Reviews

• Review: Something Beautiful for God

  03 May 2012 / Helping Others, Literature, Reviews / 2 Comments

  Note:  This is not a sponsored post.  We just like to periodically blog about resources we have enjoyed in our own homeschools. This is a classic post.
  

  Originally published in 1971, this little book by journalist and apologist Malcolm Muggeridge was written after Muggeridge produced a documentary movie of the same name about the work done by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Missionaries of Charity.  These Roman Catholic nuns minister to the poorest of the poor and the dying all over the world, but their order began in Calcutta, India, and the story of Mother Teresa's burden to begin this ministry is inspiring and challenging on a deep level for Catholics and Protestants alike.  As followers of Jesus Christ, all Christians are told that any service done "to the least of these" is received by Christ Himself.

  The book is divided into four sections.

  • Part I is Malcolm Muggeridge's own account of his acquaintance with Mother Teresa and the work in Calcutta.  It contains much of his own personal reflections about her as a person, the work the Missionaries of Charity accomplish against all odds, and the tremendous impact this acquaintance had on him as a man of faith.
  • Part II is a series of 18 brief devotions written by Mother Teresa on various aspects of a life of faith in Christ.
  • Part III is the transcript of an interview Muggeridge conducted with Mother Teresa and others in the order.
  • Part IV is Muggeridge offering closing thoughts on doing "something beautiful for God."

  I read this book with our day-school class of 28 high school-aged homeschoolers earlier this year, and it was fodder for some really good class discussion.  I prepared a study guide with vocabulary and questions that the kids prepared ahead of time (click here to download it from the EBookstore), and they were then ready to intelligently discuss ideas like:

  • Why does Mother Teresa think that government welfare is important, but it can never replace the ministry to the poor that Christians can do?
  • How, by their own account, do the Missionaries of Charity minister WITH JOY under such overwhelmingly ugly circumstances?
  • What does Mother Teresa mean when she says, "I do not agree with the big way of doing things"?

  In a world where our culture idolizes selfish living, reading and discussing this book with homeschoolers proved to be a great tool for stirring a hunger for service and sacrifice. 

  What books can you recommend to stir our hearts toward service?

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  Muggeridge's documentary movie and famous television interview with Mother Teresa were part of the inspiration for my play, A Weekend in Calcutta.  To download a sample copy of the play for just $0.99, click here.

  The study guidethat was written to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Something Beautiful for God is now available for download in the EBookstore.  Click here!

   

  Now, here is Sabrina's Vlog about why you need literature study guides:

   

   

   

• Studying Modern-Day Heroes- Mother Teresa

  29 February 2012 / Homeschool Information, Literature, News, Reviews / 3 Comments

  A lovely gift that a homeschool mom can give her kids is the study of real life heroes- folks who have done great things. One of the best modern-day heroes to learn about is Mother Teresa.

  My son has had the opportunity to learn about Mother Teresa in a rather serendipitous unit study (over time). First, when he was in 8th grade, he attended a performance of Calcutta by Sabrina's Drama Camp.

  He learned from the play about her answer to God's call to sacrificial work for the poor and dying in India, about her inspiring together a  team, and about her own personal struggles (which was good- he needed to know she was a "real person").

  We followed up the play by watching Olivia Hussey in the dvd: Mother Teresa. He learned the story of her life: her courage in starting her ministry, more about the people and culture she ministered to, her spunky personality and perseverance. (One of our  favorite scenes is Mother Theresa traveling with her two assistants- one carried the money, one organized the schedule. I tell you, I know I could never do the great work she did but I thought I might keep organized if I had two people handle those for me   )

  Next, he read Something Beautiful for God by Malcom Muggeridge. He learned about her personal faith and dedication to God. He learned about her call to the "least of these" and about doing small things with great love and great joy.  (Click here for Sabrina's study guide to accompany this book.)

  The things he learned about Mother Teresa are ideas that will help him as he is developing his identity. If he has a vision of serving, of all people being valuable to God, and the power of one person in starting a cause- then he will have more courage to listen to what God may say to him about his own place in the kingdom, whatever that will be.

  Of course, there are many, many modern-day heroes a homeschooler can study. What modern-day heroes will your child study?

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  Look for Sabrina, Kym, and Marilyn at Teach Them Diligently in Spartanburg, SC., March 15-17. Sabrina will be giving a talk on Drama and homeschooling.

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  Here is an example of Sabrina's Drama Camp production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It is a lovely example of all kinds of students developing their skills and learning together.

