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How To Teach The Word of God To Our Children

Posted in Bible, Guests, Learning at Home with tags , , on Friday, April 16, 2010 by Becky

I am so happy to have my best friend, my sister, as a guest blogger in this corner of the cyber-world. She is a godly woman, wife, mom, and friend. She and her husband home school their two children, (my incredible nephews!) and live in a country where the winters are long and cold, but the spring reminds them of the hope that is always to come.

She will be sharing with us a new series entitled, The Importance of Training our Children in God’s Word Throughout the Day; you are  more than welcome to join us for the next several Fridays. I pray that God will bless us on this journey.

Grab a cup of tea, and enjoy.

Part One.

My sister asked me to write on the topic of “The importance of training children in God’s Word throughout the day”. And the meaning of this statement will be different for each family. Some will say it is just a matter of reading the Bible every day, going to church, have well-behaved kids, praying before each meal, and before going to bed. While others will say that is much more.

I can have as many opinions as there are stars in the sky, but our basis is not our opinions but what the Bible teaches us about it. Teaching our children is a mandate, is a privilege and a responsibility. We were given our children to teach them to love God (even though, only God can give them love for Him), to read the Bible every day, to pray every day as a family, as well as in private time. We need to talk to them, use every opportunity to talk to them about God’s grace and justice, about God’s righteousness and His love, about His wrath and His mercy.  When they are young we need to teach them to fear of the Lord, not just read to make them familiar with stories from the Bible, and sit them in front the TV to watch a “Veggie Tales” to learn the Holy stories of the Bible and expect to have godly children.

Teaching God’s Word to our children involves a big commitment of 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We as parents need God’s work in us every day.  How can we teach self-control if we do not practice it? How can we teach mortification of sin if we do not mortify the sin in us? How can we teach them the importance of private prayer if we do not practice it? How can we teach them to love God above all things if we don’t? We can talk and teach all we want but if we do not live it, all our talking will be in vain.

We need to teach God’s Word to our children when they wake up, when we go for a walk, when they are playing, when they are reading, when they are eating, when they are resting, when they are at school, when they are on vacations, when they are upset, when they are happy, when they buy a toy, when they are disciplined, … All the time!. And by this I do not mean a great lecture every hour, but use every opportunity to show Christ in us. To help them make good choices in everything they do, because everything has to have a main purpose: eternity.

In everything they do, their souls should profit.

We get lost so quickly in the things they must do to do well in life, in academics, public speaking, mathematics, history, sports … but all must be weight first by the balance of God’s Word. It  is important that they understand Mathematics, Science, History, and be good in all they do, because we want them to know God’s sovereignty throughout history, to understand God’s creation through sciences, to grow in knowledge and understanding in all things, so that we may know Him more and do all things for Him and by Him, and that His fame may grow.

We should not treat them in respects of the Bible, as if they do not understand because they are young. We need to teach them of their need of salvation, the sin, repentance, justification, mercy, the consequences of sin, the payment needed , the blood of Christ, His sacrifice, His life… they understand more than we give the, credit for. They need to understand their need for Jesus Christ.

So this is our priority as parents, to take them to that rugged cross.

Norma

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Homeschooling One Child- Part VI-

Posted in Guests, Learning at Home with tags , , on Friday, April 9, 2010 by Becky

Dearest Eileen, thank you for all the time you have invested in sharing with us about your beautiful journey. May God give you joy as you keep on walking under His wings, daily on your way to heaven.

Homeschooling One Child – 

Part 1 can be seen here, part II is found here,
part III, part IV,and part V.

Our personal journey…

W hen my husband first began to talk with me about Rachel and school, we were living in a tiny town in southeast Missouri. He knew he wanted her to have a Christian education, but the only ‘Christian’ elementary school in town didn’t incorporate their Christian belief system into their educational system. Yes, they had a Bible class, but it was separate and removed from Math, English, History and the other subjects. God didn’t appear to be the God of Math, English, History and the rest. We realized that sending her to that school would not satisfy our desire for her to have a Christina education – the kind that God was embraced within all the subjects taught.

