Mighty Mouths

"If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.  Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." James 3:3-10

What mighty mouths we have! They have the power to build others up and the power to destroy them. This little tongue, this tiny part of our body, can cause a whole heap of trouble! I know first hand because I have often struggled with "taming" my tongue. Today, I wanted to teach my children about our mighty mouths and how we often use them to both glorify God and to hurt others. So I thought I'd share this very simple, yet effective lesson with you.

SET-UP:
1) In the center of a poster board, draw a mouth about the size of your fist. It should be an open mouth since most of the things we are going to discuss you would do with an open mouth!
2) Around the mouth, draw 10 speech bubbles. In each bubble write one word per box:

• slander
• good advice
• name calling
• honesty
• lying
• not saying anything
• gossip
• humility
• boasting
• courtesy

(Hang your poster in the classroom where they can see it easily)

I found this poster in an old Lifeway Sunday school
teacher's packet. But this would be easy enough to
draw out on a poster board.

3) On a piece of construction paper or card stock, draw 2 boxes for each child you have (ie. I was teaching this to my 2 children oldest so I had 4 boxes). In each box, draw a mouth inside the box. They should be different (ie. one smiling and one frowning). Then cut out the boxes and tape a craft stick to the back of each box so that it makes a mini sign.

4) Have some hand sanitizer on hand for after the game :)

LESSON:
First, play a game with your kids to get them to understand how their tongue helps them speak. Have them stick out their tongues and hold it between their thumb and forefinger and tell them to say "speak." They will try and try but it will just sound like mumbo jumbo. You can have them say an array or words, however long you want the game to last. They will laugh and giggle. Then, explain to them that even though their tongue seems little compared to the rest of their body, it is very important. We can't speak without it! And the Bible tells us our tongues are very powerful. (Don't forget to sanitize their hands after the game).

Next, paraphrase James 3:3-10 referenced above. You can read it straight from Scripture if you want to. Mine are a little young to understand the language, so I simply explained each analogy individually. I talked to them about the horse and bridle, then about the boat and rudder, and then about the forest fire and spark. Then I discussed with them how something very small has the power to do big things. And just like these, the Bible tells us that our tongues and what we say have the power to bring life or death. That we can use our tongues in ways that glorify God and put others first, or we can use our tongues in ways that are sinful and hurt others.  

Finally, I gave each child a good mouth sign and a bad mouth sign. We discussed each bubble on our poster and decided whether it was a good way to use our mouths or a bad way to use our mouths. Then they would hold up the proper sign over their own mouth. You can also number the speech bubbles and play a game by rolling dice and saying the corresponding word. Then have the kids hold up the proper sign. Once we finished discussing all the different ways we can use our mighty mouths, we prayed and thanked God for our mouths. We thanked Him for giving us the ability to speak and use our mouths for good, and asked Him to help us not use our mouths for bad.

The kids LOVED this lesson and it was very easy to explain everything. It was a good, interactive lesson where they added a lot of dialog. The poster will stay up in the classroom so I can point to it in situations where they need to be reminded of how to use their mouth for good. I hope that your kiddos will enjoy it as much as mine did!

Bye for now,
Kristina

It Really is Easy Peasy!!

Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool is a free, online, Christian homeschool curriculum that is made available for anyone and everyone who needs quality, inexpensive curriculum for their homeschool. I have known about Easy Peasy for quite some time, and I've even linked to her website in previous blogs; but to be honest, I have never used it. Not until this week. No, I have actually felt... get this... GUILTY for wanting to try it! Like I will somehow be cheating or be lazy by using a curriculum that is already planned, outlined, and ready to use! I know, I'm crazy :)

 

But I finally decided to give it a try this week...

 

And it really is easy peasy!! Even at dinner tonight my daughter prayed, "Jesus, thank You for this food, thank You for this wonderful day, and thank You that we found Easy Peasy. Amen!" Amen is right! So I thought I'd fill y'all in on how we are going to be using Easy Peasy in our homeschool and encourage you to check it out if you haven't already!