• Review: The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian

  10 January 2012 / Prayer, Relationships, Reviews / 1 Comment

  The following is not a sponsored post.  We just like to review books and products that we have tried, and share our impressions with other homeschoolers.

  I first worked through this book about 5 years ago, and it was good enough that I have recently revisited it.  Many of you know Stormie Omartian's series of books on the power of prayer in our relationships.  If you have never checked out any of the books in this series, I recommend that you do.

  Stormie's basic premise is that we are limited by our own humanity when it comes to trying to raise kids, and we are called by God to pray for our kids at least as much as we are called to train them, to teach them, to love them, and to nurture them.

  In the first chapter, she encourages parents to pray, "Lord, I submit myself to You.  I realize that parenting a child in the way You would have me to is beyond my human abilities.  I know I need You to help me."  What a great perspective with which to view our lives as moms and dads!

  The layout of the book is easy to read and implement.  Each chapter focuses on an area of parenting.  Things like "Securing Protection from Harm," "Attracting Godly Friends and Role Models," "Having the Motivation for Proper Body Care," and "Enjoying Freedom from Fear" are some of the 31 chapters in the book.  Each chapter begins with Stormie's thoughts on the topic interwoven with illustrations from her own home, and then goes on to record a prayer that she might pray for her kids on the topic, finishing off with a listing of scriptures that apply.

  While I am not a personal fan of reading prayers that have been articulated by someone else, I still find encouragement and challenge in reading her prayer before I go to the Lord with my own words for my kids.  The scriptures are a valuable resource, and they are my favorite part of the book on this second-time-around reading.

  The book can be repetitive, but it is not surprising that many of the core ideas around praying powerfully for our children could stand repeating!  The repetition does not become irritating in my opinion.

  As much as I am committed to praying fervently for my kids, and have been for all of their lives, I still find this book stirs me up in specific areas to which I have grown dull or careless in my prayers.  It offers great reminders of the many challenges our children face - now, and in the future - and it offers concrete ways to "help" them from our knees in ways that we could never help them in the natural.

  If you are interested in reading Stormie's remarkable personal story of redemption and healing, or if you'd like to look into her books more closely, you can find more at www.stormieomartian.com.

  Your turn:  What resources have you used in praying for your kids?

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  For a fresh take on your prayer life in general, check out Vicki Tillman's Prayer Journals.

  And don't forget that we have our first literature study guide for elementary and younger middle school students available for half-price this week.  The study guide for Sarah, Plain and Tall is only $1.99!

• Review: National Home Education Research Institute

  27 December 2011 / Homeschool Information, News, Reviews / 2 Comments

  My oldest kids remember the early days of homeschooling: Always having to prove ourselves (that Mom was a good educator, that the kids were well-educated and -socialized). In our health and safety lessons, we learned fire drills, tornado drills, and truant-officer-at-the-door drills.

  Anyone else remember those days?

  Now homeschooling is proven, easy, and hip. Praise God!

  One of the organizations that helped make this possible is the National Home Education Research Institute, founded by Dr. Brian Ray.

  

  Dr. Ray set out to conduct and publish refereed, professional research about homeschooling in

  

  Dr. Ray

  the professional journal, The Homeschool Researcher (click here for some whitepapers based on the journal's reports. Through his work and the work of others that have made the cut into the journal, there is a solid body of valid data about homeschooling that shows how well it works.

  The studies that NHERI has published show that:

  -There are approximately 2.04 million homeschoolers in the US

  -Because homeschooling in most states is not tax-payer funded, these families save an estimated $10 billion for governments annually

  -The majority of homeschoolers are academically as successful, or more so, than their other-schooled peers

  -Most homeschoolers are well-adjusted socially

  -Homeschool graduates tend to do well in college and workforce settings

  I sincerely recommend the NHERI website as a solid source for material for high schoolers doing their annual research papers (and for newbie homeschooling parents who need to convince the grandparents that this idea is very good and wise). Reading the articles will teach homeschoolers what good research looks like AND give them great data for papers!

  (And while you're visiting the site, search my name/research project: Vicki Tillman and Homeschoolers, Self-esteem, and Socialization 1995. When I was completing my graduate degree in counseling at Liberty University, Dr. Ray agreed to be on the committee that reviewed my research. Upon completion, his jury chose it to be published in the Home School Researcher- one of the highlights of my life!)

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  Coming up on the last days for FREE downloads of Christmas Carol- Study Guide. AND while you're downloading, choose some other freebies such as Carry Each Other's Burdens (how to truly help a friend in crisis).