I  knew nothing of classical education, much less of a classical Christian education, but it was obvious I needed to learn quickly. I began receiving stacks of homeschooling magazines and catalogues filled with so many options that I became overwhelmed with all the choices. Along with that, I also became bit frantic with the huge task and enormous responsibility of teaching Rachel at home. I was afraid I would ruin this beautiful daughter God had given us, and that fear, that self-doubt, started to gnaw away at me.

People get degrees in learning how to teach – how could I teach our daughter? My college degree was in Physical Anthropology (I studied bones.), not in education. I was soon consumed with this fear that I was not capable of teaching her. I had bought into the system that says, you can only teach if you have at least a college degree in education. I tried to point out to my husband that I was not a teacher. I knew nothing about education except from the student-side. Is this classical Christian kind of an education really all that important? (In retrospect, my excuses sound a lot like Moses excuses to God telling God why he could not go to Pharaoh.)

However, my husband had not been fooled by the idea that only those with educational degrees could teach. He would ask me, “Who taught Rachel how to brush her teeth? Who taught Rachel how to hold a crayon? Or how to get dressed? Or how to run and hug me when I come home?” He didn’t give up on me. He continually encouraged me in every way he could. And he bought books for me.

I started reading about classical education: What is a classical education? How does it work? Can I teach it even if my education wasn’t classical? With more and more books and information under my belt, I soon realized that I could do this, but that I would need help in figuring out our curriculum. My husband knew of a classical Christian school in Idaho that offered a curriculum guide for kindergarten through sixth grade. Within this guide, I could get reading lists for specific grades (their recommendations). I was able to see what subjects were taught in which grade. I could see how many hours to plan for per week, per class. I could see a goal to aim for each year. I started praying for wisdom, for guidance, and for understanding all those years ago. (And, I haven’t stopped praying for those things!) Soon, through my husband’s constant encouragement and God’s kindness to us, my fear of ruining Rachel was replaced with excitement of this new life ahead of all of us.

Through the years, Rachel and I grew in grace as we worked with each other, enjoying the same books, pouring over Math problems, using measuring cups and flour in the kitchen to demonstrate fractions. I soon saw the benefit of writing a weekly/daily schedule showing us what schoolwork was to be accomplished, so that our ‘play time’ was clearly designated, as was our ‘work time’. Each year was not as scary as the previous year, as I became more confident in what we were trying to accomplish, and in making Rachel’s education my priority after my husband. (However, my husband has politely pointed out to me, that every year, usually between spring and summer, the feelings of inadequacy would return as I looked toward a new year, a higher grade, along with more difficult work. We would laugh together and I agreed that I was beginning to fret again. Mike would remind me of all that we had accomplished so far, and would spur me on to love and good works with Rachel.) God continually sustained all three of us as we sought to know Him through our schooling.

As our educational needs for Rachel increase with every year, we have begun to incorporate other teachers, instead of relying on me alone. We have been given science teachers (although I enjoy science immensely!), we have encountered delightful Latin teachers, Advanced Math courses that utilize teaching CDs for the computer, piano teachers who have brought beautiful pieces of music into our home, and currently, Rachel takes an on-line course that combines Theology, History, and classical literature. I still work with her in many areas, mostly overseeing her work, helping her with difficult problems, proof-reading papers, and testing.

And so we began our homeschooling journey years ago, and have continued through numerous moves and different state laws, from the dining room table to our schoolroom. All with the blessings of God, who has honored our desire to teach Rachel about this universe He has created.

To God be the glory!

