Educating Leaders - No Conveyor Belt Education Here!

July 20, 2007 - Math Games at Half Price

I am excited to tell my friends about a sale on Making Math Fun. You can grab about 100 math games for $13. That's less than 20 cents a game, better than garage sale prices. If you use my secret buying button, you can get these games on sale through Saturday, July 21.

Just follow these directions:

1. Click on this link: http://math.familye-biz.com

2. Click the book icon in the upper left hand corner to pay only $13 for the entire package.

3. DON’T click on the buy button at the bottom of the page. If you do, you will pay the full price of 27.97

Enjoy some Math Fun this summer!

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October 19, 2006 - Guard My Tongue

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sigh,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

God is teaching me how important it is to guard my tongue, watching what I say. This includes my speech to my husband, my children, my friends, my neighbors and so on!

Kerry
Wise Leaders

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October 11, 2006 - Weather Lesson in Scripture

Ever heard the saying, "Red sky at night; sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning"? I found this is Scripture.

When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is read and threatening.'
Matthew 16:2-3

Scripture may have more to teach us than we realize.

Kerry
www.Raising-Leaders.com

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June 29, 2006 - Importance of Serving Others

If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden.
Isaiah 58:10-11

Over the past several months I have read of men and women who serve those around them. Christians who set up hospitals, schools, shelters to reach out to the down-trodden. These verses in Isaiah remind me of the reason why I should be serving the needy AND training my children to do the same so they will be servant leaders.

What is the best way for them to learn to serve others? With a textbook or program - NO! Serving the needy and watching their parents serve the needy is the best way for them to prepare for service as an adult. This reminds me of my need to reach out and serve. Get outside my comfort zone!

Kerry

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June 18, 2006 - Bored, Nothing to Do!

Have you ever read the book by Peter Spier, Bored, Nothing To Do?

It's about two brothers who are bored and their mom sends them outside

to do "something". Out in the garage, they build an airplane and fly it...

Your kids may be bored this summer and wondering what they could do,

besides watch TV. Here's a list from another group that might give your

family some fresh ideas. You might even put them on slips of paper in

a jar. Let your kids choose one when they are "bored".

