Field trip before school starts |
So this is my 4th year homeschooling the 3 crazy
Es (grades 4th, 2nd, and Kinder). Last year I found a curriculum
that I absolutely LOVE and it works great for our family. It is My Father’s Word
(MFW); I can’t say enough wonderful things about it. I had it all planned out
that I was going to use it this year as well. Sometimes thing change.
A dear friend let me know what she was going to do this year
for school. She was starting a Classical Conversations (CC) community. Well
what was this? I looked at and thought this looks good but I already know what
I am doing. I kept being drawn back to it. There were two problems with this
curriculum. First, because they go to class one day a week and it is very structured
there was a sizable cost involved. Second, was that they were meeting on
Mondays. How is that a problem? My husband has every other Monday off and that
is our family outing day. We do things like the zoo, beach, fishing, etc. on
those days. So I prayed about it and left it in God’s hands. If he wanted me to
do this he would provide the funds and change my husband’s days off.
In the mean time I was able to buy MFW used at a GREAT
price, so I felt that this is what God has planned for us this year. It was all
coming together. I loved that this year we were going to be learning about
countries, cultures, ecosystems, and missionary from various countries. This
totally goes with what God has been laying on my heart the last few years - MISSIONS. We
even have a jar of money that we collect throughout the school year with money we
find. It is great when one of the Es finds money in Wal-Mart and starts yelling,
“I found money for the missionaries”. We have picked 3 missionaries to pray for
and to divide the money amongst. We collect it from September to August so I
will know how much we are giving on Friday to each. The kids also love giving
to the actual missionaries whenever possible.
So My Father’s World mission statement is “Seeing the World
Through God’s Eyes” and Classical Conversations is to “Know God and Make Him
Known”. Love both of these. For me I want God to be the center of our
curriculum but also the center of our lives.
MFW K |
MFW book basket reading |
The hardest part of this school year has been to get my 4th
grader to do her CC writing class (called Essentials) homework. She enjoys writing
what she wants to write but not the whole process of writing or any part of
Language Arts she hates. So this has been a challenge but we are working it
out.
She is not happy about this class |
In years past I have been involved in my church,
handing out tracts at the high school, working with AWANA, going kids club and
anything else I could help with or do when I could but not this year. If something
doesn’t fit into our school schedule nicely then we are not doing it. That includes
extra activities. Last year, we did a PE classes once a week, took swimming
lessons, did gymnastics, my oldest took a writing class; piano lessons; and a card making class
and we did a Bible study with CBS (Community Bible Study). This year we are
only taking the PE class, music lessons, kids are doing AWANA (not me) and doing the Bible
study. Since the PE class is in the afternoon after CBS it works out OK. It still sounds like a lot but it is less for us.
Why do I feel we need a Bible study if we have Bible in our curriculum?
Community Bible Study is an in-depth Bible study that does verse by verse. The awesome
part is that the kids in 2nd-8th grade are doing the same
study but their questions are designed for their age. I have grown a lot
spiritually and it has been great to be studying the Bible with them. A bonus
is 2 hours with adultsJ.
A question I heard a lot last year and I am sure I will hear
it a lot this year is, “Isn’t that too much Bible?” What is too much Bible?
That is how God speaks to us, the more we are in the Word the more we will be
in communion with God. My kids love AWANA, CBS, and anything church related. I
don’t ask them to do anything I am not willing to do myself. We lead by
example. I was looking in MFW catalog this morning and saw this written, “Raising
up generations of families who see the world through God’s eyes and live
according to that knowledge”. That to me says so much. I am raising the next
generation and I want them to seek God and live accordingly to His will. In
order to accomplish this is to be in the Word. So is there a thing of too much
Bible? I will leave that for you to seek the Lord for the answer.
First day of School 2012 |