 

I started Samuel(4) on the level "Getting Ready 1" (Day 172) which is for Kindergartners who have never used Easy Peasy before. He'll do 8 days worth of "Getty Ready 1" and then he'll move on to "Getting Ready 2." For his school day, he does reading, math, Bible, and science. He is also doing beginners Spanish. Since he is not able to write yet, I sit next to him and I keep an "Easy Peasy Journal" for him.

 

This is Day 172 (which is actually our first day) in his journal. You can see I just keep it dated, with a heading for each subject and a general idea of what he studied that day. This way I can have a good record of what he's learning for myself, as well as for evaluating him at the end of the year (Note: My county does not require evaluations until children are 6yrs old so he will not have an official annual evaluation but I will be assessing him on my own to help him in areas that he is struggling or advance him in areas that he excels). The curriculum does not provide science until 1st grade but I decided to teach it to them at the same time and it has worked pretty well. It's slightly advanced for him but he seems interested in it (we are doing elementary Biology) and can answer questions orally. I am also teaching them the beginners Spanish together. She has a link to online Spanish 101 that is very simple and they really enjoyed it. (By the way... this is a really nice compromise for Samuel because he HATES doing book work but he LOVES using the computer!!)

 

I started Savanna(6) on Day 1 of the Second level which is geared for 2nd grade. Although she's been doing 2nd grade curriculum for several months, I felt like it was best to start her at the beginning because she's a newbie to the online system. Besides, the material presented isn't exactly what I've used so she's likely to learn many things that I have not taught her. For her school day, she does reading, science, math, Bible, history, and spelling. She also does art, music, computer, writing, thinking skills, and Spanish periodically throughout the week (perhaps once or twice a week). She also has an "Easy Peasy Journal" that she writes in each day. I make her write down all the answers and keep track of what she's done. This is part of that "to-do" list she likes to do and it also helps her practice her penmanship and grammar. It helps her stay on task and stay focused as well! 

 

I am still using my post-it board. I wrote down for each
day which "day" they are supposed to do and which
electives to do. It helps me stay on track with what
they are doing.

At first it may seem like A LOT of work but it really isn't. I have Savanna read a book of her choosing and log it in her reading journal while I work with Samuel on his reading and math. Then we do Bible and science together. Then I let Samuel go play while Savanna does the rest of her work. We're usually done by lunch!! It's been very nice, easy, interesting, and the kids love it! It's really great for the older children who like to work at their own pace and be more independent. It's also not hard for momma to sit right next to the younger ones and help read all the instructions (there are a lot of written instructions) and encourage them to stay on task. It really is easy peasy!

 

I am choosing to still use other teaching aids as well like lapbooks, science experiments, field trips, games, additional reading materials, etc. (although supplements are not required if you don't have the time or resources) just because I like them to be away from the computer now and then :) But I plan to continue to use this curriculum and I do THANK GOD that He gave Mrs. Lee a wonderful mission to share her resources and talents with all of us other mommas and help make this adventure we call homeschooling just a little easier!!

 

Bye for now,

Kristina

 

 

 

What YOU Want Just May Not Be What They NEED

Every morning my sweet boy, Samuel wakes up full of wide-eyed amazement at the world around him. He's ready to charge the day and learn as much as he possibly can. He eats a healthy breakfast, clears his dishes from the table, and goes to get ready for school. He puts his dirty laundry away and brushes his teeth, then comes to the table and sits quietly, ready to learn. His sister, Savanna, has a little more work that requires more in depth instructions so he waits patiently as I get her started on her work. He is such a sweet boy, I mean it. Then we begin his lessons for the day. We read books together and discuss the characters and plots. He even tries to read some of the easier phonics words. He does all his worksheets that I have assigned for the day and happily completes them too! Even when I get up to get them a little snack, he sits there and does his book work with diligence. He's learning so much!! Then he practices his handwriting and ends the school day with some quiet computer time. He really enjoys math games and does so well staying on task. Then it's time for lunch and we're done for the day...

Oh wait...

That's my "perfect homeschooling day" scenario! Sorry, not true.