   

   

• Review: Hearing God by Dallas Willard

  20 December 2011 / Healthy Living, News, Prayer, Relationships, Reviews / 0 Comment

  Last year, a small group of homeschool moms joined me for a book discussion group. It was one of the high points of my year. My favorite book of the year was Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard.

  Dallas Willard is professor of philosophy at University of Southern California and also a noted Christian author (what an interesting combination of careers). I heard Dr. Willard speak at the International Conference of the American Association of Christian Counselors 2 years ago. He was a wise and Godly speaker and inspired my prayer life and walk with God.

  In the realm of philosophy, Willard is an renowned phenomenologist and epistemologist. Phenomenology studies the things we are conscious of/the things we notice. Epistemology is the study of how we know things.

  It makes sense to me that someone who studies how and what to notice and know, is someone who would be interested in how to notice and know how God speaks. Thus, Hearing God is a scholarly look at how to notice God speaking, how to know whether it is God who is speaking, and how to become the kind of person who is aware of God's constant presence and desire to conversationally relate to us.

  Here are some chapters:

  -The Paradox of Hearing God- talks about our desire to hear from God and our human lack of confidence in our abilities to do that

  -Guidelines for Communicating with God- discusses some of the misunderstandings about conversation with God

  -Never Alone- deals with understanding God's presence everywhere around us

  - The Still Small Voice and Its Rivals- discusses ways God communicates with individuals today

  -The Word of God and the Rule of God- talks about God's Word, His written Word in Scripture and the power of that Word in the creation and redemption processes

  -Recognizing the Voice of God- Points out how to discern the difference between God's voice and the voices of others

  Our homeschool-moms book discussion group had such rich discussion over this book and it truly impacted our prayer lives! I learned to be much more available to God, while at the same time totally tempered and trained by Scripture. This is a book that must be read slowly (in fact, portions of it should be read several times), but it is truly powerful. I recommend it as a must-read for 2012!

  (BTW- This is not a sponsored post, we simply suggest books that we like.)

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  Now, follow up Hearing God with some praying/hearing exercises in 7 Sisters' Prayer Journals. Download for 1/2 price this week $4.99.

  Last few days of FREE download for A Christmas Carol Study Guide- don't miss it.

  Also, FREE are:

  Scheduling Backwards (How to get your time under control) and Carry Each Others' Burdens (how to REALLY help).

   

   

• Review: CD- Introducing City Harmonic

  14 December 2011 / News, Reviews / 0 Comment

  I teach homeschoolers in our umbrella school's group classes, and periodically take polls of the teens. One thing I ask them is: How often do you read Scripture?

  Guess what? The majority each time I have asked will answer that they do not routinely read the Bible.

  This gives me a pause for concern.

  I also know that there are a number of churches that do not teach kids or recite corporately the Apostle's Creed or the Lord's Prayer (my non-denominational church is one of those "modern" churches).

  That is why I got excited when I heard Manifesto by City Harmonic on the radio.

  The group sings a version of the Creed (sort of in the style of The Message) and then the Lord's Prayer, all in one song. I LOVE it!!

  My 15 year-old likes it, too. He said the musicianship of the band is much more sophisticated than much of the CCM I subject him to while we ride in the car. He loves the Prayer portion of the song.

  I have made listening to this song part of our homeschool religion curriculum.

  (This is not a sponsored post- just like sharing good stuff with you!)

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  Speaking of homeschool religion curriculum: with a new semester looming, perhaps you'd like your teen to beef up his spiritual walk. Have him/her work through one of the 7 Sisters Prayer Journals.

  Also don't forget the FREE downloads of Study Guide to A Christmas Carol (December only) AND Carry Each Others' Burdens (how to genuinely help someone who has been through a crisis).

   

• Review: My Favorite Art Curricula

  16 November 2011 / Curricula, Fine Arts, Reviews / 0 Comment

  Some things are hard for a homeschool mom like me to teach- like fine arts. I love them in every form (drawing, music, drama) but the gift passed me by.

  Fortunately there are some usuable-for-non-artist-homeschool-mom curricula out there. Here are some I recommend. (BTW- this is not a sponsored post.)

  Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

  I love this one! Using simple drawing activities, it teaches kids to think from the creative side of their brain. It is not a theory book- it is a let's-get-creative book.

  My daughter, who got her BA in Photography and Art liked this book so well that she has incorporated it into the work she does now as an art instructor.

  Learning how to think creatively is a very important life skill- it is useful in writing, inventing, and problem-solving.