Eileen

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The Love of Reading (Homeschooling One Child part V)

Posted in Guests, Learning at Home with tags , , on Friday, March 26, 2010 by Becky

It is Friday again, and again it is a good time to sit and relax and “listen” to my dear friend, Eileen. She has been sharing with us great insights about her own experience homeschooling her precious daughter. (Part one is here, Part two is found here, part three is here, and part four is here)

“The excavation of Troy reminds us how foolish it is to assume ancient history is nothing but myths and fables and that only modern historiographers can get it right.”

-Douglas Wilson

Five Cities That Ruled the World.

“He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:    “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

Because he has anointed me…”’

(Lk. 4:16-18)

God’s Word is taught from the pulpit, but how can you know more of God or of the world He has created, if not through reading?

The ability to read is probably the single most important aspect of education for any child. I have heard statements such as, “My child isn’t a reader,” or “Reading just doesn’t interest them.” Have we ever pondered why? Are we lovers of stories, of history, of our Bibles? Do your children see you reading?

I know in our busy lives as wives, mothers, and teachers, there isn’t much time leftover in the day to sit down with a good book outside of our Bible time. But if we want our children to love what we love (reading, in this case), they have to see us loving it.

We all have noticed that when our children are very young (0-2 yrs.), they understand much more than they are able to speak. From the moment they are born, we talk to our children continuously, sharing thoughts, ideas, and opinions.  Even though they do not have the ability or the vocabulary to respond to us with words, we still recognize that they do understand us. The child stops when you say, “Hot”. They totter over to the door when you announce it is time to go outside, or they clap their hands together when you mention “park day”. And so it is with reading. Long before your child is able to recognize letters and say their names, your child can understand many of the words, the story, the tone and inflection of your voice, the excitement of the adventure, the beauty of the flow of the words (especially rhyming words).

There is no rule of thumb when to begin teaching letters and reading, but if you see your child turning pages in a read-aloud book and she has most of the story memorized, you should strongly consider that it is time to begin. I am not going to recommend which reading program to use because you know your child’s frame and I do not. However, I would advocate that those little magnetic letters that stick to our refrigerators are a great place to start. It is an exciting time on the floor with your child, moving the colored letters around and making the sounds of the letters. Begin easy; begin short; begin with familiar words. Eventually, your child is able to run to the refrigerator and point out which word says “papa”, or “mama”, or “God”, or even their name.

Once your child is able to read, fill them with good books. The author, G.A. Henty, is one I highly recommend whether or not you have a son or a daughter. They are historically accurate, but the hero is usually a made-up fellow. These are stories filled with men-of-honor, of chivalry, of ladies of character and courage, of battles, of families, of covenantal blessings. What better way to learn and fall in love with history than through well written stories. These books are advertised for readers about the age of ten. However, if your child is consuming every book in her path, don’t wait.

As your child matures, and you are looking for books worthwhile to read, I would strongly recommend turning to the classics. (Again, pay attention to your child’s frame – some of the themes contained in the classics are rather ‘dicey’.)

I have received two educations in my life. The first began early and finished when I graduated from college. The second is a classical Christian education, which I have received through teaching our daughter. She is now in tenth grade and is already far ahead of where I was when I was her age. This is good! Not that we strive to have our children puffed up with useless knowledge, but rather we desire them to be filled with Godly wisdom.  “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Pr. 2:6)

The love of reading will open times and places we may never get to visit. The love of reading will bind friends together who have enjoyed the same books. The love of reading will open up job opportunities. The love of reading will open up recipes, mechanical engineering, history, languages, automobile maintenance, even love letters.

The love of reading will open up God.

Eileen

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Love Tanks (Homeschooling One Child)

Posted in Guests, Learning at Home with tags , , on Friday, March 19, 2010 by Becky

In case you are just jumping in this series,Homeschooling One Child, by my dear friend Eileen Lawyer, you can find part one here, part two here, and part three here –

“Love Tanks”

What is a “love tank”? It is similar to the gas tank of your car. When your car is filled, your car runs great. However, if your car runs low on gas, it chugs and sputters, letting you know something is amiss. A “love tank” runs on the same basic principle. When your child’s love tank is filled, your child is happy. But if her love tank is low, you will definitely hear her chugging and sputtering (or grumbling and complaining). Like the gas tank of your vehicle, your child’s tank needs constant filling; not just once in a while. It is a way of life.

