Fine Arts » The Curriculum Choice

See the Light Art DVDs

Art, Electives, Fine Arts, Uncategorized No Responses »

Feb 102012

I love art, but have no real training in it. I believe my children need to learn art techniques, but I can’t afford $60/hour lessons at the local art studio. What’s a homeschooling mom to do? Well…I had the blessing of reviewing lessons 1-12 of See the Light Art Class DVD’s and found them to be full of solid instruction at a reasonable price.

Before I even begin telling you about the lessons, you ought to know the film quality is very good. That means a lot to me considering so many DVD programs I review leave a lot to be desired in quality. No need to worry with these!

The complete first year program consists of 36 lessons, meant to be taught once per week. The teacher has an engaging personality, gives clear directions, and models lessons at an appropriate pace – all important aspects allowing my children to stay focused. And, she teaches lessons incrementally, meaning each new lesson expands on a previously learned skill.

Technique and art vocabulary are key components in the lessons, as well as learning how to effectively use various art media. Even though the lessons are simple to implement, they are in-depth, making art class a serious (and fun) venture. Additionally, each lesson is wholeheartedly Christian, tying in Bible verses or mini-devotionals to the art topic at hand.

Students are encouraged to have their own “toolbox” of basic art supplies including #2 pencils, paper, a drawing pencil, charcoal pencils, a black Sharpie marker, colored pencils, a sharpener, a medium to large box of crayons, a large white eraser and a kneaded eraser. Some lessons will include easily found household supplies, too, like two apples in lesson 3, for example.

Each lesson lasts approximately 15 minutes and it’s assumed your child will put to practice some of the newly learned skills afterward. I have used the lessons with my 6th and 9th graders, but even my five year old enjoyed taking part most of the time.

You can purchase all 36 DVD lessons in a bundle for $99. (Yes, that seems high, but it’s an entire year of art instruction.) You can also purchase DVDs of four lessons each for $14.99 or get an online subscription which “unlocks” four lessons at a time for only $10 per month.

My children aren’t the most artistically gifted kids you’ll ever meet, but the lessons have really improved their skills. If you’re skeptical, try the first three lessons for free!

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Draw, Write, Now

Art, Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts No Responses »

Jan 092012

Draw Write Now handwriting and art program helped my daughter develop her printing skills and have fun while doing it! The series consists of eight books, each with a different theme and all written at the same level. You can start with any of the eight books. I took my daughter to the nearby children’s book store and she chose Book 1 – On the Farm, Kids, Critters. It was full of her favorite animals to draw!

When we opened the book together, we saw that each lesson included a shape or animal to draw and a short story to copy. Each story included facts about the animal or shape, such as “Rabbits eat plants” or “Ducks have webbed feet.” My second grader enjoyed copying down these new facts, and of course, drawing her new animal!

My daughter’s favorites were the sheep and penguin.

Benefits:

This program is built on success! Each animal or shape is explained in step-by-step drawings.
Explanations are very easy to follow.
While drawing, my daughter was developing her fine motor skills! We placed special drawings into frames and, of course, posted on the frig!
Draw,Write Now was a good fit for my daughter because she knew how to form each letter but needed a lot of practice in her printing.
Drawing also helped my daughter practice following a sequence – which improved her reading skills!

Skill building: As we worked through three of these books, my daughter developed better control of her pencil. Then while copying the sentences, she began to think up her own stories! Soon she was writing down these stories and illustrating them. The following year, she wrote a story about a toucan and illustrated it for a story contest.

Draw Write Now is aimed at the first or second grade level.
Although we chose from the animal books, Draw Write Now also offers a number of science and social studies topics.
Each of the eight books has 64 pages and is non-consumable.
Draw, Write, Now also offers lined paper, books to draw in, pencil grips and grasp positioning guides and more on their site.

Below are the eight Draw, Write Now titles:

Book 1 On Farm, Kids, Critters
Book 2 Columbus, Autumn Harvest, Weather
Book 3 North America, Native Americans, Pilgrims
Book 4 Polar Regions, Arctic, Antarctic
Book 5 U.S, From Sea to Sea
Book 6 Animal Habitats, Land, Ponds, Ocean
Book 7 Animals of the World, Part 1, Tropical
Book 8 Animals, part 2, Savannas, Grasslands

In summary, I would recommend Draw, Write, Now to families with young children who know how to form letters – and want to improve printing skills in a fun and creative way!