In no particular order,

   1. ride bikes
   2. roller blade
   3. basketball
   4. play board games
   5. make a tent out of blankets
   6. squirt with hoses
   7. run through the sprinkler
   8. jump rope
   9. read books
10. blow bubbles
11. make homemade play dough
12. play with play dough
13. press flowers
14. do crafts with pressed flowers
15. write a letter to a relative, friend or pen pal
16. clean bedroom
17. vacuum livingroom
18. clean bathroom
19. make a craft
20. draw
21. color
22. paint
23. pull weeds
24. watch a movie
25. write stories
26. use binoculars
27. use magnifying glass
28. use microscope
29. bird watching
30. write a play
31. act out a play
32. invent circus acts
33. perform a circus
34. play card games
35. make art on the front walkway with sidewalk chalk
36. play catch
37. play baseball
38. collect rocks
39. collect leaves
40. collect feathers
41. play Frisbee
42. make Frisbee's out of old plastic lids, decorate with markers
43. dust the house
44. brush the pet
45. write letters
46. read a magazine
47. play dress-up
48. play Cowboys
49. pick vegetables
50. play outside with the pet
51. build a fort in your rooms
52. build a fort in the backyard
53. do a jigsaw puzzle
54. play on the Geosafari
55. play on the computer
56. listen to a story or book on tape
57. do extra schoolwork to get ahead
58. do brain teasers (ie:crosswords,word searches,etc.)
59. cook
60. prepare lunch
61. surprise a neighbor with a good deed
62. play store
63. prepare a "restaurant" lunch with menus
64. hold a tea party
65. have a Teddy bear picnic
66. play with toy cars
67. play dolls
68. play house
69. chase butterflies
70. collect caterpillars and bugs
71. plant a garden or a pot
72. collect seeds
73. hunt for four-leaf clovers
74. learn magic tricks
75. put on a magic show
76. plant a container garden
77. sprout seeds or beans
78. make sock puppets
79. put on a puppet show
80. make Christmas presents
81. make homemade wrapping paper
82. make homemade gift cards
83. make picture frames from twigs glued onto sturdy cardboard
84. crochet or knit
85. make doll clothes
86. sew buttons in designs on old shirts
87. run relay races
88. make bookmarks
89. take a quiet rest time
90. take a shower or bath
91. bathe a pet
92. feed the birds or squirrels
93. watch the clouds
94. organize a dresser drawer
95. clean under the bed
96. empty dishwasher
97. vacuum under the couch cushions and keep any change found
98. write these ideas on pieces of paper and pick out one or two to
do
99. whittle
100. whittle bars of soap
101. practice musical instruments
102. perform a family concert
103. teach yourself to play musical instrument(recorder,harmonica,
guitar)
104. fold laundry
105. sweep kitchen or bathroom floors
106. sweep front walkway
107. sweep or spray back patio
108. sweep or spray driveway
109. wash car
110. vacuum car
111. vacuum or dust window blinds
112. clean bathroom mirrors
113. clean sliding glass doors
114. clean inside of car windows
115. wash bicycles
116. clean garage
117. play in the sandbox
118. build a sandcastle
119. work with clay
120. copy your favorite book illustration
121. design your own game
122. build with blocks or Legos
123. create a design box (copper wire, string, odds-and- ends of
things destined for the garbage, pom-poms, thread, yarn,etc.)
124. plan a neighborhood or family Olympics
125. have a marble tournament
126. paint a picture with lemon juice on white paper and hang it in a
sunny window and see what happens in a few days
127. finger paint with pudding
128. make dessert
129. make dinner
130. give your pet a party
131. paint the sidewalk with water
132. start a journal of summer fun
133. start a nature diary
134. have a read-a-thon with a friend or sibling
135. have a neighborhood bike wash
136. play flashlight tag
137. play Kick the Can
138. check out a science book and try some experiments
139. make up a story
140. arrange photo albums
141. find bugs and start a collection
142. do some stargazing
143. decorate bikes or wagons and have a neighborhood parade
144. catch butterflies and then let them go
145. play hide-and-seek
146. create a symphony with bottles and pans and rubber bands
147. listen to the birds sing
148. try to imitate bird calls
149. read a story to a younger child
150. find shapes in the clouds
151. string dry noodles or O-shaped cereals into a necklace
152. glue noodles into a design on paper
153. play hopscotch
154. play jacks
155. make up a song
156. make a teepee out of blankets
157. write in your journal
158. find an ant colony and spill some food and watch what happens
159. play charades
160. make up a story by drawing pictures
161. draw a cartoon strip
162. make a map of your bedroom, house or neighborhood
163. call a friend
164. cut pictures from old magazines and write a story
165. make a collage using pictures cut from old magazines
166. do a secret service for a neighbor
167. plan a treasure hunt
168. make a treasure map
169. make up a "Bored List" of things to do
170. plan a special activity for your family
171. search your house for items made in other countries and then
learn about those countries from the encyclopedia or online
172. plan an imaginary trip to the moon
173. plan an imaginary trip around the world, where would you want
to go
174. write a science-fiction story
175. find a new pen pal
176. make up a play using old clothes as costumes
177. make up a game for practicing math facts
178. have a Spelling Bee
179. make up a game for practicing spelling
180. surprise an elderly neighbor or relative by weeding his/her
garden
181. fingerpaint with shaving cream
182. collect sticks and mud and build a bird's nest
183. write newspaper articles for a pretend newspaper
184. put together a family newsletter
185. write reviews of movies or plays or tv shows or concerts you
see during the summer
186. bake a cake
187. bake a batch of cookies
188. decorate a shoe box to hold your summer treasures
189. make a hideout or clubhouse
190. make paper airplanes
191. have paper airplane races
192. learn origami
193. make an obstacle course in your backyard
194. make friendship bracelets for your friends
195. make a wind chime out of things headed for the garbage
196. paint your face
197. braid hair
198. play tag
199. make a sundial
200. make food sculptures (from pretzels, gumdrops, string licorice,
raisins, cream cheese, peanuts, peanut butter, etc.) and then eat it
201. make a terrarium
202. start a club
203. take a nap outside on your lawn
204. produce a talent show
205. memorize a poem
206. recite a memorized poem for your family

Have a wonderful summer!

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June 13, 2006 - What is 'Real Education'?

What is "real education"?

Most parents today think it is completing high school or college. You grew up riding down the conveyor belt of education, completing textbooks, and following the same path as every other student. This does not provide an education for future leaders. Instead it trains students to be followers who only learn "what to think".

