Homeschool Happenings v. 4 (The Last Day of the 1st Six Weeks)

It seems that six weeks have gone by quickly. We have made good progress in many areas especially reading. The kids really enjoy Texas geography. The only thing that we have been slackers in is quilting. (I think that is because it is such a steep learning curve for me.) This past week we have been reviewing our elements (arsenic, iron, calcium, chromium, and potassium), our big fat lies (earth is millions of years old, church is a place, you need to be like everyone else, people get to decide what is true, and religion needs to stay private), our traits of the wise (discipline, industrious, prudent, humble, and justice) and the Panhandle Plains region of Texas. They are supposed to tell Dad this weekend what they remember as a sort of "final".

Now we will have two weeks off. As a reward to ourselves we are planning to go swimming in one of the area lakes and going to Arlington Gem and Mineral Show. We are also hopeful that at least few of the chicks will hatch. The two weeks gives me time to plan the next 6 weeks and to edit our video yearbook for last year.

The World's Biggest Mushroom

OK. . . Maybe that is an exaggeration. It is certainly the biggest one that I have ever seen. My kids and I took the liberty of pulling it out of a neighbors yard. It turned out to be two that had grown together. It was very hard to pull up because there was grass growing through it. Anyway, the picture is on a dinner plate for scale.

College

Though my kids are quite a few years from college, I still find discussions on the topic interesting. Randy Alcorn has a post today about choosing a college that is worth the read. Here is the part that I want to emphasize.

When our daughters were considering a college, we told them, "Judge everything you hear by the Word of God, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11." There will be disagreements with faculty and students, of course, but that's healthy as long as people are appealing to a common authority, God's Word. But when they aren't, that's where the trouble begins. I would far rather send my kids—or go myself—to a school that has certain doctrines I don't embrace but that believes God's Word, than to one I cannot trust.

There is a Christian college (which will remain nameless) that some years ago was a great place to be challenged in the Word and meet God-fearing people who took the Bible seriously. I recently had a conversation with one of their alums. She said that the focus has all got to "academics" (what the world calls smart like evolution) and sports and things to make the college as "normal" as popular so that more students would be attracted.

It kind of reminded me of many congregations' mentalities of we need to be attractive to the masses by dumbing down the Bible and standing for virtually nothing. It seems to me that this method creates a bunch of weak Christians or short-lived Christians.

So I completely agree with Mr. Alcorn. If a school is professing Christianity, they darn well better be willing to stand on the Bible to make their arguments not just in science, but in economics, business, etc.

The Neighbor

In a comment on a previous post, a reader pointed me to this article that compares the local government school to a "neighbor". It makes some really good points. I encourage you to read the whole thing. Here is a quote to wet your whistle.

Now, time you used to spend together in the evening is spent alone. Your children's free time is taken up working on projects your neighbor has asked them to do. Even your weekends are interrupted by games and parties your neighbor has planned for them without consulting you. To make matters worse, your neighbor has begun to ask you to chip in for the expenses he has had as a result of your children's visits.

This is one of the things I enjoy about homeschooling. When school is done, its done. And we can work school around our activities, parties, etc. instead of working those things around school/homework.