Newsletter #369
Family Day Trips  Day trips can do much to build family relationships and memories – plus provide enriching educational opportunities. Includes Creation Science Resources for your summer trips and Travel Freebies & Info.

Newsletter #368
Nurturing Our Children  Includes: Cherishing our children; Showing we care through closeness; Bringing up our children for the Lord.

Newsletter #367
A Strong Finish for Your School Year  Make a strong and joyful finish!

Newsletter #364
Achievement Tests: Help Your Child Get His Best Score!

Newsletter #363
10 Ways To Get the Most from Homeschool Events with Links to 2013 State Conventions

Newsletter #362
Character Development includes Freebies.

 •  The teacher/parent can send an appreciation note to students/children telling them that she enjoyed having them in her class this year and what she appreciated about each one.

 •  Students/children can make thank you notes for their parent/ teacher thanking them for teaching them this school year and what they specifically appreciated.

 •  "My Homeschool Memory Book." Print 12 half-pages for elementary students to fill in and draw or attach pictures to illustrate their favorite memories, etc., with a homeschool focus.

 •  Make a poster about your school year (print template idea).

 •  Act out, or draw, memorable events or favorite aspects of your past school year. See rules for charades and pictionary.

 •  Print Report Card and Grade Records forms at donnayoung.org.

 •  Get information for Creating a Homeschooling Portfolio at hslda.org.

 •  Print forms for Grades K-12 School Transcript at donnayoung.org.

 •  Print a "You Made It" certificate for each of your students for finishing their current grade level.

 •  Print a variety of certificates, including: Good Behavior, Award (fill in what it is for), Achievement, Appreciation, Promotion, Diploma, and more.

 •  Print Homeschool High School Diploma Templates on special paper for your graduate.

The Home School Foundation, Home School Legal Defense Association's charitable arm, is seeking to minister to homeschool families who have experienced a loss of their homes, livelihood or homeschool libraries due to the tornados and intense storms in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas during the past couple of weeks.

Many families have been displaced, and we have already begun to hear from those who need help. Through the Compassion Emergency Response program, HSF helps homeschool families who have been impacted by a natural disaster.

 •  If you know of a homeschooling family who has been seriously affected by the tornados, please have them contact HSF.

 •  If you would like to help other homeschoolers going through hard times, please donate to the Compassion Emergency Fund.

 •  If you have curriculum you wish to donate, please contact the Oklahoma Christian Home Educator’s Consociation (OCHEC) through this website. HSF cannot accept curriculum donations at this time due to space constraints.

 •  Finally, HSF's Oklahoma State Ambassador is available to channel assistance to homeschooling families affected by the tornado. Contact her at [email protected].

Thank you for your prayers as these families rebuild their lives.

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When Daddy comes home for lunch, our son and daughter both enjoy filling him in on what they have learned during the morning.

On this particular day, Elise, 7, had been studying American history. When we were all seated for our noon meal, I asked if she could name some of the symbols of the United States for Daddy. She promptly replied, "The dolphin."

My husband and I stared at each other in confusion. When she saw how puzzled we were, she tried to clarify for us and said, "You know, that round thing."

After a few more confused seconds, it finally dawned on us that she meant the Great Seal of the United States.

Submitted by Jane M., New Mexico.

Send your humorous anecdote to [email protected].

1.  God loves you.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

2.  Man is separated from God by sin.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23)  For the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23)

3.  The death of Jesus Christ in our place is God's only provision for man's sin.

He (Jesus Christ) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25)

4.  We must personally receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (Eph. 2:8, 9)

Immerse your family in God's truth through systematic reading and study of God's Word.

Listen to the Bible Online.  Choose from six English versions (plus Spanish and other languages) at BibleGateway.com/Audio.

Listen to beautiful traditional, sacred, and inspirational conservative Christian music (commercial free!) when you tune in to these online stations:

 •  Abiding Radio.  Choose from four stations: vocal, instrumental, kids, and seasonal (Christmas). Information for listening on many different devices.

 •  Old Christian Radio

Please help us make this newsletter better by letting us know what we are doing correctly, where we need to improve, and topics you would like addressed.

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Is you school year finished?

If so (or when you do finish), these end-of-school-year activities will provide a good finish to this year and preparation for the next.

May the Lord richly bless your family for His glory.

Set aside a day or more to do the necessary task of gathering, filing, and recording the year's schoolwork.  The rewards are:

 •   You can find your records easily.

