Educating Leaders - No Conveyor Belt Education Here!

August 13, 2007 - Racing a 5 Year Old is Serious!!!

The past few days have been so relaxing…even though we’ve had out-of-town company. Steve & I went swing dancing with our oldest daughter on Monday night. It’s been a long time since we’ve been dancing. We had a BLAST…Ashley did, too!

Last night, we enjoyed beautiful weather and a cool breeze at our downtown street party.

I even “tried” going through one of those obstacle courses, like a bouncy castle. It was pretty hilarious because I couldn’t get over the 2nd obstacle - a 4 foot wall. My 5 year old opponent beat me - LOL!

When I told her I just couldn’t get over the wall she replied, “Mrs. Beck, you just use your arms to go up the rope and put your feet on those little pegs.” To which, I told her, “Those little pegs just don’t have enough air in them to hold me up.” Thank goodness there are no pics of me stuck at the “short” wall, as my mom-friends laughed hilariously on the sidewalk!

On to “serious” business..right???

Recently, I posted an article that was on my heart. Do you ever wonder what your children will grow up to become? Will they lead those around them? Will they follow someone else? I shared my thoughts and some helpful suggestions to encourage your children to become what God wants them to be and implement in any approach to homeschooling.

Scroll down to Example of Leadership Plan

If you want to share this article with your friends as you get ready for a new school year, PLEASE DO! There are directions of how to share it with friends, email groups or websites at the bottom of the article.

I hope you have a wonderful week…and stay away from “blow-up” obstacle courses if you are racing 5 year olds

Blessings,
Kerry

ps. Don’t forget to tell your friends some of our suggestions to raise your children to think for themselves. They are just below

pps. Be sure to write a post and tell me what you think!

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July 7, 2007 - FINALLY!

I've tried to get on this blog a few times in the past months, but haven't been able to log in. YEA!

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November 25, 2006 - Snow at Thanksgiving

After we finished our turkey and dressing, I saw snowflakes falling outside our window. On Friday, I awoke to snowy rooftops. But we had even more snow this morning. As I read my Bible this morning, I enjoyed looking outside and seeing snow covered branches, fences and brick drive way.

It was beautiful!

Kerry
Servant Leader

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October 11, 2006 - Our Helicopter Ride

Sunday afternoon we had reservations for a helicopter ride over Glacier National Park. This would be a first for all of us. My children were a bit concerned about me since they discovered my fear of heights a few days before. Planes don't bother me, but I wasn't so sure about the helicopter. For the most part it was a terrific experience.

We took off, Steve in the front seat with the pilot and the kids with me in the back. We saw parts of Glacier that most people never see...hidden lakes, waterfalls, and lookouts on the top of mountains. The lakes were pure blue and the glaciers were fascinating.

It was amazing as we flew right next to several moutain peaks. The only time I was a bit unsure was when we would lean to one side or the other as we turned around. Other than that I loved the ride.

Kerry

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October 11, 2006 - Waterton National Park in Canada

My son was very excited to go to Canada. The only country outside the US he has visited is Mexico. We spent Saturday & Sunday morning on the Canadian side.

To start our time in Canada, it was snowing!!! Yes, snowing the first weekend of October. The mountains were beautiful with snow on their sides and tips of the evergreen sprinkled in white. What I found most beautiful were the yellow and gold birch trees amongst the green cedars....absolutely spectacular view!

Waterton is a quaint little town inside the park where mule deer run freely. My son kept asking to pet one of the deer, but I was a bit hesitant. We drove to Red Rock Canyon and walked a few trails in the canyon and to a waterfall. Kept looking for bear or big-horn sheep, but never saw any.

We returned at dusk to find wildlife. At that time, we saw 2 mule deer fighting with their horns - interesting site. There were lots of doe in the city park, so we let my son get out and pet the deer. I can't believe I'm saying that, "pet the deer". The deer were friendly and skittish at the same time. Even though he pet his deer, we never got it on film because it happened so quickly each time.

On our way out of the park, we saw elk in a few locations. Off the highway, we saw 4 enter a field as we watched from the van. They would stare at us and then walk a little further out.

Dinner was fabulous at the Cobblestone Manor. All in all a great day!

The next morning we visited the Remington Carriage Museum, the largest collection of horse-drawn carriages. It was quite interesting.

Kerry

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October 11, 2006 - Weekend in Glacier National Park

This past weekend we drove to Waterton-Glacier National Park. I have fond memories of the time my parents took us to this park. But, I forgot some of the roads we had to drive.

The first road we drove was the Going to the Sun Road which leads you to the top of Logan Pass. My poor family had to endure my fear of heights. The road was a skinny little thing that traversed the mountain. Oftentimes, we were right on the edge of a cliff with a very short brick embankment (small wall-2 feet maybe) on our side. I kept leaning towards the inside of the van and calmly asking Steve to slow down. He was only going 25-30mph. Finally, I just looked at the van floor and prayed we would get there safe & sound. And, we did!

