in nontech-

nical language, and the effort has been made to con-

nect with the history enough of the human element

to make it more interesting than any mere recital of

facts. With it there is also joined something of the

history of writing materials, this being connected nat-

urally with the story of our numbers. Chapters I-VIII

can easily be read aloud, and the Question Box at

the end of each chapter can be used as a basis for

conversation or for written work.

The facts stated in the book are as nearly exact as

the circumstances permit. It is not to be expected,

however, that changes in the form of various nu-

merals will be considered. Such changes are of no

moment in a work of this nature and do not con-

tradict the statement that the historical facts are

presented with substantial accuracy.

It is the author's hope that this little series of

human incidents will create a new interest not merely

in the study of arithmetic but in the story of the

development of our civilization.

DAVID EUGENE SMITH, author

(emphasis mine)

Wow, those were high hopes for a book! But because of how engaging the first story is I know that the author accomplished his goals.  This is the page that got my son excitedly doing mental math right before bedtime late on a Monday night.

"FIVE!!!!"  My son excitedly shouted that out without any prompting right after I read "two twos and one". And this morning he asked me if I would read another story "right now". All I can say to that is thank you Lord!

Easy, Simple, Less is More Homeschool - and I Mean It

Recently I made two purchases for myself for this upcoming homeschool year that have made a huge impact on me. I bought Sherry Hayes book  Homeschool Sanity and I purchased the Easy Homeschooling Library by Lorraine Curry. Spending money on homeschool material is rare for me. I spend a lot of time finding free advice online. But this time I felt that these resources would be helpful and were worth paying for. And I am glad to say that I was not disappointed.

Last year I made a lot of changes in our school more than once during the school year. We changed curriculum and methods midstream on several occasions. We were all over the place with worksheets, notebooking, Charlotte Mason techniques, Ambleside Online, and only God remembers what else. Did I mention that I changed things up several times? 

I really was aiming for a smooth homeschool year but obviously that didn't happen. Nothing seemed to be working  quite right. I am thankful that I found Sherry Hayes' blog a few weeks ago. She is a huge advocate of using oldie but goodie PD books. And she has figured out how to homeschool 15 children in a simple, yet effective way. That is quite a feat. So, I decided to glean all I could from her, and from Lorraine Curry - another homeschool veteran.

And I just kept being brought back to the same principles.

- Keep God foremost in our homeschool.

- Keep it simple.

- Use classic literature.

- Do nature studies.

- Do a lot of reading (out loud and independently).

I have wrestled with all of these concepts before (not with putting God first but with all the others). I have even given Charlotte Mason a try. Her philosophies line up very closely with these principles. But my public school institutionalized self kept fighting against me. I just couldn't shake the feeling that simple equated to "not enough". But the other part of me really believed that keeping school simple is the right way to go with our family. I believed God didn't intend for school to be so hard. 

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30 

Another huge problem that I was having was that I just couldn't figure out how to use public domain texts in our modern day homeschool. I had a very inconsistent approach. But between the two resources I listed above, that is no longer an issue. I feel like I have a good, simple, and viable plan for homeschool for the first time ever. Praise God!

The Plan

So this is what we will using for homeschool next year. 

• English - McGuffey's Eclectic Readers 
• Math - Ray's Arithmetic and math manipulatives
• Drawing - Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes and Willie's First Drawing Lessons
• Science - public domain (PD) children's books about nature and nature studies using Handbook of Nature Study
• Penmanship - copywork from the Bible
• Social Studies - PD books
• Bible Study - reading from the KJV, scripture memorization

On paper that may seem like a lot. But I assure you that I will make sure it's not. I know that Charlotte Mason was right on point when she said that lessons should be kept short. "Less is More" is my new homeschool philosophy.

Changing Education Paradigms

Here is some thought provoking ideas about how our educational system needs to change. Check out this cool animation that demonstrates Ken Robinson's ideas on changing education paradigms.

4 reasons to keep your home schooled children away from the T.V.

Here is a guest post by Faige Kobre.

Many parents, I have learned, have a problem limiting the television consumption of their children. It would therefor, seem to be reasonable to believe that parents that home school their children may have an even more difficult time doing so , since the television temptation is in front of their children's noses all day long. If however, you home school your children and you realize how detrimental most T.V. watching is then it will motivate you to keep your children as far away from the T.V. set as possible.

There have been many studies done that have documented the terrible effect television has had on society and children in particular.  One of the most shocking things to me was to learn that television programmers don't think of television as existing to inform, entertain  and to educate, but that it exists totally to sell and to advertise products. Its purpose is to gather an audience and to create a feeling of hunger and need in us. Is it no wonder then, that children of today are so bored and needy. As a result commercialism  is the end result of too much television watching. The more kids watch the more they want to buy.

The second glaring study about too much T.V. watching is how it impairs cognitive development. Kids stay up too late watching shows, don't get enough sleep and cannot concentrate ins school. The TV shows are very quick moving and have overstimulating images and fast paced action. It is very difficult to keep children attention after being subjected to so much of this. Not getting enough sleep and being overstimulated just kills the children's attention levels.

Television also impedes imagination. Kids who watch a lot of television have less imagination as it has been proven to depress creativity and decrease imaginative play. Parents that want to encourage their children's creativity would be best off giving them all kinds of creative crafts that will stimulate their creativity and not suppress it. Even if you don't have a specific educational philosophy like  the Reggio Emilia philosophy,  nobody wants their children's cognitive levels to be impaired. This probably applies more to parents that home school, than parents of children in public and private schools as they are being home schooled to get the many benefits it brings. Don't ruin the benefits of the home schooling you are giving your children by allowing them to spend too much time in front of the TV.

