Enjoy Your Family

by Becky Wyand

1.      Renewal

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” Ps 51:10

Imagine the power and authority of our God that He can clean my heart and renew a right spirit within me.

Let’s together ask God to do that cleansing and renewing as we finish one school year and plan for another.

Be open to His power in you as you choose materials and methods to benefit each child. Evaluate your schedule in light of His renewal of your spirit.

2.      Championship reviewed

Some of you have given me helpful feedback on Championship Education. My goal is that we work together on better understanding how to use scripture to make us better as students and teachers.

Remember that by definition Championship Education is taking the child from where he is to what God wants him to become. It is very important that we admit where our child is both academically and spiritually. Some six year olds are already reading and should be doing research. Some eleven year olds are not ready for research because their reading is not fluent.

Spiritually, some young children have seen themselves as sinners in need of a Savior. Some older children still deny that need.

Whether dealing academically or spiritually it is important in Championship Education that you admit where your child IS.

3.      Discipline

This reminder is for mom and all ages of student: The Quiet Time

 It was only recently that I began to understand the lack of a quiet time as a discipline problem.

Quiet time benefits everyone. Here are some considerations:

• Choose the time when the youngest children nap.
• Have non-napping children assigned to a private spot with a variety of acceptable activities.
• Suggest that pre-teens and teens use the time for reading or just being quiet.
• Make provision for ignoring phone and other interruptions.
• Plan to nap and read for 1-2 hours.

4.      Evaluating

As you evaluate your schedule from this year and plan for a successful schedule for next year consider: 

• Do my free-reading students have a school schedule for daily independent work?
• Does each day contain some work in reading, spelling, writing and math?
• Is there daily time set for listening to good books being read to my children?
• Have I scheduled a phonics review regularly for all non-spellers?
• Are my young children reviewing phonics in reading daily?
• Do my children see chores as a part of their training opportunities?
• Is Christian service a regular part of our family schedule?

5.      Practice and Excellence

Some skills are important for all phases of life? Help your child practice these skills. Many skills in cooking are important for both boys and girls to master. Allow for practice time. Mastery in anything requires practice.

6.      The Word

As we continue to look for ways to bring understanding of the Bible to our children, we must continue to share useful resources.

At workshop I mentioned some books that have been very helpful to some of our families.

One of these books is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, by Nancy Granz; four books that are children’s commentary of those specific books of the bible.

7.      Curriculum

If you choose to follow my advice and not use workbook type curriculum in grades K-3, please realize that you still must show evidence that you are doing school. If learning is real (and that is our goal) there will be evidence of it! Your evidence might be (1), a chart of foods eaten at a certain period in history, (2), a notebook of hand drawn maps of the states, (3) an illustration with a descriptive paragraph, (4) a list of groceries to be bought, (5) a number or money chart and much more.

8.      Summer

Enjoy your family. Share some great books together. Then tell me which ones you discovered to be greatest!