Transitioning from Private School to Homeschool: Our Story

Transitioning from private school to homeschool

Should I or should I not?  Here are two reasons why we did:

I have moved all of my homeschooling posts to christianhomeschoolfamily.com. You can go here to read this post at the new site.

10 Ways To Help Your Child Memorize Scripture

Teaching our children how to memorize scripture should be a major emphasis in our parenting.  If we desire them to live according to God's Word, we must help them learn it! (<— Click to tweet that.)

Children can memorize much more quickly and easily than adults, and it is very important for us as parents to make sure they are putting as much scripture into their minds as possible during these early years.  What goes in now is going to stay there for a lifetime.  Do we want it to be nonsense or do we want it to be the Word of God?

Here are 10 ways you can help your child memorize scripture:

1. Scripture songs

Nothing makes memorizing easier than setting something to music.  That's why I searched for Scripture songs for kids and ordered several CDs for them.  We use KJV exclusively in our family, and I had a hard time finding something that was not another version.  When I did find something in KJV, the music was either too “jazzy” for our personal standards or else it sounded like a funeral dirge!  (I thought the point was to use a catchy tune to make the song memorable?)  But I did finally find something, and it is perfect!

Bible Songs for Kids from Bible Truth Music has catchy tunes that still fit into our personal music standards and are exclusively KJV.  They have 8 different albums, and you can order them in either CD or mp3 format.

My kids have only listened to the first CD twice and they are already walking around the house singing scripture.  I love it!

There are a lot of songs on each album too.  I bought 3 to start with, and that is plenty for now, although I do want to own the whole collection eventually.

2. Copywork

Another way to help kids memorize and make it “stick” is to have them copy it.  (Bonus! This doubles as handwriting practice, so we're saving lots of time too!)

You can google around for “free scripture copywork”, but it is a little difficult to find KJV materials.  You can also create your own with a handwriting worksheet generator; however, you're not going to have all the cute little pictures on it if that's a big deal to you.

A final option I have found is the Write Through the Bible curriculum. It's a full year curriculum, and it not only has the child copy the verses, but gives them vocabulary words, and comes back periodically to review previous verses learned.  They have this available in KJV.  You can find that here (digital/printable version) or here (print version)

They also have a junior version (digital version here) (print version here) for children who are still learning to form their letters.

3. Memorize as a family

Children are naturally more motivated to do something when they see mom and dad working at it too.  We work on memorizing together as a family before bed each night.  You could also do this before meals.  Right now we are working on a passage in Proverbs 6.  We say the verse aloud several times together and then see who can say it by themselves.  We review that verse for several nights and when it's obvious everyone knows it well, we start working on the second verse.  When everyone can say that one by themselves, we say the first verse and the second verse together.  We review that several nights, then start on the next verse, and so on.  I have a whole set of printable family scripture memory cards with some good passages to learn as a family.

4. Use an incentive

We don't want our kids to memorize scripture just because they'll get a prize for it, but at the same time I think a nice incentive for memorizing a large portion of scripture or a large number of individual verses is in order.  I want my kids to know that their memorizing scripture is very important and that I will reward them for their hard work on it.

For example, my mom bought this armor of God playset for my son, but she told him that if he really wanted it he needed to work for it by memorizing Ephesians 6: 10-18.

Our teens at church earn money off the cost of teen camp by memorizing entire chapters (and entire books!) of the Bible.

It is possible to hide God's Word in your heart in a BIG way when you really want to!

5. Memorization programs

If it is at all possible for your child can be involved a Scripture memory program at church, do it!  We have King's Kids at our church; some do AWANA; some do something else.  I learned most of the scripture I know during AWANA as a child.  You and your child both will never regret having a set time each week for them to come together with other children to memorize and recite scripture.  What they learn there will be with them for the rest of their life.

6. Choose a verse from their devotions

Are your children spending their own personal time with the Lord? (This is what I have found to be very helpful in guiding them with that.)  I encourage my kids to choose one verse from their Bible reading that day to memorize during their quiet time.  This also helps them pay attention a little better to what they are reading.

7. Hand motions

When you incorporate as many of the senses into memorization as possible, you greatly increase the chances of remembering what you've learned.  Young children seem to especially enjoy adding hand motions in to help them remember the next part of the verse.  For example, when we memorized Proverbs 6:10 – “¹Yet a little sleep, ²a little slumber, ³a little folding of the hands to sleep” – I ¹laid on my hands on one cheek, ²laid on my hands on the other cheek, and ³folded my hands on my chest.  It's very simple, but it helped my 3 year old remember the verse much better.

8. Different voices

Repetition is the key to learning, but to make sure it doesn't become boring, try to mix up what you do.  Kids think it's funny to say the verse in different voices.  “Let's say it in our high voice/low voice/opera voice/hillbilly voice/etc.  You can also have them turn around backwards, stand up, sit down, etc.

