Amanda Bennett's
Unit Study News
May
2007
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Patriotic Holidays - Check It Out!
Amanda's Corner
One of the questions that I am asked most frequently is "You've already got two children through college after being homeschooled - how did you do it so successfully?" This question always makes me smile - consider what each of these individuals consider to be the definition of "successful homeschooling." Think about it for a minute - what do YOU consider to be a "successful" homeschooler?
There is a simple verse that explains our goal in successfully educating our children:
Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Notice that this includes no references to training them to be lawyers or doctors or veterinarians or athletes. :-) We do comply with the educational requirements for the state, but our emphasis is on helping them learn to lead godly lives and use their unique God-given gifts to follow His will. He is making their paths clear, and we are there to support and encourage them in these efforts.
Along the way, I have learned a few important things that have made homeschooling easier as we went along. In the months to come, I will be sharing these tips with you in the newsletter, in the hope that they might make your load easier - learn from my hard-headed lessons!
1. Accept the fact that your family is unique and different. Understand that your success and your homeschooling will look different from everyone else in the world! Your success will be different, and your children are uniquely different. What others in your homeschool co-op group do with their children is not necessarily going to be a success with your children. Make your OWN definition of success.
2. Things are much easier when you realize that there is no formula. Homeschooling and family life are much easier when you see that there is no formula to follow. Scary but true, as we learned in engineering school, homeschooling is an unsolvable equation - there are too many variables - too many unknowns! Chicken pox this week, garden planting next week - we are a constantly changing work in progress. This is true about parenting, too - there is no "easy" button or formula to follow. Get busy living and learning and quit stressing about copying what others do - find your family's own style and stay flexible.
3. Protect your time and your family's time with a passion - every day is a precious gift. I love the line from the Chris Rice song, Life Means So Much, "Teach us to count the days, teach us to make the days count... Life means so much..." Some things to try -- turn off or minimize all intrusions and any distractions that you can (telephones, cell phones, nosy neighbors, television and neighborhood kids pounding on the door). Learn to say NO when you would have to sacrifice "protected time" - family time, date night, etc.
Enough from me for now - next month will have some interesting tips, including a few choice ones on cooking while homeschooling. Remember, I cook using the "smoke detector method" - dinner is done when the smoke detector goes off! :-) I hope that you and your family have a meaningful Memorial Day - and thanks for joining me on this thrilling ride called homeschooling!
Blessings to you and yours,
Amanda
P.S. - Come join me in Huntsville tomorrow (Saturday, May 19) at the Grand Opening of WiseScappers, a new homeschooling and scrapbooking store! I'll be giving away a number of Christmas or Thanksgiving Unit Studies to the first families who come up and introduce themselves as members of this newsletter list - only while my supply lasts! Here's the information to the big event - I'll be there from 10 'til 2:
WiseScrappers * 6124 Highway 72 East * Gurley, AL
Patriotic Holidays Unit Study - Special Price through May 31, 2007
Memorial Day is almost here, with Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day just around the corner. Enjoy learning about the history of our country and the true meaning of each of these special days.
Four one-week unit studies of each of these
holidays, and the Patriotic Holidays
Notebook Pages are included
as a bonus on the CDROM -
now
only $10.95 through May 31, 2007
Plan for Summertime Fun
Christy: The Complete Series, DVD Set
By Fox Faith
Now the television series based on Catherine Marshall's award-winning novel
comes in one affordable boxed set! Christy: The Complete Series features
19 episodes about Christy Huddleston's life as a schoolteacher in the
impoverished Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Determined to make a
difference, 19-year-old Christy left the comfort of her home to help the
children. Christy is home entertainment at its best, these wholesome
programs star Kellie Martin, Tyne Daly, LeVar Burton, and many special guest
performers. Four double-sided DVDs. Approx. 15 hours total.
American Spirit Jigsaw Puzzle
A favorite pastime at our house year round - jigsaw puzzles! This is a beautiful
500 piece puzzle of the American flag - just in time for all of the upcoming
patriotic holidays.