While my son is a sweet boy and he does wake up with wide-eyed amazement at the world around him and while he does enjoy learning about new things, this scenario is not a good representation of how our day goes. IF I can get him to eat breakfast (emphasis on IF), it's usually some sort of chocolatey cereal with no milk that he crams in his mouth without a spoon, leaving half of it spilled all over the floor. I tell him over and over to brush his teeth and put his clothes in the laundry. I ask him to come to the table for school and I hear what sounds like zombies coming from their room, "whhhhhhhhhyyyyyyy?!?! I don't waaaannnnttt to do schoooool!" Once I finally convince him to come to the table, he gets up 20 times and has very little interest in book work. If we are building something or doing a science project or even cooking or baking, he's right there ready and excited to learn. But I think he'd rather go to the dentist than sit and do book work. It's like pulling teeth! (I'm not sure why I'm stuck on teeth and dentist clichés but oh well!) No, what my sweet boy would much RATHER do is take apart flashlights and toys and create new "inventions." He has a large bag hanging from his school chair that is full of weird odds and ends of flashlights, fun noodles, bottles, toys, a stethoscope, small boxes, screws, screwdrivers, pliers, a turkey baster and more. He loves it.

 

I want him to sit quietly and do book work.

He wants to figure out how to make a hand-held well using a turkey baster, straws, and tape.

I'm starting to realize that what I want just may not be what he needs.

He needs to move. He needs to create. He needs to build. He needs to explore. He IS NOT HIS SISTER. He is his own, wonderful, amazing, curious, totally cool person and I have to let him be that. God created my children to be individuals and I sometimes still have that old public school mentality of making each kid this cookie cutter image of the next and expecting them to all learn the same way. It doesn't work! And it hasn't been working for my Sam. He is smart. So smart. So why am I so concerned with whether or not he can write at the age of 4yrs?? His vocabulary is off the charts, he can do 1st grade math, he knows all the Kindergarten basics, he's starting to read, and yet I act like he HAS to sit and do book work and worksheets and flash cards everyday or he's not learning enough. And as I'm typing this I just want to slap myself and say "What is wrong with you!?" He needs some freedom. He needs to be a little boy. He needs to dump that huge bag of spare parts out and let the creative juices flow!! I know you can't measure that on a standardized test or show proof of it in a portfolio, but I have to be ok with that. Because in the end, this is what he needs.

(Today he spent the school day building a robot out of all his spare parts)

The beginning stages of
his robot!



His completed robot!

He named him "Rusty" :)

So my question for you is, what does your child need? Are you stuck in a rut and trying to fit their learning experience into that cookie cutter mold of what homeschoolers should do? Are you letting the pressures of "proving" that your child is learning get the best of you instead of giving him your best? I have to admit that I think I may have failed my son in this area. And I want to do better. What I wanted from his homeschool experience just may not be what he needs. And that's ok. What about you? Are you ok with that too?

Bye for now,
Kristina

DOOO YOUR WOOOORK!!!

For weeks I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to get my daughter, Savanna, motivated to do school work. She's 6yrs old (we are doing 2nd grade curriculum), and for some reason she just went on strike one day. She is so very smart and creative, she's been doing school since she was 2yrs old, but she just decided she wasn't going to do the work anymore. She couldn't stay focused and I was constantly telling her, "Do your work!" "DO your WORK!" "DOOO YOUR WOOOORK!!!" I worried that I had pushed her too hard. Maybe she wasn't ready for 2nd grade? She wasn't challenged by Kindergarten or 1st grade material, but she's technically supposed to be starting 1st grade this year. Maybe it's just too much? Or maybe she's attention deficit? I know I hate to say that word, but maybe there's something to it. She-just-can't-focus!! And getting her to read a book was like pulling teeth! I'd had enough.

So we took a break.

We do year-around schooling so it's not that big of a deal for us to take a few days off every now and then. And I was so over it (as you can see from the previous blog in which I confess that sometimes I want to give up!). Then we had our Vacation Bible School at church and her best friend came to stay with us for the week; she's also homeschooled. I couldn't not do school since her friend "M" is homeschooled too. So I planned out lessons for each day and we got back in the swing of things. Seeing her friend excited about learning really sparked something back up with Savanna and I wasn't going to let that spark die! If you've read my previous blog "Plans! Glorious Plans!" then you know that I use a post-it board for my lesson planning. That next week I planned out all the lessons, posted them on the board, and for some reason I had the idea to write a "To-Do" list for her. I wrote down her assignments for that day and set it next to her brand new binder with the cute little chocolate lab puppies (oh, new school supplies work wonders!). When she came to the table, I said with a smile, "Here's your work for today. Do each assignment and then when you've finished, check it off."