9. Make sure they understand it

It's much easier to memorize something if you understand what it means.  When my children are just trying to say a bunch of words, they will have trouble, but if they know the concept behind the verse, their mind flows with the general idea and they can get through the verse.  Even if they can't get through it word perfectly, they still know what the verse is talking about and they can continue on without getting stuck.

10. Scripture art in the home

When you look at something enough, you memorize it without even thinking about it.  Keeping scripture prominently displayed in your home will help you and your children both hide more of God's Word in your hearts.  You can find several printable scripture verses here on the blog. (Psalm 51:7, Psalm 46:10, Philippians 4:4, Proverbs 31:26, Phililppians 4:8)

10 Gift Ideas For Four Year Old Boys

Since my little guy is about to turn 4, I decided it was time for me to come up with some gift ideas for 4 year old boys!

I've compiled these ideas based on his current interests, so if you're wondering whether the 4 year old in your life would truly like these, I know my little guy would definitely say yes!

These would really be appropriate for kids anywhere between age 3 and 5.

You can find purchasing information for each item by clicking on its photo below.

1. Ride-on motorcycle

We are SO into motorcycles at our house, and a ride-on would absolutely MAKE HIS DAY!

2. The bounce house would definitely be one of those big splurge gifts.  When you consider how many endless hours of fun it would provide it would pay for itself in the long run.

3. Castle blocks

This is something that we already own (it was a previous gift) and it gets a lot of use by my (almost) 4 year old.

4.  Scooter

Every boy needs a set of wheels!  A scooter is the perfect riding toy for a child who can't yet ride a bike.

5. Bouncy Ball

This is another toy we already own which gets HOURS AND HOURS of use!

6. Baseball pitcher and tee

This is about the age where my boys start showing an interest in sports.  A tee is perfect for getting them started and then they will have the automatic pitcher for when theyare a little more advanced.

7. Hexbug

His older brother just got one and I know he would get a kick out of having his own.  What is so fascinating about these I don't know, but they seem to love watching them scurry around.  They like to make mazes for them out of blocks!

8./9. Soccer ball and goal

It is so cute to watch kids this age kick a soccer ball!  They can get pretty good when they practice!  My little guy wants to play on a team at the Y as soon as we will let him.

10. Kiwi Crate subscription

We got a sample box and we all loved it (including mom!)  It was the perfect thing for doing a project without wearing out a small attention span.  Mom loved it because we did a project without dragging out thousands of supplies.  Having the exact amount of supplies meant that once the project was completed, the mess was already cleaned up.

Lil' Rider Harley Style Wild Child Motorcycle – Black	Little Tikes Shady Jump n Slide Bouncer	Discovery Kids 69-Piece Wooden Castle Block Set	Razor Jr. Lil Kick Scooter – Blue
Inflatable Hopping Ball Handle Fitness Ball Kids Toy	Fisher-Price Triple Hit Baseball	HEXBUG Nano , Colors May Vary	Spalding Rookie Gear Soccer Ball – Yellow – Size 3
Step2 Kickback Soccer Goal And Pitch Back	Kiwi Crate Subscription

InLinkz.com

Free Coconut Oil From Tropical Traditions

Every July 4, Tropical Traditions offers a free quart of virgin coconut oil with any $19 purchase.  This is a fabulous deal since the coconut oil is normally much more expensive than that on its own!  It’s the highest quality coconut oil I know of.

This offer goes through July 5 and you can combine it with current sales to get the best deal.

The best deal I see is to purchase the Buy 2 Get 2 Free pure coconut oil.  You'll end up with 4 quarts of pure coconut oil plus the free quart of virgin coconut oil.  That's 5 quarts for the price of 2!

To get in on this deal, just go here and you’ll see the offer for the free coconut oil on the right side.  Add it and at least $19 worth of other stuff to your cart and it will show up as $0 in your cart.

If you've been wanting to try coconut oil for its many health benefits, now is a GREAT time to do so!

(Here's a list of 30 different uses for coconut oil!  We use it daily in our house!)

If you're not sure of the difference between the pure coconut oil and the virgin coconut, the pure is odorless and flavorless and is great for cooking so that you don't have a coconut taste.

The virgin oil retains a slight coconut taste and smell and is great for any use, but just be aware that you will smell and taste it slightly.

Hope you're having a fabulous 4th of July!

P.S. Don't forget this offer only goes through tomorrow, July 5, so order quickly as there will not be another deal like this for a long time!

Grab it here.

How I’m Building a Modest Wardobe for Cheap

8 Ways to Prepare Your Little Boy to Be a Man

Little boys are wonderful, but they will not stay little forever. When they are grown they will be men – men with life responsibilities, wives, and families. What tools do our little boys need to be properly equipped to face manhood?