Today's guest blogger feels strongly that television has very little place in homeschool. In our homeschool the television is off most days of the week. If it pertains to our lessons then we will watch an educational program on Netflix, such as Sid the Science Kid. This past year our entire elementary science curriculum was based around Beakman's World.

So, I am not at all opposed to using the television in a limited way for educational purposes. But I do agree wholeheartedly that constantly plopping the children down in front of the television for hours on end is not beneficial.

Homeschool management tips for new homeschoolers

Today we have a guest post.

Homeschooling families make their home the center of their life — their base, from which everything is planned, and where they often spend a large part of the day. Educating kids at home changes more than the way we run our households. It affects every area of our lives. In my family, homeschooling goes hand in hand with working from home, for instance. Simply said, that means that we create a terrible mess every day, and that we have a lot of different things to plan to keep everything running smoothly. How?

Time management

Everyone notes that small children thrive on routines, but that doesn't sound very spontaneous, does it? I thought random adventures, starting school after enjoying a lazy breakfast together, and fitting my work-at-home job in there somewhere sounded much nicer. My children did great with a learning-centered but largely unscheduled home, but my work suffered and the house was in a terrible state. After a few months, I rediscovered the wheel and accepted that time management helps immensely.

Try scheduling school for all children and working hours for the parents, as well as shopping, outings, and household duties in advance. Write them all in a diary together (either on the computer or on "old-fashioned" paper), and also give each family member their own planner. Get your kids involved in managing the home as much as possible if you want to free up time. Yes, this is possible! Admittedly, I feel guilty for making my kids clean up after themselves, but I do feel a little better when I think they won't be slobs like me when they grow up :). I find that tidying up after each and every school subject or other project saves time.

Accept you are not superwoman

If you decided to homeschool, you obviously placed your children's education at the top of your priority list. It's fine to move doing laundry and keeping the house immaculately clean to the lower half of that list. One person' can't do everything, and trying to be perfect will just burn you out. Accept that you are doing the best you can, and get a cleaning professional to help with the house if you can afford it. Are you pregnant or homeschooling with a newborn? In that case, cut yourself some additional slack in the household department, and be very content that you can accomplish homeschooling. During pregnancy, you may want to look into some less teacher-intensive curricula (to pull out at least on those days that you feel extremely tired).

Where do you school?

Experiment with doing school in different places in and out of the house for a while. Homeschooling at the kitchen table fits in with the cliche, but does it work best for you? IS it possible to have a dedicated school room, fitted out just the way you need it? Ours has a table where both kids and a parent can sit, a computer desk, and lots of storage space. The biggest advantage of having a school room is that you can limit the school-related mess to one room. In the summer, you may also like to school outdoors. In the winter, try taking one child to a cafe for a hot coco and some math!

Look after yourself, too

Children learn much better with a motivated, energetic teacher. Make sure to claim some time for yourself, to relax and unwind. Whether it's reading a book by yourself, jogging in the park and working on weight loss after pregnancy, or grabbing lunch with a friend and no kids, you definitely deserve to make space for your own needs. In fact, your household probably floats your your sanity, so it is well worth investing in that!

Olivia is a homeschooling mom of two. She blogs about fertility, pregnancy, and beyond at Trying To Conceive.

Fun Ways to Help Your Community

Today's guest blogger shares some ideas on how to be beneficial in your community. Many of these ideas can be used to teach homeschoolers how to become more involved in the world around them.

If you're looking to make a contribution to your community in a more substantial way there are many avenues you can explore. What makes a community is the people working together to help make your block, neighborhood, city or town worth living in.

Volunteer
If you're new to volunteering you may maintain the antiquated notion that giving back has to be boring. Not true. Depending on your interests you can help your community in ways that also give you joy.

• Love animals? Why not help out at a local shelter or walk dogs for senior citizens who are no longer as mobil as they once were?
  
• If you love children you could assist at your local hospital to make sure babies in incubation get human interaction.
  
• Or maybe you have carpentry skills you'd like to put to use – there are many non-profits out there helping families in need by building or repairing their homes at low or no cost.
  
• Don't forget to consider giving the gift of literacy or a second language to those in need.

No matter what you interests there will most likely be numerous ways you can find to help give back.

Support Local Businesses
Yep, one of the best ways to make your town a great place to live is to support independent artists and businesses. Granted, the national chain stores often offer convenience and sometimes lower prices but what do they do to help contribute to the feel of a community? If you take pride in where you live give back by keeping your money circulating locally whenever possible.

Radio Rockstar
Volunteering as a DJ at your local college station is about as much fun you can have while giving back. Many local radio stations have been drastically affected by funding cutbacks and fewer donations from listeners – to help offset costs, many radio hosts work for free.

 Love music and want to share it with the community? Contact your local college stations to see if they have any openings. If the station doesn't initially have openings then ask to sign up as a substitute host, as needed. Once you're around long enough there's a better than average bet that you'll soon get your own time slot. Worried because you've never DJ'd before? Don't worry, the station will train you.

Join a Co-Op
If interested in exceptional health food or fitness gear you might want to look into the advantages of joining a co-op. The idea is that you pay a certain manageable amount every month or year, in exchange for deals on quality items. The theory is that you, in essence, own the store where you shop. In addition to feeling invested in the success of the business these types of establishments tend to make more of an effort to hear what their customers have to say.

And you thought making a difference would be painful or boring. The truth is you can often express yourself creatively, use skills that can make a difference and help make your community an even better place to live.

Written by Erin Nolan. Getting money back from a ppi insurance premium? Spend it locally!