Who fills it? The mother? The father? Yes, to both, but especially fathers. They are the supreme love-tank fillers, designed by God to be so. When a daughter’s heart is filled with love from her father, she won’t go looking for love from some young man when she is older. When a son’s tank is kept full by his father, he will grow up confident in his manliness before God.

How do you fill a “love tank”? Here are some suggestions: Fathers, take your child for a walk, just the two of you, after work or after dinner. When they are little, hold their hand, and listen to them talk (and talk and talk). From their point of view, you’ve been gone a long time. Wrestle with your sons, or sit and read a great action-packed book with them. Be involved with them. Have them help you with the plumbing problems under the sink. Explain what you are doing as you are doing it, so they grow up confident and knowledgeable. As your sons mature, bestow respect upon them for the things they do and do well. Mothers, since most likely you will be the primary teacher, you will need to find time outside of school, to fill love tanks. Take your young child to a pet store, and wander around without being rushed. Enjoy seeing the fish and furry animals through the eyes of your child.  Make snow angels together. Bake treats with your daughters for your husband. Compliment work well done whether you have a son or a daughter.

The attention you give your child  – your undivided attention – fills her/his love tank, just as God’s undivided attention to you, through reading His word, fills your love tank. (This same principle applies to you and your spouse as well.) This means, as hard as this may be for some of you, don’t take your cell phones on your walk with your child. It’ll be OK to return the call later. Don’t answer the phone when you are finger painting, or in the middle of a good book you are reading together. You cannot fill your child’s love tank by asking them to be quiet so you can talk with someone else. The days with our children are precious, so use the time that God has given you wisely.

Years ago, when our daughter was really little, my husband and Rachel loved to fly kites together. I don’t think Rachel even remembers kite flying she was so young. But her heart knows even if her mind doesn’t remember. Now that we live in Moscow, Idaho, my husband has been taking Rachel on a breakfast date every Friday for almost nine years. As much as I love to be with them, I know that for my daughter, this is a precious time with her father, and so I don’t even ask to go.

May the “love tanks” of your children be so full of your love that they overflow into the generations to come.

Eileen.

Part V, The Love of Reading, is found here.

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Plays Well With Others

Posted in Guests, Learning at Home with tags , on Friday, March 12, 2010 by Becky

Homeschooling One Child – Part III

Friday again, a great day to sit and read and learn from another homeschooling mom and about her beautiful journey teaching her precious daughter. Eileen Lawyer, is my friend and guest on this series, which you will be able to follow for several Fridays.

We have addressed laying the foundation (part I), and enjoying God while doing so (part II). Today, let us consider how to make our child a delight to be with.

Mike and I have been asked, “How did you teach Rachel how to play with others?”

When Rachel was little we played together…a lot. Not in the sense that I was washing dishes in the ‘big’ sink and she was next to me washing her plastic dishes in the ‘little’ sink (however, we did do this), but rather, the down-on-the-floor kind of playing: dressing her dollies; choosing which Beanie Babies we would play with that day; playing Hot and Cold when we hid her ‘pretty’ rocks; or even choosing marbles.

It is important in these early years, that you do not always let your child choose her doll or toy first. (Of course, if you have a son, the same applies to his trucks, soldiers, etc.) You may not actually care which one you play with and are happy to let her pick first, but you need to care. By that I mean that teaching your child to share, to let someone else go first, is part of loving your neighbor. Make an effort to take turns with which one of you gets to pick first. “I went first yesterday, Rachel, how about if you pick first today?” Then your child will see that giving to one another is good and normal, and that’s how we play.