As the parents of these little boys, we must be actively working to provide them with the tools they need to face life as a man. As the husbands and fathers in our society become less and less able to handle the pressures of life in a Godly and responsible way, our families, our churches, and our country begins to crumble from the inside out. Let's raise up a generation of real men who will stand for God, take responsibility for their families, and and do right at all costs!

So what are some of the ways we can prepare our little boys to be men? What are the things we must be teaching them?

1. Strong work ethic

My husband has been a manager at several different work places through the years, and it has been surprising to see how lazy some of the young men who have worked under him have been. Some of these guys have come from good Christian homes, but somewhere along the line their parents failed to teach them that W-O-R-K is not a dirty word.

A man's responsibility is to work hard to provide for his family's needs. He's not going to get very far with that if he's lazy. Let's teach our boys not to be lazy! When they clean their room, let's constantly be reminding them what the Bible says about doing things with all our might. Let's not accept a slip-shod job on their chores, but make them go back and do it again until it's done right. (This requires discipline on the part of the parents too, by the way!)

2. Money management

A real man provides for his family, not only by working hard to pay the bills, but also by being a wise steward of his resources. We must teach our boys how to handle money wisely and how to exercise self-control over spending frivolously.  (See also: The Secret to Living Debt Free)

This will look different for different families, but boys need to be taught in some way how to budget their money and then to be disciplined enough to stick to the budget.

3. Courage

It seems to be a common parenting philosophy these days to “protect” our children to such an extent that they are not allowed to do anything that could even remotely be construed as “dangerous”. Play with sticks? Nope. You could poke your eye out. Ride your bike down that hill? No. It's entirely too steep. For that matter, let's just put your bike away altogether. You could break an arm. Jump off the top step of the porch? Not a chance.

We have stifled our boys' natural sense of adventure and embedded fear in its place. Is it any wonder that so many young men these days are effeminate?

I want my boys to be bold enough to look fear in the face and do what needs to be done even if it means putting his life on the line to protect his family.

4. Gentleness with ladies and children

Just as I want my boy not to be effeminate, on the flip side that does not mean he needs to plow through life with unbridled crudeness. He can be a real man and still hold doors for ladies, refrain from rude noises in the presence of ladies, and treat children with gentleness and compassion. In fact, he's not a real man if he can't discipline himself to treat ladies and children properly.

(See also: 13 Things I Want My Son to Learn Before He Turns 13)

5. Decision making

Someday as the head of his family, my boy will be responsible for making some hard decisions. Providing him opportunities to be independent will help him learn that skill. Micromanaging a boy's life is not doing him any favors for the future. This may require a little bit of sacrifice on our part, mamas. Perhaps we'd like him to organize his things in a different way or choose a different shirt to wear, but if it's not hurting anything we need to give our sons the freedom to make some of those choices on their own.

There's a fine line between teaching a boy to obey his mama and forcing him to relinquish all control over any decision making. Let's make sure our boys know how to grow up thinking for themselves instead of cowing to our every whim.

6. Taking responsibility

A boy's mama is not his maid or personal servant. If he lives in the house he needs to help do the work. A boy can help do his laundry, clean his room, take out the trash, and even cook his own breakfast on occasion. That's not cruelty; that's life preparation. If we coddle and pamper our boys, they'll be in for a rude awakening when they find out there's nobody there to bail them out of fixing the stopped up toilet, fixing the car, or repairing the leak in the ceiling. And his wife! Oh the poor dear! He'll be expecting the same coddling and pampering out of her when he really needs to be picking out his own clothes and making sure his own dirty socks make it to the hamper.

Many husbands have an entitled, “serve me” attitude toward their wives because their mama trained them to expect to be served. Let's train our boys to be the servant rather than the served.  (No, I absolutely don't think there's anything wrong with a mama serving her family and doing kind things for them. But let's be very careful to make sure our kids don't develop an attitude of entitlement. They aren't going to learn responsibility just by watching your example; they need to practice it by having responsibilities of their own.)

7. Be leader; not a follower

We need men today who are leaders rather than followers — men who do right even if nobody else is doing it. Let's teach our boys that they don't have to follow the crowd. Let's encourage them when everyone is making fun of them for being so “uncool”. Let's not give in when they want to do this, that, or the other just because everyone else is doing it. Let's raise up strong men who will lead their families, their churches, and their country in righteousness.

8. Personal relationship with God

A man will never possess any of the other qualities mentioned without his own personal relationship with God. He may do these things out of habit just because mama helped him develop those habits, but when the pressure rises, so will the temptation to abandon what he knows is right and take the easy way out. But if he has a strong relationship with God, first through salvation and then through spending time daily in God's Word and prayer , he will be fully equipped to handle the decisions and responsibilities that come his way and to lead his family spiritually.

(See also: How to Teach Young Children to Develop a Personal Relationship With God)

God bless you as you strive to train up a generation of young men who will grow up to serve God with all their hearts!