For more information, please visit the Draw Write Now site. You might also like Shannon’s review of Draw, Write, Now.

~Written by Betsy, a veteran homeschooler who likes unit studies and offers Homeschool Consulting, as a volunteer, to new and experienced families. She can be reached on her Facebook, at Jane Sproger.

A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers

Music, Uncategorized No Responses »

Sep 162011

This past year our family was introduced to a study from Bright Ideas Press called A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers. You might already be familiar with Bright Ideas Press if you use their history curriculum, The Mystery of History.

A Young Scholars Guide to Composers is a One-Year Curriculum for Grades 4-8. It is Christian based and Chronological. It is broken down into 32 weekly lessons that cover 26 famous composers and 6 eras of music.

The study begins with an introduction into Ancient Music and Music in the Middle Ages. You then cover music in the Renaissance and then move into the Baroque Period. At that point you begin covering individual composers and their lives. The rest of the book is broken down into periods of history covering The Baroque period, The Classical Period, The Romantic Period, and The Contemporary Period. You learn about famous composers within each of the above periods of history.

The study offers a suggested schedule for your studies which they have broken down into three days a week, but the study is very flexible and can be used easily in any manner that you desire to use it. In fact, we have on a couple of occasions done the study two days in one week and then picked it back up the following week.

If you follow the suggested study in the book it is recommended that on Day 1 you listen to the recommended selections, read the lesson from the book (each lesson runs approximately 1200 words and takes about 15 minutes to read aloud), and fill in the note- taking pages or answer the Student Review Questions. On Day 2 it suggests that you listen to the selections again, fill in the Composer Info Cards (which are included in the back of the book as reproducibles), and color in the timeline. Day 3 suggests that you listen to the selection(s) again and match the composer to his place of birth on a world map. Again, reproducibles are available in the back of the book.

Above is a sample of the reproducible Composer Info Cards that the book offers.

This is the back of the Info Card which your student/child fills out.

This is a sample of the composers faces that you cut out and glue to the front of the Info Cards. These faces are also used on the included timeline in the book. We have used the faces on our own timeline that we already had set up for our schooling.

Our family has very much enjoyed using this study. One of the things that I love about it is that it can easily be geared towards various ages. While it is written for grades 4-8th, even my younger children have been able to get a lot out of just listening to the various composers. The back of the book includes coloring pages and my younger children have really enjoyed coloring them as they listen to various pieces of music by each composer. One of our very first composers to study was George Frideric Handel.

This is the coloring page that my daughter Ally (7), and Camden (5) worked on while we listened to his works of music and my older kids filled out their composer cards.

As far as the music itself is concerned, towards the back of the book are suggested web addresses where you can listen to selections from the various artists that you will be studying. Most of the addresses are You Tube videos. While some of the website addresses may change over time and some may therefore not be in use anymore, it has been our experience that most have still been active. When I have come across an address that is no longer active it has been easy to simply type in the name of the piece that is suggested in the book and find selections on You Tube to listen too. I have appreciated having recommended selections to pull up and listen to as we have gone through our studies rather than having to do my own search on what to listen too.

Also included in this book are note-taking pages, quizzes, and answer keys.

Just to give you a sample of how our study began, we started out reading about Ancient Music and Music during the Middle Ages on our first week. Our listening suggestions during this week was, the Gregorian Chant, The Salve Regina, and Dies Irae. As we listened to the suggestions we replayed them several times discussing things such as whether we heard harmony or only melody in the music? Is the tune catchy? What type of feelings does it convey? We tried turning the music off and singing the melody back to see if we could. We also tried tapping our feet to the music. On our second week we learned about music during the Renaissance time period. Our suggestions of music for this week were Piffaro and “Summer Is Icumen In”. We discussed the same questions regarding this music that we did on week one. On week three we read about the Baroque Period and began our study of composers with Antonio Vivaldi. From that point on, each week contained a new composer to study.

This Composer Study is 298 pages long and is available in paperback book form for $34.95 or as a CD-Rom book for $29.95. You can download sample pages of the study from the Bright Ideas Website. To do so or to purchase the book visit, HERE.

Jennifer is mom to 6 children, 2 boys and 4 girls, ages 14 down to 5. The Unsell family is in their 10th year of homeschooling and are a bit eclectic in their approach to schooling. You can find their family blog at Adventures in Unsell Land.