The trip back down was much better. Our half of the road was on the inside of the mountain. YEA!!! When I figure out how to post some pictures, I will.

Kerry

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July 12, 2006 - Disneyland was So Much Fun!

After our weekend at CHEA, we headed out for a family vacation. Usually, we just stop somewhere on the way home from a homeschool conference. This time we decided to stay in southern California for another week...soaking it all in. Our kids chose our activities and the first one was Disneyland!!!

We were only going for a day, so I was a bit skeptical about standing in line more than riding the rides. God blessed me while I was planning our trip and showed me the BEST TOOL EVER for visiting Disneyland. Ridemax is a software you can download on your computer, enter the rides and the day you are going to Disneyland and it shoots back a schedule to follow. Our children chose the rides before we went to Disneyland, so we had a schedule to follow...times to get fastpass, times to ride, times for breaks. It was wonderful. We didn't have to think about what we wanted to do next because it was all done for us. We rode 7 of the 10 rides we had chosen before noon...with most waits less than 10 minutes. We had some freetime in the middle of the morning until we could use our fastpass, so we headed for Space Mountain and waited about 30 minutes ride.

Since we used the Ridemax schedule, we figured out when to get fastpasses on our own for the rest of the day. We usually waited in line less than 15 minutes, except for Pirates of the Caribbean. We happened upon that ride with a 25 minute wait. The rest for the day it looked like a 45-60 minute wait!!!

You can get Ridemax at http://ridemax.com/

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June 9, 2006 - An Eternity

It seems like an eternity since I was home to blog. Actually, we are still on the road, but I found a few minutes to post an entry.

The past 3 weeks we have traveled to Montana and Houston to speak at homeschool bookfairs. This was our first trip to Montana for a conference and it was fabulous. We sure enjoyed meeting and visiting with homeschoolers/families who "think outside the box". My workshops on leadership education and mentoring encouraged me to continue with this model of education with our own children.

It was great to fly to Houston and see our kids, after 2 weeks of having an "empty nest". I couldn't believe how quiet it was in our home, without our children there. I am not looking forward to them eventually moving away from our home. Steve keeps telling them they need to live close by so we can see them regularly.

Kerry

Leadership Education

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April 19, 2006 - Psalm 119:132-136

From Psalm 119

132 Look upon me and be merciful to me,

As Your custom is toward those who love Your name

133 Direct your steps by Your word,

And let no iniquity have dominion over me

134 Redeem me from the oppression of man,

That I may keep Your precepts.

135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant,

And teach me Your statutes.

136 Rivers of water run down from my eyes,

Because men do not keep your law.

Kerry

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March 16, 2006 - 24 Hours Left To . . .

Just want to remind you that there are just over 24 hours left to take advantage of Jim Erskine’s firesale. In case you missed my previous e-mails, you need to read Jim’s story about a scary night for their family.

They are putting on a gigantic firesale to raise money for emergency expenses. All of the items in the package are worth more than $500. Check out the link below to see how little it will cost you.

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Go read the Erskine’s story right now.

You can read the story here:

http://homewaypress.familye-biz.com

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We are throwing in two of our own ebooks (Making Biblical Decisions & Approaches to Homeschooling) to anyone who helps the Erskines and buys their package. Just send me an e-mail saying you bought their package. I will check my records to be sure you used our link. My plan is to send the links out on Saturday, once things calm down here in the office.

It's not too late to share this with your friends or post on your blog. Just pass along the link above. I am more than happy to send my ebooks to your friends who claim their own package.

BTW, thanks to all of you who were praying for me while I was in Texas on a family medical emergency. God is gracious and merciful.

Blessings,

Kerry Beck

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Firesale Ends on Friday, March 17, 2006 and

Permanent Package Price begins on Saturday, March 18.

http://homewaypress.familye-biz.com/

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March 13, 2006 - Did You Hear About...???

I hope all is well with your family.  This coming week is

spring break for our kids, so they are looking forward to

a bit of R & R.  We hope to go skiing on Friday and it

better not be negative four degrees like last time J

A few days ago I found out about a scary night for one of our

friends.  The Erskines, who run homeschoolradioshows.com,

had a scare when they received a phone call at 10:37pm

(you need to read the story).  Because of that night,

they put together one of the most amazing “firesales”.

What’s a firesale you might be asking yourself?

A firesale is an assortment of homeschool products that

are being sold way below their value.  That’s right!

You can get a ton of homeschool books, audio, and more

You will be amazed and delighted at what they are offering.

Here’s the link for you.

http://homewaypress.familye-biz.com/

On top of all that the Erskines are offering, I want to give

you a BONUS if you use this link to claim your own

firesale package and help the Erskines with their dilemma.

I will give you a copy of Approaches to Homeschooling and

Making Biblical Decisions e-books.  Just send me an e-mail

after you reserve your package and I will send you links to

these ebooks.

