Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

Have you ever wondered whether or not your prayers make a difference? Do you want to pray more for others, but aren't sure where to begin? Or are you more like so many Christians; taking the time to pray for your own needs, but failing to cover others in prayer? In the book of Luke (chapter 5, verses 17-26) we read about four loyal friends who carried their paralyzed friend on a mat to see Jesus. They were seeking healing on their friends behalf, and when they encountered difficulty in getting to Jesus, they persevered and found another way. In the end, Jesus healed the paralytic. And the Word says Jesus healed him because of the faith of his four friends. With regard to your prayer life, let's think about these four friends. They were not like Job's friends, questioning the cause of the situation and attempting to cajole a confession of sin from their friend. Instead they were his friend in and through his need, and when they heard about Jesus they took their friend to...

Teaching history doesn't require a textbook, or tests that consist of memorized names and dates. Believe it or not, you can enjoy teaching history. And your children can enjoy learning about history. The key is to make it an interesting subject. Heritage History seeks to do just that. Heritage History provides history resources covering many different periods of time, including Ancient Rome , Ancient Greece , British Middle Ages , British Empire (which I am reviewing in this post) and even a special curriculum for Young Readers . The program consists of a large variety of interesting literature relating to the time period being studied, along with teaching aids and study guides that help students get the most out of the books they read. Before I go into more detail about Heritage History's British Empire program, let me share a little about why I prefer to use quality literature in our homeschool to aid in our study of history. Do you remember reading the Little Hou...

Today is the day I announce the winner of my giveaway for Ann VosKamp's book "One Thousand Gifts". The winner is...Sassy Sasha! Congratulations to her and thanks to all who entered! An update on my second book ~ things are coming along nicely and I have about 35 days worth of devotions ready to go, and am plugging away to get the book finished by early September! I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I continue to work on this book! Also, I'd like to ask for prayer regarding my wonderful hubby's work situation. The company he worked for has filed for bankruptcy and he was given a lay off notice last Friday. The Lord has a perfect plan for our family, and we are excited to find out what He has in store for us next! Thank you in advance for your prayers :) Don't forget to check out my new website, offering my Bible study as well as homeschool consulting services. Find it here at www.ALLTHINGSHOMESCHOOL.weebly.com Sassy Sasha, look for your book...

If I had to give a concise description of Judah Bible Curriculum , I would say it is a wealth of a resource. Attempting to give a not-so-concise description of Judah Bible might prove to be a challenge for me; as it is a wealth of a resource, I doubt I can provide a complete picture of all it has to offer. So, before I dive into this review, let me point you to the website ~ www.JudahBible.com ~ and suggest you take a look at the info under the tab "Why is the JBC Unique?" . That should aid in any questions you might have! The typical homeschooling mom is ridiculously busy. I get that; I'm ridiculously busy myself. In that vein, let me say that Judah Bible Curriculum can be adapted and used in a homeschool setting. They key for the homeschool mom, however, is to not become overwhelmed when looking at this Bible curriculum. Just keep in mind that the Bible is the most important topic our children will study in our homeschool and an in-depth curriculum could be exac...

Can you think of a day when you don't need any encouragement from God's Word? Maybe I'm some kind of lame, totally uncool homeschool mom; perhaps you can't relate to me at all. But I need to be encouraged every single day, and the first and last place I look for that is encouragement is the Bible. Whatever situation each new day brings, I want to know what God has to say about it. He is The Only Solution for my every problem, for every single need, for all things big or small. In addition to that, He is the Only One worth praising. We will be praising Him for all eternity; I think it's pretty much a given that we ought to be praising Him in the here and now. God's Word has some great examples of godly men and women who were careful to praise Him while they walked on this earth. Here are a few verses that have encouraged me as of late and have spurred me on to give praise to the LORD God Almighty. I hope they bring you some encouragement today, too! Exod...

Typically the things I review as a member of the TOS Crew are products - books, curriculum, educational websites, DVDs...you get the idea. Recently, however, I got the opportunity to review something a little bit different. It's this fantastic website called Homeschool Library Builder , and wow, is it ever a book loving homeschooling mama's kind of site! Homeschool Library Builder's company motto reads: "Fill Your Bookshelves without Emptying Your Wallet" . I'm sure you've already deduced that they sell books at good prices. But hold on to your hat, it gets even better! Homeschool Library Builde r is co-owned by two veteran homeschool families that desire to promote Christ-centered education. They work hard to help homeschooling families build their personal libraries, and they provide some excellent deals so as not to break the bank in the process! Selling both new and used books, they are a great resource for curricula, homeschool helps, and literat...

So I have started something totally new, and while it's not a "big" thing, it's still pretty big to me. I have created a new website to promote my new career as a (drum roll, please!) homeschool consultant! Since I have about 15 years of experience with this whole homeschooling thing, and I have a real desire to encourage my fellow homeschooling mothers, and most importantly I strive to follow the Lord's leading in all areas of my life - well, this was the next step for me. It's a small start, but it is a start, and I'm happy to begin this new thing God has led me to. If you would like to see my new website for my new little business, you can find me at: www.AllThingsHomeschool.weebly.com Let me know what you think; I'd love to hear what you have to say! Lord bless you as you the life All Things Homeschool!! Day 183 done :) Jan L. Burt www.AllThingsHomeschool.weebly.com www.SavanasClayCreations.com

In the local public schools, April is the month of "testing, testing, testing". The entire year's work is condensed into a couple of weeks worth of assessments. Is there anything homeschoolers can learn from this annual occurance in the public school system? I think that April is an excellent month for homeschool families to do a little assessing of their own. What has been the best curriculum choice this academic year? What weighed your family down? Is there anything you really, really wanted to study, but now here it is April and you never got around to it? Any activities that are keepers? Or any that simply must go? Is your system for grading working well? What about updating transcripts for your high school students? Does you method of assigning household chores work well, or could it use a little retooling? April (and into May) is the perfect time to assess your home and your homeschool and fix whatever needs fixing. Everything is fresh in your mind right now; come...

Evan Angler's book for middle-school aged readers entitled SWIPE surprised me. The subject matter has been covered so often in Christian fiction, and I have read so much poor quality fiction, I found myself happily shocked that Angler's book was pretty darn good. He has taken the Biblical revelation of the mark of the best for obtaining food and created a believable world for young readers. The main character, Logan Langly, is about to turn 13 and receive the mark. But Logan is a twitchy, nervous boy and he has serious doubts about being marked. Friendships develop, mystery ensues, and drama abounds. Middle schoolers (and even those a little older) will enjoy this well-written book. On my 'Page Turner Scale' of 1 to 5 , I am giving this book a 5 . ( Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from BookSneeze for review purposes.) Day 181 done :) Jan L. Burt www.SavanasClayCreations.com

Amazing Science!(Volume 1) is a DVD containing 23 experiments the teach fundamental principles of science in a fun and easy-to-do manner. While using Amazing Science! you will learn abut electricity, magnetism, heat, temperature, pressure, surface tension, buoyancy and a whole lot more. Every experiment is explained step-by step, and a complete materials list is provided so you can do the experiments right at home. The experiments proved easy to implement into our homeschool day. Most of them required basic supplies we already had around the house. They were also fun, which is a big plus! (I've learned the hard way that science experiments work best when they are fun!) The teacher on the DVD, Jason Gibson, has advanced degrees in Engineering and Physics, and has worked for NASA. My children were already comfortable with Mr. Gibson as a "teacher" since we have used some of the math DVDs offered at ScienceandMath.com . I have always been very pleased with the results of t...