There are numerous opportunities to apply this – who picks which way to turn at the end of your driveway for your walk? Or, which book shall we read together? Take turns, but take care that you portray a sense of ‘you first’ so that you both will always be giving to the other. (Kind of like marriage, huh?) When your children visit their grandparents, it is a delight to watch them ask Grandma to ‘go first’, or for them to tell Grandpa that he can pick which game to play.

And, the time to teach this is not when your child meets little Susie at the park and a tug-of-war ensues over swings or sand toys. That’s when it should be put into practice. The training for sharing, for being kind to one another, occurs at home. The years to come will be all the more pleasurable if sharing is taught early on.


Years ago, when my husband was pasturing a church in another state, we invited a family over to have dinner with us. They had a couple of children around Rachel’s age and we thought it would be a fun evening for all. Soon I realized that the training about sharing wasn’t going well in their home, and it certainly wasn’t going well in our living room. Even though they had more than one child, the concept of giving to one another, to share, to play with one another not against one another, hadn’t been taught well. Our small daughter just stood and watched in amazement. She was certainly learning a lot that night.

Kindness never goes out of style, neither does sharing and playing well with others. So, share your last cookie, even if there’s only one bite left.

Note: As I’m sure you’ve noticed,I generally write these posts using
pronouns in the feminine case. Please adjust what I’m saying for your sons.

Eileen

Part IV , is found  here.

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Homeschooling One Child

Posted in Guests, Learning at Home with tags , , , , on Friday, March 5, 2010 by Becky

My Friend, Eileen Lawyer, is my special guest and is sharing with us about Homeschooling One Child. It is a serie that is being posted in this corner of the cyberspace, on Fridays. Be welcome to follow her! (Part one, Laying the Foundations, is found here)

Welcome, grab a cup of coffee and listen to her…it is a delight!

Last week I wrote a few items of consideration for laying the foundation of your homeschooling life. What comes next? Read on…

What is the core of all learning? Well, the answer should be similar to “What is the chief end of man?” (Question #1 from the Westminster Shorter Catechism.) The answer to the catechism question is, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” If we truly believe this, which my husband and I do, then that is also our goal, or the core, of our homeschooling. How can our daughter glorify God and enjoy Him forever if she doesn’t know Him, His character, His Son? These are things you should know as well, so you may teach them.

How do you do this? Study your Bibles. Read and re-read the stories in Genesis, so that when a rainbow appears, you can bend down to your little one and point to the rainbow and repeat the story of who made it, and why, and what we’re to remember whenever we see it. Do this every time a rainbow appears, not just once. We don’t read our Bibles just once. We read them over and over. So, tell God’s stories over and over. Soon, when your child is able to speak, they will be able to answer your question, “Who made the beautiful rainbow?”

Your child’s education doesn’t begin at age five or six, it begins the minute you have your sweet bundle laid in your arms. You pray over your baby (she will learn to pray). You thank God for your meals (she will learn to who to thank). You hug your husband (she will learn the joy of being married). All of your day-to-day actions are teaching your child how to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

In Deuteronomy, God instructed the Hebrews:

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

(Deu 6:5-7 KJV)

So, take the opportunities that God gives you. Lie on your bellies together on the lawn and watch the ants. Bundle up on a foggy morning, walk outside, and look at a spider’s web glistening with dewdrops. Spread a blanket under the evening sky to watch the stars, or lay with your faces to the sky during the day and create cloud animals. Do more than just watch these happenings. Relate them to our God. In Proverbs, God commends the ants for their ways. The book of Job talks of our God – the God who made the constellations. Show your child the beauty of God’s words and His world, for His words are life.

