Journaling through the Bible: Wise Love

As a member of the Homeschool Review Crew, I was blessed with the opportunity to review a four-week Bible study of Philippians by Julie Polanco. I am currently in the beginning steps of this journey through Paul's letter to the Philippians but I am thoroughly enjoying reading more and learning more about the wisdom and advice that Paul has to offer. The Crew will share a complete review of both this Bible study and the Faith Journeys Bible Study Series: Romans bundle (which I will start after I complete this one) in mid-November, but I wanted to share this wonderful resource in relation to my Bible Journaling.

I must admit that, as a child, I did not completely understand the letters included in the Bible. Perhaps, this is because I did not have a firm understanding of the history of this particular time period. After viewing Drive Thru History® - Acts to Revelation, I felt a lot closer to the men who journeyed around the Mediterranean during the early years of Church History. I now know how to properly say the names of all the places and peoples. It was with this relatively new knowledge that I entered into the Bible study by Julie Polanco. 

God has started so many good works in my own life and the lives of those in my immediate family. I feel that, through His guidance, I have come closer to Him and will continue to come closer to Him through Jesus until the day of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul wishes the people of Philippi to do – come closer to God. 

"While we were sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

There has been a lot of suffering in the world and in the lives of many individuals I hold near and ear to me – including my own life. I hope that, through the reading of the words of Paul, I can see that these tribulations do produce perseverance. The perseverance that grows in me will hopefully lead to a stronger character. And what will that character bring? Hope. I am more hopeful than I ever have been before even with all the suffering and tribulations in the world and my own personal life. I pray that everyone can find that hope.

May you find hope each and every day!

How Can You Supplement Your History Curriculum?

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There are so many fun and educational ways you can supplement your homeschool history curriculum. I love history. In fact, I can't remember a time that I did not enjoy visiting historical sites, reading about history, or watching history movies (both fiction and non-fiction). Therefore, it is quite easy for me to recommend many different options to supplement your homeschool history curriculum.

Visit History 

So many of my vacations with my mom, before I was married, involved touring historical locations (like Eckley Miners' Village Museum). This is probably one of the easiest ways to supplement your history curriculum. All you need are time and some money because you will often find tour guides, park rangers, and others at each site who will be able to help teach you and your homeschooled children new facts and information. Many places will even allow you to participate in living history by using tools of the time period, trying on period clothing, or creating a memento to take home.

Watch History 

Another very easy way to supplement your homeschool history curriculum is with documentaries and movies. If you attended public school, you might remember the television being wheeled into the classroom to watch a documentary borrowed from the school library or perhaps from your teacher's own collection. I am old enough to remember a few of my teachers sharing slide presentations with us. While not all documentaries and movies are created equal, there is a great selection available. One of our favorites is Drive Thru History® with Dave Stotts. There are quite a few series in which Dave Stotts takes viewers on a journey through history like those listed:

• Drive Thru History® Ancient History 
• Drive Thru History® American History 
• Drive Thru History® The Holy Land 
• Drive Thru History® The Gospels 
• Drive Thru History® Acts to Revelation 

In addition to documentaries, movies can also be wonderful to incorporate into your homeschool history curriculum. From movies that are not highly accurate to those that are written and try to stick the facts more, there are different learning opportunities. For example, for high school homeschooled children, you may wish to view the movie Gettysburg, read the book, and visit the site to compare and contrast the accuracies and inaccuracies. In addition to this movie, many others focus on the American Civil War, including two television series: North and South and The Blue and Gray. These both follow many fictional characters but provide a sense and a feeling for the time period with costumes, foods, and other details.

Listen & Play Through History 

If your children enjoy music, you might want to research the different genres of music based upon time periods. There are many different ways to approach supplementing your history curriculum with music. Previously I shared how you can study the American Civil War through Stephen Foster's "Better Times are Coming." And don't forget to listen to recorded speeches, watch clips of historical events recorded live, or view home movies to see what was life like in a particular time period.

• Learn to play songs from a particular time period 
• Learn to sing songs from a particular time period 
• Research different musical instruments that may no longer be played today 
• Listen to the music of the era of history you are studying 
• Interpret the lyrics written to learn more about the historical time 

Why not play a game? There are many different games inspired by history and ones that incorporate history into their play. You may wish to purchase games already made and designed like Egyptians, Made for Trade, or even Go to the Head of the Class (which covers multiple subject areas), or perhaps you might want to make your own file folder games like those offered by Home School in the Woods.

How Will You Supplement Your History Curriculum? 

Have you discovered any new ideas to incorporate into your history curriculum? Even if you are using a boxed curriculum, there is always room for additional supplements. Some even have items like literature packages or hands-on projects. We are using the literature package that goes along with Our Star-Spangled Story from Notgrass History. We have also used hands-on kits from Sonlight in previous years.

Everything Pumpkin

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With the arrival of Autumn, many yearn for pumpkin spice, visiting pumpkin patches, pumpkin pie, pumpkin decor, and everything else pumpkin. But why the pumpkin? After all, wouldn’t life be just as "gourd" if this season celebrated the cucumber or the cantaloupe? Perhaps not.

