What Is Homeschooling And How Do I know If Its Right For My Family?
March 29, 2006
Do you know what these famous people have in common?
- Alexander Graham Bell
- George Patton
- Albert Einstein
- Benjamin Franklin
- Winston Churchill
- Agatha Christie
- George Bernard Shaw
- Will Rogers
If you guessed that they were all homeschoolers, you’d be correct. This is a very short list of famous and successful people who were educated at home. If you would like to expand this list, do a search on the Internet for ?famous homeschoolers.? There are many websites that list these people and some provide detailed biographies. There is even a book called, aptly, ?Famous Homeschoolers,? by Nancy and Malcolm Plant. (http://www.fun-books.com/specials.htm)
The point here is to get into the mindset that people can be educated and become successful adults without attending public school. And because I can almost ?hear? what you are thinking, no, it is not necessary to have a high school diploma to go to college.
So what is homeschooling? In the broadest sense, homeschooling is educating your children at home. You, as parent, become teacher. Parents homeschool for more reasons than you can imagine. Some want to avoid having their children exposed to violence and peer pressure. Some homeschool so that they can make sure their children’s education adheres to their religious beliefs. Some live a different lifestyle?perhaps they travel a lot?and want their children’s schooling to be flexible enough to fit around that life style. And some, like me, simply enjoy being with their children. They don’t want the public school to interrupt and weaken the parent/child bond that they have been working hard to create for the first five years of their child’s life.
Just as there are many reasons to homeschool, there are many methods of homeschooling. All the way from ?un-schooling? (learning by doing, learning from life, not using textbook type materials) to ?school at home? (using textbooks at desks set up in a schoolroom at home) and everything in between. It’s very easy to find hundreds of homeschool Websites by using a search engine, but just to get you started, try:
Jon’s Homeschool Resource Page http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/
When I decided to write this article, I thought hard about what I could offer that wasn’t being displayed on thousands of Websites on the Internet. I realized that the only thing I have to offer anyone interested in homeschooling is?my experience. So everything in the article below comes from my fifteen years of experience homeschooling my four youngest children. I hope it is of some use to you.
Deciding to homeschool your child may be one of the most important decisions you ever make as a parent, and it will take a lot of thought and soul searching. To the newcomer, it may seem impossible, overwhelming and very, very lonely. But like most huge obstacles, once it’s broken down into smaller pieces, it becomes manageable. We’ll take it one step at a time, in small enough chunks to get a hold of. So, if you’re game, roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work figuring out if homeschooling is for you and your child.
First things first. Organization is the key. Get a three-ring binder (homeschooling parent’s LOVE three-ring binders) and put a label on the front. (If you’ve made the transition to digital record keeping, you can just start a folder on the computer. But it’s not as much fun.) Label it something serious, like ? My Homeschooling Plans? or ?Homeschooling Thoughts.? Put some paper in the binder, find a really comfortable ink pen, and sit down somewhere quiet.
Ready? Good. Now, let’s get started.
What are your reasons for considering homeschooling? Even if you haven’t actually made the decision to homeschool, the fact that you are here reading this article says you are curious. Perhaps you honestly don’t know the answer yet?and that’s ok. The remainder of this article is going to try to help you start to find those answers.
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but each state has it’s own set of laws that must be followed. Compulsory (how I hate that word) education here in Washington State starts at the age of 8. Even though I had been homeschooling him from birth, to stay legal once my son reached 8-years old, I was required to become ?certified.? That meant I either had to have two years of college education, or take a ?certification class.? I met this requirement by taking an independent correspondence class, during which I was asked to put on paper my goals, philosophies and reasons for wanting to homeschool. I’d like to help you do the same right now.
Start a page–either the ?tree? kind or a file on the computer?and title it ?My Educational Beliefs.? List what personal beliefs you have about education?especially the education of your own children. Get as detailed as you can here–the value is in the thinking process behind the list. Take your time, I’m in no hurry.
As an example to get you started, I’m going to share with you what I wrote on my list nine years ago.
My Educational Beliefs
1. I believe my child’s attitude about learning should be:
One of continual curiosity and seeking of knowledge.
