Continuing Education for Mom

I taught in the classroom for several years before coming to motherhood and home education. There was one thing I learned in the classroom; a good teacher never stops learning.

When I was teaching in the classroom, I finally figured out the difference between a direct object and an indirect object.

I learned how to cast out nines to check math problems.

I learned I could make all the craft projects in the world and just send them home. I didn't have to figure out where to store or keep them!

Yes, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon has moved with us twice!

Now that I home educate, I have continued my education.

I've learned that there is a caterpillar that lives for 14 years!

I learned that what I've been calling a turkey's wattle is actually it's snood! I'm so embarrassed when I think of all the students who learned this incorrectly because of me.



You would think I would know my shapes by now, but today I continued to learn.

I knew a rhombus...

and I knew diamonds...

But I never realized that diamonds are actually rhombi! That change in orientation was enough to make me think it was two different shapes. 

So, what have you been learning at home lately?
  

Mail to the Chief---National Handwriting Day

There are two events coming up which are combining into one cool event for students.

The presidential inauguration is Sunday, January 20 while National Handwriting Day is Wednesday, January 23. While you may not consider these two events to be of equal weight, when they are combined, you come up with...

Handwriting Without Tears developed Mail to the Chief. You use your best handwriting--not texting or typing--to write a letter to the incoming (this time returning) president to offer him advice.

Even if you do not agree with the president, the office is worthy of respect, and the Bible encourages us to "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" (I Timothy 2:1-2). 

If you go to Mail to the Chief, you will see HWT has printable packets based on age or use your own own ideas. The only requirement is that it be handwritten. They request you mail it to them by January 15, 2013.


I did this with our church's homeschool group yesterday. I provided some pictures to color for the little ones, and the letter forms from HWT for the older ones.

First I read a couple of books. 
I read:

 and I read parts of 

It worked out really well.

Obviously, an Angry Gorilla

We wrote the letters. The variety of ability and topics were so fun. We had several hoping the president had a good Christmas, mentioning they would pray for him, and saying they enjoyed playing basketball, too. A couple mentioned his need for Jesus! Out of the mouths of babes!

The we reviewed some of the presidents using a game. I used Angry Gorilla. They loved Angry Gorilla and it really worked well for the age spanse

Come back later for more ideas about National Handwriting Day specifically.

Martin Luther had a Wife---and so did many other religious leaders!

If you have been around my blog at all, you know my affinity for Martin Luther and his wife, Katherine Von Bora. It really should not come as surprise then that I have been reading a book entitled Martin Luther Had a Wife.

This book has several small chapters describing the lives and marriages of several historical men of the faith including:

• Martin and Katie Luther
• John and Molly Wesley
• Jonathan and Sarah Edwards
• Dwight and Emma Moody
• William and Catherine Booth

One nice thing about this little book is that it does not sugar-coat the people or their marriages. It is not The National Enquirer-styled writing, but instead shares the good and the bad of the individuals and their marriages in a gracious way. It makes it nice to realize that these were real people and marriages just like ours. The whole "better and for worse, richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health" gamut! 

I also really enjoy history, so this is a great book about that, but it is told in a story format, so those who may not appreciate history should not get turned off. In fact, you will learn a little history without realizing it! For instance, you may have put a donation in a red kettle this past month, but do you know who started the Salvation Army? What about the Great Awakenings in the United States?  It is cool to learn about these things through the lives of these men and women.

Did I mention it was short?  The whole book is only 160 pages with five chapters. Nice small dosages of reading.

So, I recommend this encouraging and entertaining book. Encouraging because it shows these individuals as no different than us. Entertaining because of it's storytelling format. A great marriage and history lesson all in one.