As your child gets older, you can ‘glorify him and enjoy Him forever’ in different ways. Last year, while Mike was at work, Rachel and I took our normal school day and threw it out the window. Instead we took a ‘flood day’ (as opposed to a ‘snow day’). Our winter had warmed up fast, the snow had turned to rain and the creeks were rising! Rachel and I put on our tall, rubber boots and headed out to a stream, which had become a swollen river. The walking path beside it was gone. Ponds existed where a field had previously been. We sloshed around in the gooey mud (coming close to falling many times) for hours. We made memories together. And, even though our books didn’t get opened once that day, both Rachel and I learned a tremendous amount about God - His blessings upon our lives, and the might of His hand to rule over all creation.

Be creative with your child and your time with them. Glorify God in your creativity, so that this generation and the generations to come will be blessed.

Eileen

(Note: I am not advocating that the ‘nature experience’ is more important than learning reading, writing and arithmetic. However, our daughter works diligently during school, allowing us a little freedom with our school schedule. This enables us to take flood days, or snow days, or spring days…)

Part three of this series, “Plays well With Others” is found here.

…………………………………………………………

Note…Today you can read me (Becky) in The Classical Experience, about “Memorizing Life”

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Laying The Foundations

Posted in Guests, Learning at Home with tags , , on Friday, February 26, 2010 by Becky

A post by my guest, and dear friend Eileen Lawyer. She will be kindly sharing  her beautiful homeschooling experience with us for the next several Fridays. This is her first post on the serie, the continuation is here)



When Becky first approached me about writing something for her blog on homeschooling one child, I thought, “Oh my, what would I say?” But, now that I have been contemplating it for a while, I am currently thinking, “Oh my, I have too much to say!”

Let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Eileen Lawyer and God has blessed me with being able to say I am the wife of Mike Lawyer. We have one daughter, Rachel, who is fifteen and is the joy and delight of our hearts. We live in Moscow, Idaho, USA.  We have been homeschooling Rachel from the day that God brought her forth.

Before I begin with specific ideas for homeschooling one child, I would like to lay a foundation about homeschooling, no matter how many children you may have. These are not things Mike and I have made up for Rachel, but rather, they are the foundations of life that God has given us, and that we are to pass on to our generations.

I realize that within the sixty-six books of the Bible there is wisdom contained on each and every page. But these are just a few verses for you to consider:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Lk.10:27) reminds us that what we are teaching and what our children are learning should be impacting everything that encompasses who we are;

“Thou shall have no other Gods before me” (Ex. 20:2-4) keeps us focused on the fact that schooling is a priority but, not our God;

“If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (Jn. 3:16) reminds us that we need to confess and repent of any irritability with our little ones (and it does happen) so they learn to confess and repent of their sins as well. They will imitate us, the good and the bad, and so we must remember to set the example of God’s mercy and grace;

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9) There will be days when you say, “All I have been doing today is disciplining. We have not accomplished any of the goals I had set, nor have we stayed on track with the school schedule I had lined out.”  Do not grow weary but remember that even while disciplining, we are teaching our children the faithfulness of God – confession, forgiveness, restored fellowship, how hugs can be joyous. Our God is faithful and has proven his faithfulness by raising Jesus from the dead as he said he would do. So, if he says we will reap the harvest if we do not give up, then we will reap the harvest.

I remember one time specifically when Rachel was only five or six, and one of the ladies in our church had a daughter who was about sixteen. She had the sweetest disposition, was kind and gentle to little ones, respectful of her parents, filled with laughter, and whom God had obviously blessed. I spoke with her mother about the things I had noticed. Her mother pointed out that their family was at the point where they were reaping the work of the ‘training’ years. She encouraged me so much that day, to not give up when a few days were tough, to rejoice always, to pray unceasingly for our little one, and to be confident that God would bless our efforts in raising our daughter to be a Godly young lady. And now, our daughter is fifteen. She is like the young lady I saw over ten years ago. Both Mike and I are reaping the blessings of the years of teaching her and knowing that our God has been faithful.

May your days be filled with the knowledge and the goodness of the Lord as you train and teach your children. May your generations be blessed.

– Eileen

PART 2: Homeschooling One Child, The Core of All Learning and How to Do it, is found here.

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