One of the differences between public education (on the conveyor belt) and leadership education (teaching how to think) is the concept of "inspire, not require". These past few weeks have truly been educational and inspirational. What do I mean by this?

My children spent some time at their grandparents' home in Texas before Steve & I arrived. My son excitedly called to tell me what they were doing (really he was learning). He discovered two bird nests with eggs, saw a triple barrel shotgun, visited a museum with many, many animals and much more. Hunter and his grandma spent hours looking for the type of birds that laid their eggs nearby.

We picked up our children from camp and drove to my parents a couple of weeks ago. The first thing my son asked his grandma when we arrived back at the farm was if the eggs had hatched. We spent the week watching the eggs hatch and the birds fly on their own. Then, we discovered the birds were painted buntings. We also found a nest in my dad's hat, right outside the back door. There are 5 eggs in that wren's nest.

Next we discovered two brown-speckled eggs on the ground at the back of the farm. After investigating the eggs and the bird, they spent time on the internet and reading the bird books to find out it is a whip-poor-will. Whip-poor-wills lay two brown eggs on the ground.

Last night we watched a fawn nurse from its mom, then lie down in the grass while its mom walked into the woods. The fawn looked like it was one or two days old.

I could go on, but you get the picture. We were all learning about birds and wildlife without cracking a textbook or answering questions.

Do you think my children will remember more about these animals or the ones they might be forced to study in a textbooks?

This summer I will continue to look for areas of interest in my children and pursue that for studies. You can inspire your children to "real education" by following their interests and the situations God places in your life.

Please post a comment about this story. I'd love the feedback or other ideas.

Kerry

Inspire Children

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June 13, 2006 - Force Your Child to Study??? or NOT???

This morning I was quite surprised to hear my son discuss how he defines school. He told me (& his dad) that school are the subjects he is forced to do. He even lumps art into that category when I suggest we draw during our read aloud time.

This simply reminded me how important it is to inspire our children to learning, instead of require learning tasks. This past year I worked on inspiring my children. I know there are some areas of study that Steve & I require of our children. That's just part of being in our family. And...I'm expanding the choices my children make about their own studies in hopes of inspiring them in their areas of interests.

Take a minute right now and see if you are "forcing" your children to tasks or inspiring them to lifelong learning. If you have any ideas to inspire your children to traditional school subjects (reading, writing, math, science, history), please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Kerry

Inspire Children

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June 9, 2006 - Real Education

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May 12, 2006 - Inspire Your Kids with Audio

I just saw the winners of the homeschool radio show contest. Take a look at what fellow homeschoolers accomplished. You will be truly inspired and, hopefully, your kids will be too.

http://homeschoolradioshows.com/

While you are on that page, check out the radio shows you can download and the fantastic newsletter from the Erskine family (http://www.chirotoons.com/signup.html) When you sign up for the newsletter, you will receive a free audio. Check your email box for the link.

Kerry

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April 14, 2006 - Resurrection Buns

We have our traditions at Easter time, as I'm sure your family does. Each year we make Resurrection Buns on Saturday evening. They rise overnight and are ready for breakfast. The cool thing about these buns is that the marshmallow you use on Saturday is gone after you bake them on Sunday. The first time we baked these, my kids were fascinated. They sure look forward to these each year. (sorry this is probably a repeat, but we love it............)

RESURRECTION BUNS

biscuit dough (homemade or popped out of the can)

large marshmallows

melted butter

cinnamon sugar

Roll out lumps of dough into 4 inch circles. Wrap each dough circle around marshmallow & close tightly. Roll the dough in melted butter and then in a cinnamon & sugar mixture. Place in well-greased pans. Let rise overnight. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. The marshmallows will melt and leave a sticky (& yummy) syrup in the buns.

Enjoy...and inspire your kids to learn more about Jesus Christ's resurrection!

Kerry

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April 4, 2006 - Astronomy Unit - Tuesday

Reading - More library books. Spend some time discussing how much evolution is in these books and what is wrong with it. Discuss other curious information

Writing - Rough draft of first & last paragraph. Add dressups & sentence openers (from Institute for Excellence in Writing)

Spelling - Words missed from dictation

History - Project in Galileo for Kids - Pendulum

Science - Read ch. 8, Discuss ch 6, 8, project of choice

Dictation - Section from library book about nebula.

Grammar - I typed 5 sentences from Astronomy Book. Label each word for part of speech.