Wow.

I've never, and I mean NEVER seen her work so diligently. She LOVED checking off the To-Do list!! It was like a mission for her to see if she could get it all done. She was so focused, organized- I almost cried! Not really :) But I was very excited!  We also got her a little journal from the dollar bin at Target that is a mini book report log. After she reads her book, she logs it in this journal. It asks for the author's/illustrator's names, if it is fiction or non-fiction, # of pages, who her favorite characters were, what her favorite part of the book was, to draw a scene from the book, and to rate it on a scale of 1-10 stars. She LOVES it. She wants to read everyday! And she's even choosing more challenging books that she doesn't have to look in the babies' board book bin to find! I am blown away.

So...

Do you have a child who is showing disinterest or possibly feeling bored with school? Are you totally frustrated? It's not the end of the world, although at times it might seem that way :) Sometimes it's the simple things that make a difference.

• Try giving her a "To-Do" list to follow each day and encourage her to get everything checked off. You could even do a reward system with this! It gives them responsibility and makes them feel like they have ownership in their schooling.
• Get her some new, fresh, school supplies. Sometimes because our kids are homeschooled, we forget that excitement of going to the store and buying new supplies. Especially if you do year-around school and this isn't really the start of a new school year for you! I remember as a kid I used to LOVE going to buy new school supplies and it made me excited to start school. Our wonderful church family got the kids each a new backpack - Hello Kitty for her, Super Heroes for him - and they are so tickled about having them. (FYI, it's our great new "storage system"... we keep them on their chairs with their workbooks, binders, pencil boxes in them and we don't have to go searching for stuff everyday!).  
• Give her an opportunity to choose a project or a field trip that really interests her. Maybe she's bored with the workbooks for now and needs to do a big oral report and lapbook on the Corythosaurus. (For those of you who know me at all, you know we love dinos!) Or take a field trip to a museum or aquarium and let her study things in a different environment. Sometimes getting out of the house can really help.
• Don't be afraid to take a break. That's one of the beauties of homeschooling that I'm concerned a lot of us are afraid to utilize. We get so worried that other people are going to question how we spend our days that we're too afraid to let our kids enjoy a break. It's OK. They won't fail. Let them play. It may be just what they need to get back on track. :)

I hope that you're enjoying homeschooling your little ones. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I try to be transparent on this blog about my struggles and fears with homeschooling so that I can better minister, but at the same time, I have SO MANY BLESSINGS from this experience. Just the other day I watched my 4yr old son playing "Seek & Find" with phonics flashcards and it was truly beautiful to see him connect the letter sounds and read words! I love it. I love watching my daughter get so excited when she does science experiments or listening to her read an Aesop's Fable for the first time. I love sitting and reading book after book after book with my 17mos old twins and listening to them talk in their little baby language when they get excited over pictures of lions or dogs or elephants (or basically any animal really!). It's been an amazingly wonderful, scary, fulfilling, trying, blessed, frustrating, humbling, hilarious, touching, maddening, and splendid adventure and I am so glad that God has given me the opportunity to do this. Aren't you??

Bye for now,
Kristina

Sometimes I Want to Give Up

Yep. Can I just be real with you for a minute?

Sometimes I want to give up.

Are mothers who blog about homeschooling allowed to say that?? Well, this momma is.

I read all these other blogs with whimsical ideas about teaching fractions and these beautiful portrayals of life as a homeschool mother where children are treasures (and they are!) that should be cherished (and I do!) and they seem like they've just got it all together. Have you ever read these blogs? You know, the kind that is quite encouraging but at the same time make you feel just a little bit ashamed of your lack of craftiness or organization or teaching abilities, etc. The kind that, though I respect them and love their ideas, they often make me too afraid to admit that sometimes this homeschooling stuff is just overwhelming. And some days I just really want to quit...

