Life Nurturing Education

In this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling, I was voted “most likely to become president.” What an honor! I predict this prophecy will not come to pass, unless there is such a thing as president of the laundry pile. However, if Dana can be governor of Nebraska, maybe I shouldn’t give up so soon.

Who else received the coveted high school yearbook awards? Find out and admire flashback photos of your favorite bloggers at Sprittibee.

At three thirty every afternoon a dingy yellow school bus rambles past our house. My oldest and I are invariably working on math lessons while the little ones sleep, or, at least, are in their room supposed to be asleep. My son gazes wistfully out of the window wishing he could be finished. Then I hear the dreaded question,

Can I go to school?

Honestly, this hasn’t been much of an issue. My son once stated he wanted to home school in college. I replied, “That is not going to happen, but I will attend university with you, if you don’t mind.” Bug laughed, but I think he got the point. Someday it is time to leave home.

How do I address this question on the occasions it does arise? Knowing my son’s personality, it is not an entirely honest question. It is based on his perception. Multiplication problems are not his idea of fun. The children bouncing on the bus are on their way home to eat, to play, to relax. Or, are they?

Reviewing reality, I discuss our daily schedule versus wake up at 6:30 a.m., eat breakfast, leave, and return home at 3:30 p.m. with homework. Granted, sometimes this idea sounds nice to me. Those days that I want to quit. Those days the dog slurps the spilled milk off the table, and a toddler doesn’t quite make it to the bathroom. Those days lessons stall, because of interruptions. Then I think of what my days would resemble if my son did attend school elsewhere. My house might be clean, but I would miss sharing the daily stuff of life.

My son acknowledges this, too. He realizes we have time. Time to enjoy breakfast. Time to watch the birds. Time to reason. Time to rest. Time to imagine. When I hear the bus coming, I no longer cringe. Remembering the reasons we home school benefits both of us. We do have time. I don’t have to rush. I want to cherish the joy of the moment.

The topic of individuality is dear to me, so I scout for books that encourage appreciation for the uniqueness of each person. Here are a few I continue to rescue from underneath the couch.

Ages 4 and under

For the littlest ones, a sweet board book is God Made You to Love You. Through the colorful pictures of babies and toddlers with their parents, the idea of individuality is expressed simply as Mrs. Hilliker writes:

God made you to love you, little one. There’s no one like you, no, not one. No one has your tiny nose, or your wiggly, squiggly toes.

Little One, God Made You By Amy Warren Hilliker / Zondervan Warm and whimsical illustrations by Carol Thompson will delight toddlers as they hear about all the ways God is sharing his love with them, beginning with “God made you to love you, little one!”

Ages 4-8

Snowflake Bentley contains a dynamic view of individuality. Not only is Mr. Bentley’s singular personality expressed, but the amazing creativity of God is revealed in the snowflakes he studied. With winter coming, this is a nice addition to your library. If it doesn’t inspire lesson plans, it can, at least, start a conversation.

After we finished this book, I told my daughter she was unique just like the snowflakes. “God created you for a special purpose. What do you think it is?” Sunshine smiled and boldly proclaimed, “Talking.” She might be on to something…

Snowflake Bentley By Jacqueline Briggs Martin / Houghton-mifflin From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. He determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley’s enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful. His story is gracefully told and brought to life in lovely woodcuts, giving children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist’s vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature. “Of all the forms of water the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied.” — Wilson Bentley. The 1999 Caldecott Medal winner

Ages 5-10

YWAM Publishing recently came out with biographies for young readers. These missionary biographies are written in delightful rhyme and filled with gorgeous illustrations.

Our church presented a copy of Mary Slessor: Courage in Africa to my daughter when she turned three. She listened to most of it, but it really is for older children as Mary Slessor faces a few native practices, like killing twins, who were thought to be evil. However, my nine year old reads and rereads this introduction to a hero of our faith, and learns a valuable lesson.

As Mary did, God wants us all to show great courage too, especially when to choose what’s right is difficult to do.

There are 16 biographies available. Many can be found through the link below and YWAM Publishing has the complete series.

Mary Slessor: Courage in Africa By Renee Taft Meloche / YWAM Publishing Introducing the great heroes of the faith for the younger audiences, the easy-to-understand rhyming text and colorful illustrations provide a familiar storybook medium for children to enjoy. Hardcover, these books will make a welcome addition to a children’s church or homeschool library. 32 pages.

What are your favorites stories and books for teaching the value of the individual to children?

PrincipledMom, Anna-Marie, is hosting chats again. If you are interested in learning more about Principle Approach, please consider joining us Thursday nights at 9:00p.m. central standard time. Tonight’s topic is ask anything, offer reviews of your favorite resources.

Follow the link in the sidebar at PrincipledMom. It will take you to the chat room where you can sign in. (If you are using Firefox as your browser, you may have trouble. At least, I have, so I just switch to Internet Explorer.)

Grab a cup of tea and a cozy blanket and let your thoughts and fingers fly. This wonderful group of ladies always encourage.

Backyard Birding posted my son’s instructions for building a bottle bird feeder. His idea works well, and uses simple supplies. The hardest part is coming up with a bottle. We don’t usually buy cola, so we waited quite awhile for our second creation.

If you use these instructions, please share the results with us. It will encourage my young inventor to continue writing.

Speaking of writing, Kris used the alphabet to put together this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling. What a primer it is!

Each person is unique. Each person is valuable. The primary principle of individuality declares it. So, if we are all different, why clamor for equality in everything? I confronted the question in a small, quiet way this past weekend.

We invited friends over to celebrate the life of my now four-year-old daughter. While preparing her party, I decided to break tradition. Cake, decorations, and presents remained, but I left something else out on purpose. The children painted a small plaster animal, but bags of candy and prizes were absent.

In recent years, it has become customary to give gifts to all the children attending a party. When and why did this practice begin?

There are as many different reasons as there are hostesses. If someone gives a gift, appreciation is an acceptable response. I am not saying it is wrong to reciprocate blessings. My concern is motives. Could vanity have a part? Could expectations fuel the spending? Is this shift driven by a desire to make everything fair and equal? If one child gets a present, should not the others?

I struggle with this issue. Sometimes I buy a small token for one child, but do not find anything for her brother and sister. Should I refrain from giving the gift, so jealousy doesn’t grow? Favoritism makes this an issue, but favoritism is impossible if each child is viewed according to their real value. The intrinsic value of the individual is the exact teaching I use to encourage my children to “rejoice with those who rejoice.” Romans 12:15 Equality in worth and equality in stuff are not the same thing.

At Christmas, my children do not automatically receive the same number of gifts, or even gifts totaling the same dollar amount. Things are only worth the value an individual gives them. My son does not enjoy dress-up clothes and dolls. The little girls like to look at their brother’s train set, but they do not spend hours, or even minutes, reading books about trains. Finding appropriate presents for each child is my goal. Something they will enjoy, a treasure especially for them.

Not every child desires a pink, castle, birthday cake. Trying to make everything fair and equal serves to disappoint. Life does not work that way. Some individuals are smarter than others. Some have the gift of music. Some are strong and some are weak. This does not make any one more valuable than another.

Celebrate your uniqueness, rejoice in the gifts you have, and think of ways to bless others. Their worth far exceeds the most expensive of trinkets.

I need to recant. East Texas is buggy, but some of these insects are impressive. Today my son found a walking stick that was alive and well. Thankfully, it missed the dog’s jaws of death, so we were able to enjoy this amazing creature.

If you would like more information about walking sticks, my sidebar contains a couple links from our research. Look in recent bookmarks, where my del.icio.us finds are located.