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Educating the Wholehearted Child ~ Postscript & Resources

Amanda Pelser — December 5, 2011 — Leave a comment

Today, we’re going to double up and discuss the postscript and resources chapters. I originally had them split up on the schedule, but they are short and go together well.

There’s no place like home…with God in it. pg. 331

As homeschoolers and even more as Christ-followers, we have to remember that the goal is not what our children do with their lives. It is more about who they become. Success in the world’s eyes without the right heart towards God is ultimately failure.

The rest of the book is filled with great book suggestions for parents and children as well as forms to help you organize and record your homeschooling endeavors.

Here’s my first question to you today: What are your favorite resources? It might be a book, a tool, or a curriculum. It might be a blog, person, or a method. Now, share it! Either leave a comment or write up a post and link up on why that thing is your favorite, can’t homeschool without it resource.

Second, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Educating the WholeHearted Child as a whole. Even if you haven’t been with me the whole series, please leave a comment or link up a blog post you’ve written on the book as a whole.

That’s the end of the series. I hope you enjoyed this journey. I hope you learned some new things and focused or refocused your homeschooling. Educating the WholeHearted Child will be a well-loved and well-used reference book through out my years of homeschooling.

In Books, Educating the Wholehearted Child Discussion Group, Homeschooling book club, books, Educating the Wholehearted Child, homeschool how to, homeschooling

Educating the Wholehearted Child ~ Chapter 18

Amanda Pelser — November 28, 2011 — Leave a comment

Chapter 18 of Educating the WholeHearted Child is all about finding support. Here are some places that you can find support as a homeschooler whether you’re a veteran homeschooler or just figuring how to homeschool:

Local support group
Books
Online

I’m not a very outgoing person, so #2 and #3 are my preferred ways of finding support. I’m a researcher and I love reading, so books and websites are usually my first choice when learning about a topic or looking for help with something. There are a lot of good local support groups ranging from co-op class groups to field trip groups to moms groups. These just don’t seem to fit where I am and the ages of my kids right now.

The best form of support for me has been blogs and social media. I’ve met some wonderful moms online. I thought about listing some here, but there are so many that I would feel bad if I left one out, especially of those who have become personal friends. When you’re first jumping into and learning how to homeschool, blogs are great because you can see how every family puts homeschool into action in a different way.

I’ve been a part of several online book clubs recently that have been very encouraging. One was on Seasons of a Mother’s Heart. I took about 12 weeks and blogged through the book with other homeschooling moms. First, it is a book that all homeschooling moms should read and second, it was a great way to get to know other moms. I loved it so much that I have a book club starting in January to go through How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids.

Another way of getting support is a retreat or conference. Apologia Live hosts several retreats around the country each year. I’m excited about going to Atlanta in the spring for one of these retreats. I’ll even get to meet and hang out in real life with some of the moms I’ve become friends with online. {Stick around…. I’ll be giving away a ticket during the HEART Book Club!}

How do you find support for homeschooling?

In Books, Educating the Wholehearted Child Discussion Group, Homeschooling Apologia, Apologia Live, books, Discussion, Educating the Wholehearted Child, homeschool how, homeschooling, support

Educating the Wholehearted Child ~ Chapter 17

Amanda Pelser — November 21, 2011 — 2 Comments

Welcome to chapter 17. Can you believe we’re only a few weeks away from finishing this book?

As a homeschooling mother, your home is your domain – it is the part of creation that God has uniquely designed and delegated to you to subdue and rule over. pg. 301

In this chapter, the Clarksons take us on a journey of maintaining and organizing our homes using the word FIRST. First stands for:

Family (including cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc)
Information
Rest
Stuff
Time

These are the areas that we need to subdue in our homes. When we allow these things get out of order, everything in our lives starts to break down. We’re not as effective as we could be and we become stressed.