Those days when my 15 month old twins are screaming and clawing at me for my undivided attention while I am attempting to get my 6 year old to write the state capitals although she has went on her version of "strike" when it comes to doing anything that is related to school. She is brilliant and yet the most stubborn girl I've ever met (I don't know where she gets it!) and it is maddening to fight with her to do even 45 minutes of schoolwork. And at the same time my son is on the computer doing "school" and I feel so guilty for just sitting him at the computer and not giving him the same attention and teaching that I did with my oldest. So I jump up and stop everything to look at everything that he wants to show me every 30 seconds because I don't want him to feel left out. But every time I check on him my oldest stops working and I have to get her back on track. And then I turn around to see mounds of laundry that I don't have time to fold, more laundry in baskets yet to be washed, the sink full of dishes, the kids are hungry, the dog is barking, the air smells of a poopy diaper, the carpet is stained beyond belief, the toys are scattered all over the house, the table is sticky, the twins are still screaming and clawing, I don't have anything to make for lunch and I. Just. Lose. It. I explode and yell and say  with tears in my eyes, "I can't do this!!"

Are you still with me or am I the only one?

I feel so completely overwhelmed that for that moment I feel unable to do the task that is set before me. Like I've made a mistake. I feel like I cannot homeschool and that I should just give up and send them away to school. I feel like Shrek when he yells "I AM AN OGRE" and the puppy runs away yelping; only my children are the ones crying and I'm yelling "I'M THE TEACHER!" And then I am overcome with guilt for not being that ever-loving, quiet-spirited, nurturing mother I want to be.

And it's only a few hours later that God reminds me with His still small voice that homeschooling may be impossible for me, but nothing is impossible for Him (Mark 10:27)! That yes, it is too hard, it is overwhelming, and it is impossible in my own strength. But that with God, it may still be hard and at times overwhelming, it is not impossible to homeschool my children and raise them to be smart, kind, God-fearing and compassionate young people; to cherish them as the treasures they are.

So on those days that you feel like giving up, just know that you are not the only one. If only me, at least you know there is one other momma in the universe who struggles from time to time with feelings over inadequacy, frustration, and fear. And that just like me, you can find your strength in the Lord, Jesus Christ, to keep going another day!

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
hey shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah40:28-31

Don't give up. I didn't.
Bye for now,
Kristina

The Parables of this Generation

Movies are such a great teaching tool for any parent to use to engage their child in meaningful and pertinent conversations. We believe that movies are the parables of this generation. Where Jesus used parables (or stories) to convey a larger meaning to His followers in a way they would understand, movies can be used to convey a larger meaning to our children using a medium that they find interesting, exciting, and thought-provoking. Teaching our children to be critical thinkers is something that we value highly and we find that watching movies in short snip-its and then discussing the content has been something that has drastically increased our kids' ability to think and draw conclusions, ask questions, and come to an understanding of some very deep concepts.

We typically choose a movie or series to watch during our lunch break. Sitting down at the table and eating helps keep the children in one spot and focused. We watch about 20 to 30 minutes of the movie and then we pause it (until the next day) and discuss what we've watched. This allows the children to hone in one specific topics that can often be lost if you watch a full-length film and try to remember all the little teaching gems at the end. More often than not, we pause the movie several times during lunch as well, explaining concepts and asking questions along the way. It has become a treasured time during our day (especially since Daddy comes home for lunch and participates with us) and the children are learning some amazing life lessons. You may want to use a meal time for movie time or you may want to do it a few times a week after breakfast or before bed. Whatever works best for your family! So far we have done “learning through movies” with Remember the Titans, Harry Potter (all of them), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and we are currently on The Bible series.

To illustrate my point, I'd like to share a short clip with you that we watched with our children and then give you an example of what we discussed afterward. In this clip from, The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, we see the Secret Council of Lord Elrond (if you don't know anything about LOTR I apologize. You should watch them, you're missing out!). Lord Elrond has called together some of the greatest warriors, kings, wizards, and hobbits of Middle Earth to see what should be done with the One Ring (it's the Ring of Power which is basically pure evil). Once they decide that it should be taken to Mordor (where it was created in order to destroy it), Lord Elrond asks who will take it.