My Father’s World: 1st grade

Art, Bible, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Geography, Grammar, Hands On, Language Arts, Living books, Music, Nature Study, Phonics, Reading, Science, Spelling, Unit study resources 3 Responses »

Aug 222011

What immediately drew me to My Father’s World is that the curriculum is the fact that it is fairly stand alone. You purchase either the basic set or their deluxe set, and you are ready to go! I adore this as our little library in this rural community really doesn’t have the variety or selection of books that we were used to in San Diego. This means filling in blanks or filling out a curriculum is a challenge now so a curriculum with most of the absolutely necessary books included was a huge plus to us.

However, like the true bibliophiles that we are, I wanted the option of having more, should we be able to find them. True to the Charlotte Mason element, the curriculum is surrounded by the “living books” concept so the usage of books is completely up to you. I love that they include this in every year.

About My Father’s World

My Father’s World isn’t just a Charlotte Mason style offering but rather a unique fusion of sorts, merging both “the best of Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a Biblical worldview and international focus.”

My Father’s World offers grades K-2nd grade as a more independent, semi-stand alone element and then moves into a family 5 year cycle that works around a central theme. The 5 year cycle is specifically geared for multiple ages, for grades 2nd-8th so there is savings to be found as families with more than one child use the same program to teach all children in 2nd – 8th grade.

Year One	Geography: Exploring Countries and Cultures
Year Two	History: Creation to the Greeks
Year Three	History: Rome to the Reformation
Year Four	U.S./World History: Exploration to 1850
Year Five	U.S./World History: 1850 to Modern Times

They also offer a bridge year called Adventures in My Father’s World, which is geared for families 2nd or 3rd graders who have no siblings in 4th – 8th grade.(We will be doing this program next year as I have a 4year old and a 7 year old.)

Our Adventure

Currently we are working our way though My Father’s World, 1st grade. I adore this program as it is laid out in an easy to follow, daily workbook fashion. It’s easy for me to combine the integrated social studies, science, art and Bible elements with both kids, while focusing independently on the phonics and math. My boys love that they are learning together, doing the same things, despite their age and grade differences.

The curriculum does include a 1st grade phonics-based reading program that focuses on the Bible and more fun, hands-on math activities. We include our own K4 phonics and and additional math program (Math U See) for both boys as I found their math not as intensive as I think it needs to be for the grade.

One major element we always seemed to miss with our previous years curriculum was the arts; we simply didn’t always make time for them.

With My Father’s World, art, music, crafts,hands-on learning is a major part of the curriculum. Everything is planned out and outlined for you to see the day before so you can prep easily, using common household items most of the time. My boys have enjoyed this more consistent addition to our learning and I have found they have better attitudes and have better lesson retention.

The only cons that I have experience thus far is that the 1st grade teachers book is only formatted with a daily lesson plan. It lacks the easy, one glace, weekly grid that their latter versions offer. I also felt the math that is included is a bit weak for the age group so we needed to supplement an additional math program. Ultimately, minor things that we easily rectified.

For a full curriculum, It’s fairly affordable, especially when you compare it to larger, more known companies. For the 1st grade curriculum, you can elect to get their basic package for only $136.oo or their deluxe package for $239.00. As the years grow in complexity, so does the number of books included which will contribute to a steady raise in the overall costs. However, remaining competitive and within reach for most families.

Overall, My Father’s World, or MFW, has been a blessing to our household. It’s affordable, fun, engaging and the children really do learn.

Artistic Pursuits for the Junior High Student

Art, Middle School No Responses »

Jun 262011

I previously introduced you to Artistic Pursuits for the K-3rd crowd. Now I would like to introduce you to Artistic Pursuits for the Junior High crowd. Artistic Pursuits will be highly appreciated by those who teach from a Charlotte Mason or Classical method. However, this art curriculum will enhance any homeschool.

The focus in Book One is on World Art. The student will gain an understanding of how different cultures impacted the world in different ways through their art. The book places equal emphasis on art history, art appreciation and techniques making this a complete art course for your junior high student. The lessons will cover one full year of Art. The course can also credit the student with Art Appreciation and Art History as each lesson focuses on these aspects. The student will gain a full understanding of how cultures interpreted art, what mediums were used, and how art was influenced by history and cultural aspects. Students will learn the techniques of the lesson before completing the art project to ensure proper reinforcement and understanding.

