Lilies in the Valley: In Full Swing

   Schooling is now well underway and everyone is settling in. Swim lessons have started up again and our oldest son has harvested his garden which gave us spinach, lettuce, and green peppers this summer. What's new this year? Our oldest is using a laptop for the first time (just for math) and she is loving it. Our oldest son is relishing his new position as "science teacher" for the two youngest. He simply reads his science book out loud to them and they look at the pictures. He answers any questions they have about what he read, then he fills in his worksheets on his own. The little ones love it too and sometimes gather around him when he sits down to read his history books! Our youngest son is learning how to tell time and also finishing up How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with me, which we largely completed last school year. When it's time to practice his writing on the dry erase board, our youngest is the "eraser girl" and holds the eraser until he is finished, then wipes the board clean and puts it away. Little Mama (our youngest) already knows all her colors, shapes, letters, and numbers and can write a pretty good letter "H". She insists on receiving "school work" too so I have "work" for her as well.
   We have gone on two field trips so far this new school year. Last week the children and I went to the apple orchard not far from our house, which just opened on Labor Day. We love this orchard because it's not too big, has a small petting zoo, and glass beehive, corn tunnel, haystacks to climb, and of course the apples are delicious. We went early enough to get in on the last of their raspberries too! It was lovely, warm weather and we took our time picking a bag full of Galas and admiring God's creation. On our way out we met a Spanish-speaking lady who had a daughter the same age as our youngest. I gave her one of my Spanish million dollar bill tracts which she loved. For our second field trip this past weekend we all traveled to Covington, KY for Living Water's Deeper Conference --just a hop, skip, and jump from the Creation Museum! To keep it affordable, Tom and our oldest son registered for the conference and the rest of us were happy to hang out at the Creation Museum where we have a membership. This was our third trip to the Creation Museum and we never tire of it.
   This time, my oldest and I rode Gomer the camel in the petting zoo as he happened to be giving rides on Friday. On Saturday we attended a science series workshop called "Snakes Alive", presented by Herpetologist Rick Teepen. It was a wonderful hands-on program (as you will see later) where we laughed, we learned, we examined all kinds of non-venemous snakes and an American Alligator, and God was glorified. Mr. Teepen does these programs for churches and other Christian functions--for more information on his ministry look here. Other highlights were the animatronic Biblical wax figures (the children "asked" Noah questions and he took a break from his work on the ark to answer them!) and of course the bookstore. Tom and son both enjoyed the Deeper Conference where the speakers delved into the weightier matters of theology and both are ready for another one! As usual we gave out tracts to some of the diners/waiters/waitresses/cleaning staff/and folks on the street that we encountered on this trip. Now we are back and it's back to the books.
   We are often asked why we homeschool our children. It's a loaded question with a loaded answer. The short answer is that God has led us to do so and it is the only schooling method that enables us to fulfill our Biblical parental duty to raise our children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). It can't be done on evenings and weekends after others have had the prime parts of our children's day. Life is short and eternity is forever and if we fail to teach these children His Word, His character, and how He relates to every part of their education, then we have failed to glorify Him since He has created these children and has trusted us with them. The whole reason we exist is to glorify God! We realize that not every Christian household is able to do this in certain circumstances but we do know this: if the Holy Spirit has convicted you to homeschool your children, He will make it possible and He will provide. The long answer to this question is way too long to post here so I have included below, a two-minute video clip and a few one-minute video clips of Voddie Baucham explaining why this is an important issue for the Christian family. He sums it up quite nicely.
   If you want to know more about Biblical family discipleship, check out Mr. Baucham's book Family Driven Faith: What it Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God. If you are wondering about socialization, I would highly, highly, highly recommend reading a book by Rick and Marilyn Boyer (parents of 14 home schooled children) entitled, The Socialization Trap: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Age Segregation. You can read more about it here and on the Boyer's website, The Learning Parent. It is highly readable, not very long and is the best treatment on the subject out there because it is solidly grounded in Scripture yet includes secular studies and research that unwittingly support the Biblical model of social life. Studies have already proven that children are socially matured by associating mainly with people of different ages and skill levels but are socially retarded by associating mainly with children their exact age and skill level. This is because God has designed children to live and learn and grow in families--not in institutions with other children who were all born in the same calendar year. This is also why the one-room schoolhouses of the past produced a much higher quality student. Nothing wrong with peers, it's just a matter of how much time they spend with their peers, television, and any ungodly influences. There is plenty of "socialization" to be found with other like-minded families who have children of similar ages, co-ops, and extracurricular activities. Another informative read is The Underground History of American Education by former award-winning schoolteacher John Taylor Gatto (you can actually read the entire book online) and you can find research studies on home schoolers and homeschooling here and here. And now for the pictures and videos....