   

  God and the History of Art by Barry Stebbing

  This is another curriculum I love. We used it in co-op as part of our world history lessons. Barry Stebbing takes homeschoolers through art history and gives them hands-on lessons so that they can experience the types of art and ideas from each time period. I loved the projects he assigned.

  The program came with cards that had good pictures of the type of art being studied.

  I really appreciated being able to key in art with history.

   

  Alpha Omega LifePacs Art

  I felt my artistic kids needed some art theory when they hit high school. Not knowing any theory, I wanted someone to teach that for me.

  Lifepacs does that.

  Not that my kids enjoyed this. They didn't like the lessons, they felt they were uncreative, technical, and boring.

  However, they got theory in. (And it didn't kill their love of art, just got them irritated with me.)

  I am glad there is good homeschool curricula out there for our kids to get some experience in the world of art.

  What do you use to teach your kids art?

  While we're on the subject of fine arts, don't forget to download the FREE Christmas Play script from Sabrina (and watch for the launching of our drama department in January)!

  Whether we homeschool moms feel creative or not,

  Whether we are artistically gifted or not,

  We can teach our kids to be creative-

  And to have fun. With drama Christmas Carol War is a great start and it is free!

• Review: Classics of How-to Homeschool by Raymond and Dorothy Moore

  02 November 2011 / News, Reviews / 4 Comments

  Sometimes it is good to get in touch with a culture's roots.

  The homeschooling movement has some lovely writers who helped shaped the culture. Today, I'd like to introduce you to the 2 people whose educational ideas had the most influence on my early years of homeschooling (and still impact how I view home education today): Raymond and Dorothy Moore.                                                                                                          

  The Moores wrote a few powerful books back in the 80's based on the idea that we should teach our children in a developmentally appropriate manner. Many children before the age of 8 do not have the neural or physical level of development to sit for long hours, to read much, or to do lots of fine-motor work (like handwriting). Thus, when we push "book learning" on youngsters:

  -we spend hours and hours on work that if we waited a year, would take minutes
  

  -we teach our children that education is frustrating, not fun

  -frustrated children feel bad about themselves and tend to behave the way they feel about themselves

  The Moores suggest instead that homeschooling be conducted with this formula:                                                                                                                      

  -Study for limited amounts of time (increasing times as the child gets older and is developmentally ready)

  -Do manual work equal in time to the amount of study (hands-on/multi-sensory learning, field trips, house-hold duties)

  -Service to others an hour per day

  I still remember following their suggestions for kindergarten and elementary school, especially the hands-on work. My kids did much more pouring and drawing and much less writing (not that they didn't write- but it was based on short, inspirational, fun assignments).

  Even today, when my youngest is in high school we concentrate on serving and gift development. My 10th grader does some powerful academics but there is an equality of time spent on core academics, service, and gift development.

  If you haven't read the Moore's books, I'd recommend picking these two. It is good to know the homeschool movement's roots (there are other influential writers of that time, too, like Greg Harris and Michael Farris, but the Moores are hands-down my favorites).

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  Your kids need to experience the Moore-influenced 7 Sisters' Writing Guides.

  Our writing guides are based on the idea that good writing comes from learning to love writing. When young people have fun, creative, inspirational experiences in writing, they develop into good writers.  Each guide covers a specific topic with quick assignments that teach powerful writing concepts. Students learn they CAN be inspirational writers. Download today: Introductory, Intermediate, or Advanced High School Poetry Writing.

• 17 Great Movies to Inspire Your Homeschoolers

  12 October 2011 / Curricula, Fine Arts, High School, News, Reviews, Teaching, The Home / 3 Comments

  

  Congratulations to Mary! She is our Winner Wednesday Winner! For commenting on our blog, she won a copy of Prayer Journal 2. Join the conversation- you could be a winner, too...

  Some movies are meant for entertainment- that's all good. But there are movies that are meant to inspire, to help people think greater thoughts and perhaps do greater things.

  These inspirational films are great tools for homeschool families with teens. Teens need to be stretching themselves to think outside themselves and to catch glimpses of what God wants to do.

  Here are 17 of my family's favorite inspirational movies (in no particular order):

  1) Chariots of Fire- the story of Eric Liddle's courage in standing on his beliefs in the face of royal pressure during the 1920 Olympics.

  2) Second-hand Lions- Uncle Hub's speech on how to be a man is one of the greatest speeches of all time!                          

  3) Luther- Touching story of Martin Luther, well presented.

  4) Amazing Grace- William Wilberforce takes a stand against slavery that makes a great role model for our teens.

  5) Mother Theresa- Precious presentation on her life, faith, and values.