If you are concerned with your ability to teach art or you have too much on your plate to add in an involved art curriculum, do not turn away from Artistic Pursuits. This book is written to the student and no teacher preparation is needed. A list of materials is given in the beginning of the book and can be easily found at your local craft or art store. Once your student is equipped with the textbook, supplies and time, he can successfully complete this course. If you enjoy art and want to share the experience with your child this book will be a delight to your homeschool.

Artistic Pursuits is my favorite art curriculum based on its emphasis on art appreciation and art history. This is not a book full of projects with no purpose or a perfunctory glance at the roots of a technique. Artistic Pursuits is a course that your student will appreciate regardless of his talent, skill level, or interest in creating projects. This course will reinforce your history lessons by giving them a flavor of the people of the time.

Disclosure: This book provided by the publisher/creator for the purpose of review. Thoughts expressed are solely my own and from my experience.

Richele is a homeschooling mom to four reflections of God’s love whose greatest accomplishment thus far was teaching physics, folding laundry, and playing Candyland simultaneously. Find her blogging at Under the Golden Apple Tree.

Art with A Purpose

Art, Elementary, Hands On 1 Response »

May 262011

I love art and even considered making it my career. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which child I’m talking to), I never seem to get around to teaching art as a hands-on, let’s-get-creative-and-make-a-mess activity. I don’t know why; it’s just one of those things.

So what do my children do for art? Well, we do Charlotte Mason style picture study every few weeks, and each of my children works through the entire Art with A Purpose curriculum, doing about one lesson a week for eight years.

Art With a Purpose is an easy-to-teach curriculum that covers everything from coloring and pasting in the younger grades to lettering, color combining, perspective, and pen and ink drawings in the older grades. It does not, however, teach art history or appreciation at all. (Hence the picture study lessons.)

Each year’s Artpac contains 36 simple, step-by-step art lessons. Materials are usually simple to obtain. In fact, the only ones we’ve had trouble finding are the brass fasteners needed to allow movement in a monkey’s limbs and the hands of a clock.

Using this curriculum, moms have little teaching to do in the younger grades and even less as the children get older because the instructions are clear and easy to follow. Although classroom teachers are encouraged to work through each Artpac to provide their students with examples, this was not necessary for us at home.

Rod and Staff breaks down each year’s skills as follows:

Artpac 1 Simple coloring skills, color-by-number, cutting and pasting.
Artpac 2 Simple coloring skills, cutting, pasting, simple perspective drawing.
Artpac 3 Coloring, shading with crayons, simple grid drawing and painting.
Artpac 4 Coloring, shading with crayons, drawing stick figures, simple grid drawing, and perspective drawing.
Artpac 5 Shading with colored pencils, drawing faces, painting and paint mixing, lettering, and grid work.
Artpac 6 Shading with colored pencils, drawing faces, lettering, grid work, freehand and perspective drawing.
Artpac 7 Advanced shading with soft lead colored pencils, grid drawing, calligraphy, paint mixing and painting, and sketching.
Artpac 8 Shading with pen and ink.

View detailed outlines of each course, with samples.

Most weeks my children spend between 30 minutes and two hours on their Artpacs, depending on the effort they are willing to expend. They are usually pleased with their work, and often give the cards, pictures, or crafts as gifts. Many of them also adorn the bedroom doors.

We’ve encountered very few problems over the years. Some lessons in the early years are much too difficult and take too long. We don’t skip those, but I allowed the child to work on them for a long time, pointing out that it was a lesson in perseverance as well as in art. I also allowed children who struggled with motor skills to progress slowly, with the beneficial result that they were able to do a better job at the upper levels as well.

Published by Rod and Staff, the Artpacs feature a few pictures that are obviously Mennonite. Wording, where there is any, is inspiring and often Christian. Although the Artpacs have no projects about Halloween, Easter bunnies, Santa Claus, or baby Jesus, I have received several wonderful Mothers’ Day cards.

Each year’s worth of lessons is well under $10. This is a very good deal, especially for the grade 8 Artpac’s pen and ink pages that would retail for several hundred dollars at my local art supply store.

If you’re not the kind of person who thrives on doing hands-on crafts with your children, but you still want them to learn the basics of art, it’s worth checking out Art with A Purpose. It’s thorough, easy to use, Christian, and inexpensive.

Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate.