Be sure to take a moment and look at this

page RIGHT NOW. It will only last a few short

days... and... the price goes up each day!

(You'll see why.) And share this link with

a friend while you're at it... they will

thank you!

Blessings,

Kerry Beck

http://homewaypress.familye-biz.com/

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March 12, 2006 - Offline For Awhile

For any of you who read my blog, I want you to know that I have been offline for awhile. That will continue for a few more days. I was in Texas with my middle daughter on Tuesday when we found out someone close to me needed surgery. I am staying here for a few more days.

Once I get home I will make some posts. I hope to type some while I am waiting in the hospital.

Kerry

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March 1, 2006 - Springtime in Idaho...

Today was springtime in Idaho, and it's March 1st. I know it won't last, but it sure felt great to open our windows and get some fresh air inside. The sun was shining all day, which is God's grace on Idahoans, who usually have rain everyday. (It's rained the past few days straight...no sun at all.)

Just had to share.

Kerry

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February 11, 2006 - Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays

Did you know it is George Washington's birthday according to the calendar of his time? It only changed to Feb 22 when America changed to the Gregorian calendar.

It is also Thomas Edison birthday...the famous homeschooler who only attended formal schooling for 3 months. You know him, he was the first man to record sound in 1877 and became one of the most productive inventors of his time. Who says you need formal schooling to be successful? Not this "off the conveyor belt" educator!!!

And, it's my birthday. . . celebrated by scrapbooking today and going out with the love of my life tonight. My kids were all invited over to a friend's house for dinner. Isn't God sovereign????

Kerry

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February 5, 2006 - Go Seahawks!

I've only lived in the northwest for 1 1/2 years so I will be cheering for the Seahawks this afternoon. It was pretty cool two weeks ago when they won the Championship. We were in the Seattle airport, waiting for our connection to Spokane. We watched the first half of the championship game with an entire crowd cheering for the Seahawks.

Super Bowl party, here we come!

Go Seahawks!!!

Kerry

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January 30, 2006 - Back Home

It has been almost 3 weeks since I posted on this blog. During that time we flew to visit friends and family in Texas for about a week. It was a wonderful time fun & fellowship.

At the end of our trip we hosted our first family business conference in Austin, Texas. We are working on getting pictures and comments on our site, since it was a huge success. Once it is ready, I'll let you know.

Last week was my week of recovery, recovering from flying, being away from home, cleaning/laundry and so on. I look forward to fruitful upcoming week.

Kerry

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December 21, 2005 - The Snow is Melting

For 3 weeks we have been covered in snow. It looked gorgeous. Our family expected to have a white Christmas for the first time, but that hope is disappearing. Yesterday much of the snow melted as it rained. Today it will rain and snow. The rest of the week, the forecast says "rain". My kids are so disappointed.

My oldest remarked that she was enduring the snow/ice on the sidewalks and roads, just because she wanted a white Christmas.

Oh well...God is sovereign. Maybe next year (before we leave Idaho) we will have a white Christmas.

Kerry

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December 14, 2005 - Narnia in our Backyard

Since we moved from Texas to Idaho last year, I am still not used to living in a winterwonderland. It only snowed 3-4 times and melted quickly last year. This year we had 4 days of snow and below freezing weather since then.

"Mom, it looks like Narnia" is what my 12yo son said yesterday on the way to his basketball game. It really did. All of the trees had white branches and looked like winter in Narnia. It was absolutely beautiful as I tried to take in the wonderful views.

Kerry

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December 8, 2005 - Snow Days - Should You Do School?

Last week we finally received enough snow for our kids to sled and

have tons of fun. Of course, we took of the day from schoolwork!!!

Since Steve works from our home, he joined us for sledding. Isn’t it

great to have freedom in your work. We all had a great time as a family,

sledding and checking out better places to “play” in the snow. Almost all

of the kids in town had the day off from school, too. My son met

friends in the neighborhood to sled down some “major” hills.

I started to wonder why homeschoolers don’t take off the first day

of snow. It is such a great memory that my kids will always have.

For me, making that memory is more important than doing one

more page in our Math workbook. The way I see it is this: If you

take off the first day of snow each year for 12 years of school,

your child misses 12 days of school. That’s 12 days out of 2100,

if you school about 175 days a year. I think every kid can miss a

few days in his school career, especially to make a memory of a

lifetime.

I know my kids will have memories for a lifetime . . . that of their

parents (& their dog”) sledding down the hills with them :-)

Kerry

Homeschool Curriculum

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November 29, 2005 - Our First Snow

This morning we awoke to a fresh new snow...and it is still snowing. My son is already planning where he will go sledding. I just love the beauty of snow. As I walked through the neighborhood, I remembered that yesterday everything was so different from today. Snow makes even an older, college neighborhood look beautiful. It covers the cars, trashcans, recycle bins, weedy lawns and so on. I just love the look of snow.

When I figure out how to post pictures again, I will do so.

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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