After much arguing among the other members of the Council, Frodo stands up and says “I will take it! I will take it! I will take the Ring to Mordor!” Frodo did not focus on his shortcomings (his small size and lack of experience) but rather was willing to be sent no matter the cost. Read Isaiah 6:8. How is Frodo's willingness to take the Ring to Mordor similar to Isaiah in the verse we just read? Sometimes God calls us to take a similar leap of faith. God calls us to be servant leaders, missionaries, teachers, preachers, and witnesses. Many missionaries reminisce on how God called on them to do something very important, and they knew that God wanted to send them when they were as young as 5 years old! God calls us to “Big Picture” plans like this and He also asks us to do little things, like tell someone at school about Jesus or start eating lunch with that one kid that no one talks to. Is God calling you to do something? How will you respond to Him?

We also see Gimli tried to destroy the Ring with his ax but the ax shattered. Gimli relied on his own strength to to try accomplish this great task. Just like the ax and the Ring, there is a spiritual battle that we engage in everyday and we must not put our faith in our own strength. Read Ephesians 6:11. What does God's Word say to use in spiritual warfare against the enemy? God gives us armor, spiritual armor, to help us defeat the enemy and his forces of evil. We must be prepared each day for the spiritual battle that lies ahead.

We also learn that Aragorn is actually the rightful King of Gondor, but he's been hiding because he's afraid that he may not have what it takes to overcome the weakness in his bloodline. Sins of the past can become a heavy burden that weigh Christians down and make us afraid to answer God's call. But God forgives us of our sins and calls us to have courage to do what is right, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

There are so many AMAZING life lessons and teachable moments in these great movies that I mentioned above and so many more. We've been able to discuss so many things: friendship, perseverance, good vs. evil, temptation, Satan, addiction, prejudice, stewardship, heroic sacrifice, sovereignty, romantic love, spiritual warfare, teamwork, servant leadership, embracing a calling, coping with separation and loss, resurrection, redemption, salvation, standing for what's right, loyalty and betrayal, marriage, divorce, adultery, sin and consequences, history, missionaries, the Church, what God values, the life of Jesus, Old Testament prophets, overcoming adversity, and so much more!! It's really quite impressive. The Bible series has been awesome and we've been able to teach the kids SO MUCH about the Bible in just a few days. They are absorbing so much and the absolutely love it. They can't wait 'till the next day to watch more. I love seeing them so excited about learning. And if movies help them do that, I am all for it!! I think we'll do the Chronicles of Narnia series next :)

Don't be afraid to try something new. Movies are not the enemy. If you need some help finding a movie to start with, send me a message! I'd love to help. You can also check out www.pluggedin.com to both screen your movies for content (we do this with all the movies we watch) and also you can find their “Movie Nights” that are mini-studies based on specific movies. They give you a pdf printout to go with your movie and aid in your discussions. These are great starter tools (although I wouldn't stick just to the pdf because you may see something even more in depth that you want to discuss, which is totally fine!). But definitely great conversation starters. Oh, and please note that pluggedin is anti-Harry Potter. I am totally pro-Harry Potter so we don't agree on everything. But for the most part, it's a good place to start if you're really having a hard time picking out conversation pieces.

So there you have it. Learning through movies... now go pop some popcorn :)

Bye for now,

Kristina

Why I Taught my 6yr old & 4yr old About Abortion...

... and other topics that are "taboo" to discuss with children....

Unborn baby at 24 weeks gestation... can legally be aborted.

Well, I have a few reasons. For starters, I've never really been good at lying. I don't do well with telling my children that Santa is real or that their broccoli will give them super human strength. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy pretend play time and I love good fiction/fantasy based movies like Lord of the Rings or The Avengers! I'm not anti-pretending. But there's just something about lying to my kids that doesn't sit well with me. And maybe I'll pay dearly for it in the end, but for now, it really seems to spark trust and good communication between me, my husband, and our children. They aren't afraid to ask us anything and they know that we will answer them, to the best of our ability and without being too age inappropriate, with the truth. Truth is very important to me. And I hope that I am instilling in my little ones the love of truth. So that's one reason we've already talked about hard topics like abortion, slavery, drugs, addictions, homosexuality, divorce, pornography (not in too much detail, but the basic idea of looking at women without their clothes on), etc. If it comes up (they hear something on the news or hear someone talking about it), we discuss it as a family. We talk about what it is, what God says about it, and what our family believes. The dinner table is a great conversation tool :)