Disclosure: Having used Artpacs for a dozen years, I love telling people about them. I receive no compensation for this review.

Art Murals for Kids

Art, Elementary, Middle School, Unit study resources 4 Responses »

May 232011

Last February my family spent several days creating murals to hang in their bedrooms. Coordinating several children to produce something beautiful to hang on the wall can be challenging. We used inexpensive downloads from Art Murals for Kids as our guide for several reasons:

They’re easy – even my 2 year old can color.
They’re printable – which meant if a piece got messed up and bothered the children they could just print again and redo it.
They make beautiful final products.

My sons chose to use Oil Pastels to color their version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. They decided to try following the original for their colors. This came from the Mini Impressionist Mural Set, which is only $5.00. In this set the murals are small – our Starry Night printout was 6 pages, measuring 23″x 19″. It was just right for a family to do together instead of a classroom. There is a larger version of Starry Night available for download that is 24 pages and measures 48″x 36″. I really like how the colors of the oil pastels are bold. The only drawback to oil pastels is they are a bit smudgy – mostly on children’s hands!

My daughters used crayons with this mural for their bedroom. They chose this one for the animals. Their file was also $5.00and included two sizes to use: a 36-page version measuring 45″x 45″ and a 9-page mini version measuring 22.5″ x 22.5″. I think the crayons looks all right, it just does not stand out as much as the oil pastels. We may try painting a mural sometime for a change.

There are quite a few other mural possibilities to choose from at Art Murals for Kids. She even offers coloring books of famous paintings that would be a fun addition to an artist study. Be sure to check out her companion site, Art Projects for Kids for tons of art project ideas to use with your children. I’ve found some real gems as I’ve explored the archives!

Tristan is a happily homeschooling LDS mother to 6 blessings age 9, 6, 5, 3, 2, and 5 months old. You can drop in and visit anytime over at her blog, Our Busy Homeschool. Read her other Curriculum Choice posts here.

{Disclaimer: I purchased these products on my own. This is not a sponsored post in any way. And yes, we hope to purchase more murals in the future!}

Drawing Basics by Thomas Kinkade

Art, Bible 3 Responses »

Apr 182011

I count it a benefit of homeschooling when one of the masters can step in and teach my children. Thomas Kinkade has led my children in Drawing Basics several times already. That is with the Alpha Omega DVD Lifepac. An Alpha Omega Lifepac is a full subject of study “built upon the principle of mastery learning.” Drawing Basics is an elective Lifepac.

Our two eldest children went through all the lessons with the accompanying workbooks. We just added drawing tablets, pencils and erasers. Drawing Basics is truly the basics. The study begins with line and shape and leads all the way to art history.

The five units each include three sections. Thomas Kinkade teaches the concept at the beginning of each section, encouraging students to sketch along in their drawing tablets.

Next the student is directed to pause the DVD and to “return to your workbook” for practice in the concept.

Also included:

18 weeks of study
extra enrichment activities
review questions
tests
teacher guide
5 unit workbooks
instructional DVD

Unit workbooks and instructional DVD can be purchased separately. Alpha Omega Publications offers the DVD for purchase by itself for $13.95 here.

Intended for:

Grades 3 to 5 but can be adapted for up to grade 8. (Guess what? My 5-year-old, 3^rd grader and two middle schoolers all enjoy it).

Plus:

Thomas Kinkade teaches from a Biblical worldview and includes a Bible lesson in each section.

This resource is great to use as an elective, a unit study and/or to compliment history studies. Plus when you’ve already enjoyed his lessons several times, the DVD is so nice to pull out on a sick day. There is always something new we didn’t notice before. And that day, not long ago, when I was on the couch, it was sure fun to tell my fellow homeschoolers, “Oh Thomas Kinkade taught school today!”

For more information on all Alpha Omega Lifepac Curriculum, visit their site.

View a video sample on the AOP website by creating an account here.

How about you? Wouldn’t you like the ‘Painter of Light’ to teach your children?

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.

Piano Course for Christians

Elementary, Middle School, Music No Responses »

Feb 162011

I had the pleasure of reviewing the entire Madonna Woods Piano Course for Christians from the Preparatory Level all the way through Level 5. The first question everyone always seems to ask is, “Will I really be able to teach piano to my children using this course?” My quick answer is, “Yes, I believe many people will.”

