Here's what you can do this month for school while still slowing down on the academics. You can even celebrate the birth of Jesus at the same time! The Christmas season is a great time to memorize Scripture. If that's all you do academically these next couple of weeks, you've done the eternal, important thing.
And, you can easily memorize Scripture by using the Scriptures for copywork until they are memorized!
Project for the week/month (Mom, too!): Everyone sit down together with some hot chocolate or special tea, and write one verse from the Bible in your best handwriting--the same verse every day--from Monday through Thursday, and maybe by Friday you will be able to write it without having to look at it. These Scriptures will be beautiful enough to post around the house or give as a gift. If you don't have one verse memorized in one week, keep the same verse for another week until it is memorized by heart and by hand. You won't have to look back on your homeschooling this month and have any regrets.
Here are three Christmas Scriptures to get you started:
Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
Isaiah 9:2 "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."
Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Enjoy those children while they are still around your table and at home to celebrate Christmas with you. Pour Scripture and good memories in their hearts today as they are Home Where They Belong! ~Deborah
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Dr. James Dobson
By Dr. James C. Dobson
Make a concerted effort to slow the pace at which your family is running. I think God wants us to exercise common sense in the assignments we accept--even those involving worthwhile causes. Inevitably, this will require us to decline some responsibilities in order to maintain a balance between work, recreation, family activities, exercise, devotions, etc. If too many good activities are attempted, other good objectives will be sacrificed. That is like installing a new sprinkler system in a yard and putting too many outlets on the line. When that occurs, nothing is watered properly.
I'm reminded, also, of a magazine advertisement that explained how wines are produced. It contained a message that is relevant to this discussion. I had not previously known that grape farmers not only prune dead branches from their vines, but they also eliminate a certain amount of the fruit-producing branches. In other words, they sacrifice some of the crop so that what fruit is left will be better. Do you see the relevance to our lives today?
Notice these Bible verses from John 15:1,2:
"I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Gardener. He lops off every branch that doesn't produce and he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops."
It is necessary in the Christian life to eliminate some good things from your schedule so that the other things you do are done better. That is the best way to achieve better quality in the good activities that remain. But let me add a warning that this objective can easily become a rationalization for carrying no responsibility in the church or bearing no burden for the needs of others. That is certainly not a justifiable position to take.
For over 30 years, Dr. James Dobson has been America's trusted source for psychologically sound, biblically based advice to help strengthen marriages, parents, and families. For more practical help and encouragement, go to: www.drjamesdobson.org/homeschool.
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Raising Real Men
One of Melanie's earliest memories is lying on the kitchen counter while her mother washed her hair in the sink and taught her the books of the Bible. By the time she was an adult, she had a huge stock of verses that came to mind when she needed them.
We wish we'd spent more time on this with our older children. Time passes by so quickly that if you're not careful, "someday soon" becomes "wish we had." So, how can you make it happen now?
Don't bite off more than you can chew. If you start with memorizing the book of Romans as a family, you're pretty likely to bog down or to balk at the time requirement.
Use the hook of real life. When a verse addresses something you're going through in your life, it's going to be easier to remember. Emotion gives your learning an afterburner. So, memorize Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind to one another," when your children are being hateful to each other. Memorize Psalm 100 when Dad gets a new job or Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper," when a friend spreads gossip about your family.
Let schoolwork do double duty. Instead of copying random sentences for handwriting practice, why not copy the Word of God or even use it to diagram sentences or to practice grammar. There's everything from the very simple to the very complex in the Bible.
Make it easy. The verses we've learned songs for are the easiest of all to remember. It also helps to post the passage where you'll see it frequently--on the wall, on the mirror, anywhere.
It's become a lot easier to find passages you can't quite remember now that we have search engines, but if you don't know enough of it to search on, you're lost. Memorizing God's Word means the Holy Spirit can bring the right verse up at the right time when you need it in conversation or in your own life. It's a treasure your children (and you!) will appreciate all their lives.
Something we appreciate is you! We've loved meeting so many of you at conferences this year--you have encouraged us and we want to thank you. Use coupon code homeschoolminute and add our Men of Iron poster ($15 retail!) to your cart to get the poster FREE with a purchase of at least $50 of great gifts you can feel good about giving! raisingrealmen.com/shop
Merry Christmas,
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Announcement
Click here and get your free ebook
7 Things You Should Know When Choosing Homeschool
Curriculum from Excellent Quests.
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The Familyman
If I am known for anything, it's for my message of guilt-free homeschooling and parenting. I'm the broken record saying, "You're okay. You're normal. You don't need to feel guilty ...." AND yet, when it comes to this topic of Bible Memory, I feel guilty, because I don't lead very well in this area. In fact, I stink at it.
It's not that I don't think it's important; I do ... it just gets pushed out by life and busyness.
Now, I could wallow in self-pity and shame, or I can take a baby step towards changing--a Christmas Baby Step. Christmas is the perfect time to memorize a Bible verse or two with your kids.
Here are a few that would be great to memorize or write out:
Galatians 4:4-5
John 1:11-12
John 10:10b
Titus 2:11
1 Timothy 1:15
So, how about we begin together?
Be real,
Todd
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Announcement
Share this newsletter with a friend, and be sure to let those CONSIDERING homeschooling know about the enormous FREE info-pack which awaits them here: www.TryHomeschooling.com.
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A division of The Old Schoolhouse� Magazine
Did you know? Every class is INCLUDED for members!
No limits
We recognize the importance of Bible Memory and Copywork on SchoolhouseTeachers.com, which is why we offer Camping with Jesus and Everyday Copywork. Camping with Jesus is a brand new class that focuses on helping children learn the basic elements of the Gospel message and memorize key verses associated with each Truth. Everyday Copywork is a growing collection of copywork selections including Bible portions, excerpts of literature, grammar, foreign language, and much more. With nearly 175 copywork selections to choose from in both print and cursive, students have a wealth of quality material with which to fill their hearts and minds as they practice penmanship, grammar, and more.
If you aren't a member, try SchoolhouseTeachers.com for thirty days for only $1. Keep it and pay just $7.77/month or $100/year during our Winter Wonderland Sale and lock in that rate for as long as you keep your membership, no matter how many new classes and features we add.
One membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com serves your entire family, regardless of how many children you are homeschooling or their ages. There are no per-child fees or additional fees for textbooks, and courses are not live, so you can start them at any time. If you or someone you know is interested in teaching a class on our site, please contact Executive Editor Bonnie Rose Hudson at bhudson@theoldschoolhouse.com.
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Announcement
How the English Bible Made it to America--Part 4
The Old Schoolhouse� Magazine.
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Click here to get access to FREE back issues of
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Contest Corner
For the month of December 2015
Reviewers on the Schoolhouse Review Crew had the opportunity to choose from several curriculum pieces that Brookdale House offers. Each reviewer received one. Drawing Around the World (USA or Europe), from The Geography Drawing Series, were top choices!
This curriculum instructs students in geography by teaching the big picture of where the countries of Europe or states in the United States are located in relation to each other. Children have the opportunity to draw the states or countries, fill in fact sheets, and learn about the different populations, climates, cultures, etc., of the countries or states they are learning about.
Brookdale House also produces a wide variety of other products like: The Fun Spanish, Writing Through History (Charlotte Mason narration, copywork, and dictation), as well as grammar instruction and much more. The Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed many different selections. Here's your chance to discover how they were used in real homeschools! Click to read the reviews!
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