 •  Your children have meaningful memorabilia.

 •  You get more space for more books and materials.

 •  You might even be able to sell books you don't need anymore for cash to (you guessed it) buy more books!

Gather up all your schoolwork for the year, then sort and dispose of everything appropriately.  Following are some suggestions.

 •  Select samples of work for each child in each area of their studies to put in their permanent files.

 •  Send some samples to grandparents (with the clear understanding that they are free to toss them after enjoying them for a while).

 •  Give each child a certain amount of space in which to keep what he wants.

 •  Throw out the rest.

 •  Store some books for younger siblings.

 •  Shelve some books for reference.

 •  Give some books away to a family who needs them, your support group's library, or a family hit by a recent tornado (see sidebar).

 •  Trade some books with another family.

 •  Sell some books at a local used curriculum sale or online at Landry Class Used Books.

You might need to keep a record or a portfolio of your children's studies to comply with your state's laws or an umbrella organization, as well as for your own benefit.

Choose any, or all, of the following options.  Depending on their ages, your children may be able to help you with some of the work.

 •  Record the date and student's name after he finishes each concept on your scope and sequence chart or list of educational goals.
     For reference, see the scope and sequence charts provided online by A Beka Books or Bob Jones University Press to view what material is suggested to be known by each grade level.

 •  Use lesson plans as records, checking off and dating each assignment or objective as it is done.
     See lesson plan books at FergNus Services.

 •  Keep track of the hours spent on each subject if you are required to do so by your state law, or wish to for your own information (e.g., for a high-school transcript).
     Homeschool Transcripts carries many resources to help you produce professional high-school transcripts.

 •  Make Copies of records of family projects, unit studies, field trips, etc. for each child's individual file as applicable.

 •  Keep a journal for each day of a unit study, briefly listing books read or activities done.

 •  List all books read by the family or individual students, including the title, author, and publisher.  (A brief description of contents and your personal evaluation will make this list more valuable to you and your children in the future.)
     Print online form for book list for book recommendations, reports, and a record of reading different genre.

 •  Place artwork and writing assignments in a notebook or file.

 •  Take photos of art, craft, and science projects and activities such as plays, costumes, and field trips.  You can use a computer scanner or digital camera to create a CD containing these photos as well as pages of school work, compositions, etc.

 •  Store your records in a labeled box for the year or for each child.

Create a yearbook by placing photos, sample work, and other memorabilia in a scrapbook.

 •  Slides or digital photos can be composed into a digital photo album or put onto a CD and copied for each of your children and other relatives.  See free Smilebox software for digital scrapbooking or Google's free photo editing and organization tool Picasa to make a slideshow. You can burn your photos onto a DVD with DVD Flick free software.

Tape record some of your family's answers to the evaluation questions below (especially the positive ones!) as a sound recording of your school year.

Use this checklist, or make your own, to see what went right and what went wrong this year so that you can adjust for next year.

This needs to be done now, while things are fresh in your mind!

You might want to discuss these items as a family and/or do a private interview with each member to get a complete picture.

Be sure to include your husband and each child for their individual perspectives.  You will need to adapt the questions for each one (e.g., Dad: Do you know what our children learned this year? What would you have liked them to learn that they did not learn?).

Please do not let this evaluation discourage you! Rejoice and thank the Lord for what went well, and learn from weak areas so that you do even better next year.

Use your evaluation outcomes to make general, broad plans for next year and for your summer studies.  You can do specific and detailed planning later; this is just to be sure you include the valuable input from this year's evaluation.

Make quick notes beside certain answers on your evaluation forms.  Then set dates for your comprehensive planning for next year, allowing time to purchase and become familiar with any new curriculum.

A celebration gives a nice finish to this section of your studies and ends the school year on a positive note which will help propel you forward into your next scheduled studies or activities.

As a family, thank the Lord for your family, for the opportunity and freedom to homeschool, and for the guidance, wisdom, and strength He provided this year.

 •  Invite neighbors, friends, or relatives to an open house.  This can be combined with another family if desired.

- Show displays of schoolwork, projects, and art.

- Give oral, musical, or dramatic presentations.

- Serve refreshments.

 •  Have a party, dinner, or picnic with another homeschool family or families.

 •  Take an educational field trip, or an outing just for fun, with your family or others.

Reach out to another family that is homeschooling or is considering homeschooling.

 •  Point them to the Lord to find the guidance, wisdom, and strength that they need.

 •  Offer moral support and practical help.