If you have any sort of musical training at all, you should be able to use this piano course without any problems, taking your children from the very beginning levels of piano and music theory all the way to being able to play medium difficulty hymns. Even if you have no musical background, Mrs. Woods has done a wonderful job of walking you through the lessons step-by-step.

She has included with each piano book:

an audio CD with her speaking directly to the student that leads him or her through the lessons. On the CD Mrs. Woods explains new concepts such as time signatures, note and rest values and hand placement.
a pull-out sheet of notes for each lesson that you might use to reinforce the concepts.

The pages in the piano book are all very clear with pictures when necessary to show hand positions or the names of particular notes on the keyboard. Notes can also be found at the top of each lesson page for the student to better understand the concept being introduced. Even though this sounds a bit overwhelming, it really isn’t at all. The CD and teacher notes are very easy to use, and the pictures and notes to the student are placed very neatly on the pages so the student isn’t overwhelmed.

From the very first preparatory lesson, the student will be learning notes and playing simple songs. He or she will also be learning bits and pieces of music theory from the beginning levels. It’s all introduced in a gentle and encouraging way so that the student should feel successful and capable after each lesson.

Review tests are found at the end of each level to test the music theory knowledge learned throughout the book. Also found at the end of some of the books are different glossaries or helps depending on the skills introduced in that level. For example, in level 1, you will find a dictionary of musical terms in which to refer. Piano recital pieces and a completion certificate are included at the end of the books as well. Mrs. Woods has placed a great amount of emphasis on the religious use of music and has included Christian hymns as much as possible in the lessons.

Depending on how much you know about music, this paragraph may mean a lot or a little to you. But, if the student completes the preparatory book and all five levels, they will understand such musical concepts as major and minor keys, triads, chords, and unusual time signatures like 6/4 and 4/2. They will have progressed to playing 16th notes and understand the difference between melodies and chords. Will they be able to sit down at church and play a hymn from the hymn book? I doubt it just yet, but that skill would be just around the corner.

When to start with your children? That I cannot answer. I couldn’t find a recommended age level, but I’ve always been told that piano shouldn’t start until your child’s hands are big enough to span the keys comfortably. The entire course from beginning to end can be used either on a regular piano or a keyboard.

I found this to be a thorough program from start to finish. Mrs. Woods has put together a very encouraging, easy to follow piano curriculum that will see results if you and your child put forth the effort required. Just as with any piano lessons, learning to play well from this curriculum will take regular practice. I think what I like most is the fact that Mrs. Woods has painstakingly created a course that revolves around the Lord and how music should glorify Him.

-Written by Cindy, an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3 from Central KY. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her nature study curricula at Shining Dawn Books. This product was given to Cindy for the purpose of her honest review.

365 Days of Celebration and Praise

Art, Bible, Encouragement, Hands On 3 Responses »

Jan 032011

It’s easy.

It’s done for you.

Those two criteria really appeal to me as a homeschool mother.

Julie Lavender has done all the work. Pull out her 365 Days of Celebration and Praise to start the day. It’s appropriate for all ages. A full year of family devotionals.

We all need an easy, stress-free way to add some fun to our homeschool day. We sometimes start with these Daily Devotions and Activities written by a homeschooler for homeschooling families. Or maybe we read it together at lunch time. Other times children pull it out on their own.

We celebrate birthdays, holidays. Why not every day? Included for each day:

Questions to discuss
Related activity – a craft, recipe or other simple, hands-on project
Curriculum Connection – suggested activity related to a school subject (e.g., for National Backyard Games Week – “What interjections did you use when you played your game outside? What is an interjection? Can you think of more interjections?”)
Verse to memorize
Prayer suggestion

Did you know March 1 is National Pig Day? Read Luke 15: 11-32 and discuss why you think the younger son took all he had and left… Who forgave the young man? Then make a pig bookmark if you like. All the instructions are included. Next, see how many baby animal names you know. Memorize Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Pray, asking God to help you forgive. Thank God for his forgiveness of sins.

National Fragrance Week? Clergy Appreciation Day? National Dessert Month? Basketball Season? Holy Humor Month? Golden Rule Week? Epiphany? Drinking Straw Day?

So take a bit of advice from December 30, Make-Up-Your-Mind Day, check out Julie Lavender’s resource. It’s available for $16.99 here. Learn, discuss, memorize and pray together as a family this year.

May God bless you as you make each day a holiday! ~ Julie Lavender

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.