Pumpkins can be grown all over the world except for Antarctica. So while they may be native to the Southern United States and Central America, you can find them in gardens all over—yet Morton, Illinois is considered the “pumpkin capital” of the world because it is home to the Libby's corporation, whose canned pumpkin puree has become a part of the preparation for many American families’ Thanksgiving meals. With pumpkins being a winter squash, it makes sense that they are popular during the autumn season.

Pumpkins are interesting in that most parts of the plant are edible such as the shell, the seeds, the leaves, and even the flowers. Green ones can be eaten like summer squash while ones that are ripe can be used not only for pies but also soups. How do you like to enjoy pumpkins? It is amazing that they can be baked, roasted, steamed, or boiled or included in part of another dish. Personally, I enjoy pumpkin seeds. They are a lovely treat.

The pumpkin is also part of American folklore as it figures in the story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. If you or your homeschooled children wish to learn more about American folklore, you might want to take a look at the American Folklore course at SchoolhouseTeachers.com. While learning about the Northeast, your middle school or high school children will learn more about legends and spooky folktales in lessons six through eight. In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the headless horseman is said to have a pumpkin atop his shoulders instead of his head. Whether Irving pulled this idea from American tales or European folklore, it is interesting to note that the pumpkin plays a role in this American classic.

For many, pumpkins make them think of jack o'lanterns and decorating for Halloween. The history of jack o'lanterns goes back to Ireland, where people would carve turnips and potatoes to scare away evil spirits. Today, people carve a variety of designs into pumpkins to decorate for the season including individuals from favorite movies. So, not everything relating to jack o'lanterns today is about the scare.

Do pumpkins play a role in your celebration of Autumn? Do you enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee flavored with pumpkin spice?

How Do You Pick a History Curriculum?

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Tips from A Mom's Quest to Teach for picking the best history curriculum for your homeschool and family.

What is your goal when it comes to teaching history in your homeschool? And what is your philosophical approach to teaching in your homeschool? Do you teach all of your children at the same time around the dining room or kitchen table or does each child work independently on curriculum that best suits their learning style?

As someone who has always loved history, there are a wide variety of history curriculum and materials that I love. From Home School in the Woods (which allows you to use hands-on materials to meet the needs and interests of your homeschooling students) to Notgrass History (which takes a more expected approach with textbooks, supplemental literature to read, and a variety of activities and questions provided both in the workbook and textbook), there are so many great options. You can also find a great number of history, social studies, and geography courses at SchoolhouseTeachers.com where you can pick and choose what works for your homeschooling child and family.

Ask Some Questions 

What are you looking for in your history curriculum? Do you want it all printed out and ready to open and go? Are you looking for lesson plans that are easy to follow but still give you more flexibility than a textbook? Do you want unit studies? What about lessons that tie into your other subjects like literature and science?

Download a worksheet to record your answer to these questions.

What Area of History Are You Studying? 

Of course, some of your decisions may be guided by what area or time period of history you wish to study in your homeschool. Are you studying United States History, World History, Ancient History, geography, government, economics, or a combination of some of them?

If you are interested in taking a geographical approach, Let's Go Geography may be a great resource for your elementary-aged students. I also find it is very easy to incorporate other history resources into this curriculum. You can truly tailor it to meet the needs of your homeschool family.

If you are homeschooling a high school student, you might want to incorporate government or economics into their schedule. Last year, our teen used Exploring Government from Notgrass History to study the United States government. I really felt this was an excellent curriculum that opened up the door to good discussions. We also used the Student Review Pack with our teen to help assess his knowledge at the end of the different chapters and units. This year, we have incorporated economics and business courses into his schedule using Money 101 and Business Plan Creation from SchoolhouseTeachers.com. These are all very important areas of study that fall under social studies or history.

This year with our second grader I decided that we would further study American History using Our Star-Spangled Story Curriculum Package (and literature package) from Notgrass History. I made this decision after downloading and looking at the samples they provide on their site. It is truly a beautiful set of textbooks for teaching about the founding and history of America. We are using one student workbook right now with our son, but in the future, I may purchase an additional workbook if our daughter also uses the curriculum.

Final Thoughts 

Every homeschooling family is different. And what works for your family this year may not work for you next year. Perhaps reading books and watching fun, educational videos like Drive Thru History® worked while your children were younger, but now that they are older they wish to work independently and online. Even after you pick a history curriculum, don't be afraid to make changes or modifications—if you need to—for your homeschool and your children. Sometimes, you need to make changes to keep history alive and interesting and that is okay. Providing your children with an environment conducive to learning and helping them to enjoy their schooling should take precedence in your homeschool over any sense of "getting it just right."

Wordless Wednesday Start of Autumn

Dice that I bought my husband as a birthday gift. 

Lessons from My Father's World

Birthday card for my husband from our son

Polar bear fighting crime with Batman

Latest book - review coming soon!