Math - Math U See
Logic - Thinking Toolbox 7
Read Aloud - Ivanhoe & Truth Quest History Middle Ages (continue from previous weeks)

Kerry
Unit Studies Made Easy

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April 4, 2006 - Astronomy Unit - Monday

Reading - More library books

Writing - Rough draft for body of interview essay

Spelling - words missed in dictation

History - Read Galileo for Kids and discuss

Science - Read ch. 6 Astronomy Book on Space Exploration, choose activity and complete it

Copy - Copy section of book he has read

Bible - Gospel in the Stars Bible study

Latin - Attend class and work on assignment with friend
Math - MathUSee lesson
Read Aloud - Ivanhoe & Truth Quest History Middle Ages (continue from previous weeks)

Kerry

Unit Studies Made Easy

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April 3, 2006 - Astronomy Unit - Friday

Reading - Assortment of library books. Discuss info that he has learned from books. He often tells us this info in the middle of the day, not at a set "discussion time".

Writing - Write rough draft of interview, including section on astronomy

Copy - Copy section of book he has read - His choice

Science - Experiments with lenses & telescope concepts from The Universe & Janice Van Cleave's book on Astronomy

History - Discuss Galileo

Math - MathUSee lesson
Latin - attend class & do assignments
Bible - read chapter
Read Aloud - Ivanhoe & Truth Quest History Middle Ages (continue from previous weeks)

Interesting Tidbit - I am learning about the universe as my 13 yo shares with me what he has learned through the day.

Kerry

Unit Studies Made Easy

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March 30, 2006 - Astronomy Unit - Thursday

Reading - Do You Hear Shouts in Space? I found lots more books from our book shelves when I organized our science books.

Writing - Write rough draft of 3 paragraphs from interview

Spelling - Oral test with mom from words missed in previous dictation

History - Read and discuss Galileo for Kids. Finish first chapter

Science - Read ch. 5, Long discussion ch 4-5 Astronomy Book. 13yo wants to finish all reading and discussing so he doesn't have any science reading on Friday :-) Choose experiment about lenses and telescope.

Bible - Work on Bible study about stars that mom is writing, Gospel in the Stars. After discussing ch. 5 in science, read Genesis 11 about Tower of Babel. Relate to why all civilizations call the constellations the same name (in their own language).

Grammar - Correct mistakes from paragraphs I typed from Astronomy Book.

Dictation - Paragraph about constellations and Tower of Babel from Astronomy Book.

Math - MathUSee lesson
Latin - Work on assignment from class.
Read Aloud - Ivanhoe & Truth Quest History Middle Ages (continue from previous weeks)

Kerry
Unit Studies Made Easy

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March 30, 2006 - What Excites A 13 Year Old?

I am surprised to see the sun every day this week. Usually it is raining at this time of year…and that’s what the forecast has been. All of us were so excited to go to my middle daughter’s softball game on Tuesday and not see snow or rain. I realize those of you in the south might not comprehend baseball and snow in the same sentence, but it is true. Last year we had a couple of games where it actually snowed. We are all thankful to God that we haven’t needed umbrellas, snow boots and blankets for her games.

I often want to inspire my kids to learn on their own and find it a bit daunting at times. Last week I received a new book called Unit Studies Made Easy, by Valerie Bendt. I needed to review it to see if we would take it to book shows this summer. As I read through it, I was inspired myself to do a unit with my youngest, my 13yo son. He and I have talked of studying astronomy, but I hadn’t done anything to inspire him.

When I suggested studying astronomy next week to him, he was excited. What he was most excited about was choosing which books he would read. I try to alternate betweeen his choice and my choice when it comes to reading, but it doesn't always work. Now, he is reading all sorts of information about stars, constellations, planets, nebula, and much more.

You should know that this 13yo is not one who chooses to sit down and read. He chooses to go play baskeball or bother his sisters. I was excited myself when I saw him bring 6-10 books to check out of the library. Normally, he picks out one book and doesn't finish that one.

You can get your own copy of what we are doing in this Astronomy Unit by looking at the blog entries before and after this one. I am posting daily what we do. Feel free to use our ideas and share them with others. If you do share them, please include the link to my blog.

Kerry

Unit Studies Made Easy

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March 30, 2006 - Astronomy Unit - Wednesday

Bible - Begin working on a Bible study that Mom is writing about the Gospel in the Stars. I hope to have this ready for others to use when we finish...watch for more details.