Another reason I've taught my children about abortion and other hard topics is because I want them to learn the truth; not someone else's opinion. I don't want them to just believe whatever people tell them. I want them to ask questions, to use critical thinking, to compare that with Scripture and form a decision based on truth. Too often we let society mold the minds of our little ones into something that doesn't reflect what God values or His Truth. When we discuss difficult topics, we don't just say... A is bad because of B. We talk to them about both sides. This is what A is. This is why people believe A is OK. What do you think? What does the Bible say? When we discussed abortion, I told my kids the facts. There are a lot of people in our world today that think it's OK to kill a baby inside its mommy's tummy. Some women don't think it's human, like it's just "almost" a baby. Some women think that a baby isn't human until it's born. In fact, our President believes that a baby inside a mommy's tummy isn't human until after it is born. Some women think that babies are a burden, that they are too hard to deal with, too expensive, come at the wrong time, etc. Some women get very sick when they are pregnant and sometimes doctors tell mommies that the baby is very sick and it would basically be better off dead than to be born with problems. Some women are forced to kill their babies because the daddy was very mean to them or the grandparents are worried what people will think of the mommy if she's not married. There are many reasons why a mommy might choose to kill her baby. Do you think any of these are good reasons?

Guess what? It didn't take a long debate where my children weighed out all the reasons why they should be pro-life or pro-death. No. They answered in a split second, "there's never a good reason to kill your baby!!" They came up with that answer. On their own. My daughter was absolutely blown away that there is even this thing called abortion. Like it can't even be a real thing that people would kill babies. And yet it's rampant. We have not sheltered them from the Gosnell trial either. In fact, we have discussed it openly with them. I have, however, spared them the grisly photos. But they know who he is, what he did, why he's on trial, and so forth. My daughter and I sat and cried together as we were sorrowful over our societies lack of value for life. It broke her heart. And some of you may say, "why would you let her know this!? Why wouldn't you save her a few more years of innocence?" Well, because it's happening now. This is the moment when our country will either convict Gosnell and prove they have any a shred of conscience left or they will let him walk and prove that our country truly does not value life at all any more. We want our children to value life. We told them to value something is to think it's special. To want to take care of it and keep it safe; like something that you cherish. We spent several weeks teaching them about what God values and why. God values all human life including the unborn, those who are slaves (including those who are sex-trafficked), the elderly, orphans, and those who are handicapped and deformed. A great number of these that our society (by means of abortion, euthanasia, or turning a blind eye) would rather get rid of. Gosnell does not value life. Abortionists do not value life. President Obama does not value life. And it's easy for children to fall into that same mindset if we don't teach them to value the things God values.

As homeschoolers (and even as PARENTS) we have the opportunity, no, the responsibility to teach our children the hard truths, even when it seems too difficult to discuss. How can we teach our children to have courage in the face of difficulty if we can't do it ourselves? How can we teach our children to stand up for what is right if we shy away from any conflict that may be offensive or politically incorrect? How can we teach our children to grow up to have strong convictions if we can't stand on our own? I don't want to raise children who are afraid to speak, afraid of what others think of them, afraid to fight for what is right. I want them do to exactly as Joshua 1:9 says... be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go! I don't want to wait until the issue comes before them to make a choice and we haven't prepared them. There's no time to be timid in this world we're living in. 

Yesterday I had Savanna do a mini-report on abortion. I gave her the writing prompt, "I think abortion is..." and asked her to write something. I told her to think about why people get abortions and what you think about that. I did not tell her what to say. This is what she wrote...

With her report on abortion

She also drew a picture of an unborn baby at 10 weeks gestation (I looked up a picture from online for her to copy). She made note that the baby had little arms and legs already, you could see where her eyes and ears were, and she even had a smile! (I say "she" because Savanna drew a little bow on her head and said "it's a girl!!")

Her drawing of a baby at 10 weeks

So, there you have it. You may think I'm crazy, I know. But my husband and I believe we are raising children that will know the truth, love the Lord, and courageously value what God values. I hope you will find encouragement in that as you are faced with these difficult topics with your children.

Bye for now,
Kristina