  6) Facing the Giants- Great movie on prayer!

  7) Of Gods and Men- Moving story of the martyrdom of some Trappists monks in Algeria during the 1990s, a favorite of my grown kids.

  8 ) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington- We love this precious story of standing for what's right- and the filibuster scene- wow!

  9) It's a Wonderful Life- The greatest movie of all time! Sacrifice, priorities, goodness, angels!

  10) The Passion of Joan of Arc- Silent movie from old days, great cinematography, honest presentation.

  11) Nicholas Nickleby- Anybody with a teenage son should watch this movie. What a role model!

  12) The Lord of the Rings (trilogy)- These movies are rife with choices, sacrifice, meaning, and courage.

  13) Sgt. York- Faith-filled, good person, seeking God and becoming a hero.

  14) The Crucible- (Scary scenes at the beginning)- great story of standing for what is right.                 

  15) Fireproof- I use this movie as homework in the marital counseling I do.

  16) Courageous- Thank God for Christian filmmakers who make movies on truly meaningful topics! (It will come out on DVD eventually...)

  17) Muppet's Christmas Carol- One of the best presentations of Dickens ever!

  These films inspire discussion and wrestling with ideas. Follow up questions could include:

  -How is our time period similar or different from this movie?

  -What about the main character's decisions did you agree with? disagree with?

  -Did you admire the main character? What about him/her did you admire?

  -Were you inspired to do or think anything new?

  Question: What are some movies that have inspired your family?

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  Download study guides for books made into movies! This week 1/2 price: $1.99. Get Christmas Carol, Animal Farm, Sense and Sensibility. Read the book, do the guide, watch the movie!

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  Speaking of movies, have you seen my new vlog (non sequitur, I know)?  Coach your kids before they go off to college (or while they are freshmen)!

   

   

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• Review: Josh McDowell's Bare Facts

  06 October 2011 / Healthy Living, News, Personal Growth, Reviews, Teaching, The Home / 4 Comments

    I saw Josh McDowell speak last week at the American Association of Christian Counselors conference in Nashville.

  He presented hard-hitting statistics to us therapists about the pervasiveness of pornography and "soft sex" in our culture. Stats showed evangelicals involved in porn almost as often as non-Christians, 11-year-olds frequenting porn sites, prevalence of sexting and oral sex "tacos" (tmi, I know) among church-going believing teens (get some of those stats here). Ugh. Leave it to Josh McDowell to stress this homeschool mom/counselor out...

  Josh's answer to the problem is to talk to the kids about sex through a Biblical viewpoint. He did this for us in the frank-and-direct dvd series The Bare Facts.

  The Bare Facts is a 3-dvd set that answers 44 questions about sex and purity, including:

  -What does "purity" mean?

  -How do you define "love"?

  -Why did God create sex?

  -What is a person's most powerful sex organ?

  -Can memory affect your sex life?

  -Hasn't modern medicine pretty much eliminated STD's and infections?

  -Is oral sex really sex?

  -Is sexting wrong?

  -Isn't premarital sex really good preparation for marital sex?

  ... and MORE topics that I really, really have a difficult time discussing with my own kids (even though I have to do healthy confrontive work about these topics with clients at my counseling job).

  I brought The Bare Facts home from the conference to share with my 14-year-old son. He watched along with me and had a few comments such as, "That wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be."

  I asked if he would recommend the series to his friends. "Not in person," was his reply.
  

  He reminded me that a fair amount of the information Josh shares is presented in pieces in Justin Lookadoo's Dateable and Chad Eastham's The Truth About Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends. (Both books that he liked and would not recommend to his friends in person.)

  As the saying goes, "Denial isn't a river in Egypt."

  I would personally rather NEVER need to talk about sex with my kid- especially the impure sexual stuff that is pervasive in pop culture. But it is there and it is better to inform my kid and set parameters (as in: tell him my expectations for purity, the Bible's guidelines for purity, and the psychological research on the usefulness of purity).

  Josh McDowell covers all those things.

  If you'd like to see a video clip from The Bare Facts, click here.

  This is not a sponsored post. I am sharing this because I believe it is important and valuable.

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  Equip your teen to understand himself/herself. Study how people grow and change from womb to old age in our 1 credit high school health course: Human Development from a Christian Worldview.

  I wrote Human Development from a Christian Worldview based on my training as professional counselor at Liberty University and my work as a therapist. I wanted my kids to understand themselves and the people around them.

   I have taught this text to my kids and have taught it in co-op and in group classes. It is useful stuff. Download it for your high school homeschooler!