Reading - Finish Do Stars Have Points? and start a new book on Mars. All his reading books are ones he chooses to read. I plan to discuss these on Thursday.

Science - Read ch.4 Astronomy Book independendly. He chose an activity on lunar eclipses from Reader's Digest book on the Universe. I think he had more fun playing with the modeling clay and turning blue than the actual activity. Oh well, he was able to "see" why the moon disappears.

Writing - Outline 5-paragraph paper for his interview with his sister. Mom helps some. Using Institute for Excellence in Writing model.

Copy - Choose section of book he read and copy into notebook.

Grammar - Retype previous essays with Mom's editing correction. Print final copy.
Math - MathUSee test
Latin - Go to class and work on assignment.

This is an shorter day of the week for us because we have Latin class and Mom works on bookkeeping & paperwork for our businesses.

Also, our unit might be better titles because we are studying more than just the stars. Some think that astronomy is only the study of the stars but we are looking at all sorts of lights in the skies.

Kerry

Unit Studies Made Easy

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March 30, 2006 - Astronomy Unit - Tuesday

Sorry to be a little behind in sharing our astronomy lessons. I plan to catch up today. Here's what we did on Tuesday, in no particular order.

Reading - Finish Finding the Constellations. Start Do Stars Have Points? (chosen by 13yo)

Writing - Interview sister, including a section on astronomy.

Dictation - Section from The Astronomy Book

History - Look at Galileo timeline. Read first few pages of Galileo for Kids together.

Science - Discuss ch. 2 of The Astronomy Book. Choose activity in Janice Van Cleave's book on Astronomy and complete it.

Grammar - I typed a section of Finding the Constellations and made mistakes. He had to correct the mistakes (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc).

Read Aloud - Review story of Galileo we read two weeks ago (Mathematicians are People, Too). Read Christian perspective of Galileo from Champions are Scientists.

Library - Stopped at the library this afternoon and 13yo checked out several books on astronomy, solar system, etc.

Discussion - How do we know how bright a star is or how far it is from us? Posed by 13yo as we discuss Astronomy Book.

Math - lesson in MathUSee
Logic - Read and do lesson in Thinking Toolbox
Latin - Finish homework from latin class.
Read Aloud as family - Ivanhoe & Truth Quest History Middle Ages (what we have been studying together)

As you can see we continue to work on some areas unrelated to Astronomy.

Kerry

Unit Studies Made Easy

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March 29, 2006 - Astronomy Unit - Monday

On Monday, my son and I pulled out several of our own Astronomy books so we could plan our week. As we planned, I chose some activities/books and he chose some. Here's what we did on Monday.

Science-Read The Astronomy Book (ch 1-2) and discuss together. (Book is written from a Christian perspective, by Master Books)

Grammar - Editor in Chief paragraph about one of the planets

History - Ran out of time and will start tomorrow.

Reading - Find the Constellations, by H.A. Rey (you know, Curious George author)

Bible - Read aloud and discuss Psalm 19:1-6

Writing - He will finish last week's assignment of interviewing someone. Since he wants to interview his sister, I told him he had to discuss astronomy with her. She chose to take an online astronomy class this semester and should be able to share some things she has learned.

Math - continue MathUSee lesson.
Latin - attend class and work on assignment

A fun day!

Kerry

Unit Studies Made Easy

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March 27, 2006 - More Inspiring Your Kids

I am very excited about this week because my 13 yo son and I will be studying Astronomy. When I received the book Unit Studies Made Easy last week, I decided to do a unit on astronomy. We have been talking about astronomy, but haven't taken the time to really study it. So, we are pulling all of our resources learn more about the stars, planets, moon, etc.

My son is especially excited because it means his readings will be on this subject, as well as all of his other subjects.

As we develop our studies, I'll keep you posted.

Kerry

ps. read more about units from Valerie Bendt - you'll be glad you did!

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February 7, 2006 - More Sites on Laura Ingalls Wilder

http://www.geocities.com/~perkinshome/littlehouse.html

http://www.purplehousepress.com/liw/recipe.htm

Copy of Laura's letter & recipe

Kerry

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A place to interact about teaching our kids without following the conveyor belt model of the government schools. Think outside the box and provide a leadership education for your children. Other musings are included on a regular basis :-)

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