Here are a few ways that I maintain things in my home:

I joke that my whole life is in Evernote, but I think it might be true. I have been moving more and more towards being paperless for my everyday life and storage of information. Receipts, bills, ebooks, pdf documents, and much more. I store it all and organize it all in Evernote. I can tag and search documents. I can access my information from my computer, iPad, phone, or through a web browser.

I keep my to-do list in Producteev. I enter my tasks via their web interface or send an email. I can sort and categorize my to-dos. I can get email reminders. If it needs to be done, I put it on this list and check it multiple times a day.

Google Calendar is my preferred scheduler. If I need to be there, it goes on my calendar. I can also easily send Josh invites so he knows when he needs to be somewhere. I can access my calendar from my phone and Josh can see my calendar from his phone too. Reminders pop up on my phone and in my email as needed to remind me of places I need to be.

Cleaning schedules are one of my biggest downfalls, but I’ve been working on that. 3 in 30 has been a great help in setting goals and developing new habits. I’ve read a couple of books recently that have helped me change my mindset and start developing manageable routines: 31 Days to Clean and I Dream of Clean. I have also been using Tell Your Time to help me learn to better prioritize my time.

How do you juggle it all? What are your favorite methods and tools?

In Educating the Wholehearted Child Discussion Group, Homeschooling books, Educating the Wholehearted Child, homeschool, homeschool how to

Educating the Wholehearted Child ~ Chapter 16

Amanda Pelser — November 14, 2011 — Leave a comment

Lauren who writes at ServingfromHome.com is summarizing and sharing on Chapter 16. I love reading Lauren’s blog. She always has amazing and encouraging insights into scripture, life, homemaking, and homeschooling. Her thoughts on this chapter of Educating the WholeHearted Child are no different!

In the words of Sally and Clay: ?This chapter is about one thing ? subduing your home to create the kind of structure and patterns that will allow you to effectively stay on the path to realizing those larger goals. It?s about defining the purposes, priorities, plans, and principles that will get you where you want to go. The path is there; it?s up to you how you walk it with your family.?

Everyone gets tooting on the horn about how important it is to have goals, set goals, follow goals. Little is accomplished without some kind of a plan or at least a shadow of a goal in your mind. But how does that play out in an incredibly busy homeschool household where your days flash by faster than you can think, and before you know it, another semester is finished, and you?re still discouraged and unsure what direction you?re taking, or even what (if anything) you are accomplishing with your children.

Keep reading at Serving from Home… Then come back to link up!

In Books, Educating the Wholehearted Child Discussion Group, Homeschooling books, Discussion, Educating the Wholehearted Child

Educating the Wholehearted Child ~ Chapter 15

Amanda Pelser — November 7, 2011 — Leave a comment

Chapter 15 is all about the definition of family and the role of both fathers and mothers in homeschooling.

Family is the only institution in Scripture that was created before the Fall. pg. 269

The definition and sanctity of the family is being attacked and torn apart in our culture. We need to get back to the role of a father as head of the household and the role of mother as the heart of the household.

Fathers are called to be head of the family. They are to be servant leaders. Their position as head gives direction to the whole family. There are lots of ways for Dad to get involved in homeschooling. I wrote about some ways to get Dad involved in your homeschool. Dad is often gone for 12 hours a day, but he is still a vital part of our family and our homeschool.

Mothers could be called the heart of the family. Having a child changes a woman. I had a much harsher or abrasive demeanor before I had Jonathan. I’ve had numerous people tell me that they’ve seen how motherhood has changed me personally for the better. It has softened me.

God calls moms to be faithful. We are to be servants. We are called to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our family and our children. Homeschooling is not for the weak! I have to let go of my agenda daily to be available for God’s agenda. Sally Clarkson has written a number of wonderful books on this topic including The Ministry of Motherhood which I read this past summer and The Mission of Motherhood which I read last summer. I’ve been writing about this fall about her book Seasons of a Mother’s Heart. All are excellent resources for moms in general but especially homeschooling moms.

Homeschooling is more than an academic choice for the child. It is a lifestyle choice for your whole family.