Eagle's Flight Jigsaw Puzzle (1000 pieces)
Your family and friends can all work together to assemble this beautiful 1000
piece full-color puzzle, featuring a majestic eagle against a patriotic
backdrop. Measures 20" x 27" when completed.
The Andy Griffith Show: 16 Hilarious Episodes, 2 DVDs
Welcome back to Mayberry! Pull yourself up a rocking chair and get ready to
enjoy a visit back in time to America's favorite hometown of Mayberry, NC. Join
Andy and all of his friends and family for down-home, wholesome humor. These
DVDs are loaded with bonus material, including cool old commercials and vintage
cartoons like Betty Boop, Tom and Jerry, Mighty Mouse, and Popeye!
Andy Griffith (8 Episodes on DVD)
Remember when Barney spent his life savings on a used car, and it turned out to
be lemon? Laugh your way through classic TV moments like these in this
collection that includes "Barney's First Car," "Andy Discovers America," "Aunt
Bee's Medicine Man," "Andy's English Valet," and "The Great Filling Station
Robbery." Eight episodes split onto 2 DVDS; approx. 3 hours, 20 minutes total.
Mickey, A Baseball Movie
When widowed attorney Tripp Spence (Harry Connick Jr.) finds himself wanted by
the IRS, he and his young pitching sensation son Derrick (Shawn Salinas) assume
new identities and flee to Las Vegas. Here, Derrick becomes "Mickey" and Tripp
enrolls him in a second final year of Little League. But as the nation, the
government and a nervous Tripp watch, "Mickey" leads his team from the city
championship all the way to the controversial final game of the Little League
World Series. Can a 13-year-old fugitive with an 80 mph fastball now find a way
to stay anonymous - and honest - as the most famous 12-year-old athlete in the
world? Screenplay by John Grisham. Rated PG. Approx. 104 minutes.
Anne of Green Gables, DVD
Megan Follows, Tony Award winner Colleen Dewhurst and Academy Award
nominee Richard Farnsworth give unparalleled performances in this critically
acclaimed motion picture, based on the international best-selling novel. Filmed
amidst the spectacular scenery of Prince Edward Island, Canada, this
award-winning movie follows the enchanting life of orphan Anne Shirley, from her
struggles as an adolescent to her triumphs as a young woman. A delicate epic
full of wit, style and emotional power. Digitally restored. Approx. 195 minutes.
And for
those of you who would like to try one of my unit studies -
consider the one-week Memorial Day Unit Study available for a limited time
in downloadable format:
Memorial Day, a day when we take time to remember all of the people that have given their lives for American freedom. They gave up promising futures, families, hopes, and dreams — for all of us. Let us use this day as an opportunity to honor them, remember them, and learn more about their sacrifices. This is a one-week unit study that offers daily lessons focusing on Memorial Day.
Looking back on my childhood days, I recall that Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day. This was a day when families would gather, clean the cemetery plots of family members, plant flowers, and place small flags on the graves of those family members that had died defending America. People would “decorate” their graves, to honor their memory. This was also a time for a family picnic and a parade in town. It was a family time — a treasured time.
When we saw flags waving in the breeze all over the neighborhood, we were proud to be Americans. I would like for American children to experience this same pride and appreciate what it has taken to keep that flag flying. As time has gone by, these traditions have often been left behind and forgotten. Now, if you ask many children what Memorial Day is about, they remark, “The day the pool opens!” or “The beginning of summer!”
It is high time that we reclaim the memorial — the remembrance of those who fought so proudly so that we can be free to enjoy our precious God-given liberties. With that in mind, let’s work on bringing the focus back to the intent of this holiday. We can do this in a way that will open the children’s eyes to the liberties that they enjoy and show them that these liberties have been protected at all costs. We will briefly learn about the history of the holiday, some of the wars that Americans have fought in, and ways that we can honor the great people who lost their lives defending our lives and liberty.
MEMORIAL DAY UNIT STUDY -- only $3.95
Learning Links:
Red, White and Blue Strawberry Shortcake
American Flag Cake (You can also use red licorice for the stripes!)
Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial
Memorial Day Crafts, Printables and Projects
Giving thanks this Memorial Day for those who sacrificed everything for our freedom!