2. I believe my child’s learning should lead towards a lifestyle that is:
Rural, physically active, creative.
3. I believe these basic values should be part of my child’s learning:
- Respect for others
- Loyalty to family and friends
- Honesty
- Generosity
4. I believe children learn best:
Through hands-on learning experience, reading, workbooks.
5. I believe a teacher should:
- Provide side-by-side assistance and direction.
- Interact with the child.
- Provide the structure within which the child may explore, experiment, study and achieve.
- Provide a good example of excitement in learning.
6. Other beliefs:
I believe my child should grow up to be self-reliant and occupationally secure in a field of high interest to them.
Now, that wasn’t too bad, was it? Don’t give up on this until you have at least something written down, but don’t agonize over it either. You can come back to it later if need be. Next, start a paper or file titled ?Life Goals For My Child.?
I want you to write down what kind of person you envision your child being as an adult. What are your hopes and dreams for him/her? What educational gifts do you hope to be able to help them find that will serve them their entire lives?
I’ll share mine from 9 years ago, just to get you started.
?Life Goals for My Child?
7. Be literate.
8. Be self-reliant.
9. Compete well in their chosen field of occupation.
10. Appreciate art, music, and literature.
11. Be creative.
12. Be inventive and resourceful.
13. Be healthy, mentally and physically.
14. Co-operate with others.
15. Maintain a strong sense of self-worth.
16. Maintain a life-long curiosity, seeking knowledge as a way of life.
17. Look to the future with a sense of excitement and adventure.
For the last exercise, start a third paper titled: Why We (I) Am Going To Homeschool Our (My) Child? (Yes, single parents can successfully homeschool their children.) You may not have all the answers for this one yet either, but just get something down. All of these ideas and beliefs can start getting mixed in with other people’s opinions once we start educating ourselves in depth about homeschooling, and you’ll be glad you have these lists tucked away.
Okay, here’s my old list:
Why We Are Going To Homeschool Our Children
Our family consists of myself, my husband, a 21-year-old daughter, a 19-year-old daughter, an 8-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter, a 4-½ year old daughter, and an unborn son due in 6 months. My two oldest daughters (from my first marriage) were in the public school system for the whole of their educational years. It is largely a dissatisfaction with the public schools and all it’s attendant problems (academic, social, and moral) that has caused us to make the decision to homeschool our youngest children. We decided, even before our 8-year-old son (the oldest of the younger set) was born, that somehow we would find an alternative to the public schools.
We want to homeschool for some additional reasons. We want added closeness with our children. We want more independence, greater control over our family’s moral and philosophical values, and better awareness of our children’s interests.
We dislike the thought of any government agency–no matter how well meaning–directing the raising of our children.
We intend to homeschool because we do not want our children’s academic, social, and moral education taken out of our hands.
We believe these areas of a child’s education are a parent’s responsibility, right, and pleasure.
I’d like you to spend some time going over these lists until you feel they accurately reflect your feelings about homeschooling your children. When I did these exercises, I had only a vague idea about why I wanted to homeschool and what kind of education I wanted to help my children acquire. These simple exercises helped me to ?solidify? my ideas and provided the basis for our future homeschooling methods. I hope they help you to do the same. Keep these lists in a safe place and add to them as you explore the possibility of homeschooling your child.
About The Author
Anita York has been homeschooling her four youngest children for the past 15 years. In addition, she teaches other homeschoolers at two resource centers, and is a contracted Senior Editor, Editor, Copyeditor and Manuscript Screener for three publishers.
Her book “You CAN Homeschool Your Child” is available from One-At-A-Time Enterprises, the business she started with her homeschoolers. Available at: http://www.L7S.net/Item.php?ID=YC000.
Her home business, EagleMountain Reading, Writing, and Research Services http://www.L7s.net/eaglemountain provides a variety of services geared towards helping beginning as well as established authors with various aspects of the writing process.
A Look at Patriotic Lapel Pins
March 29, 2006
Perhaps the most popular type of lapel pin is the patriotic pin. Dating back to the Civil War in the United States, lapel pins that declare a person’s patriotism are popular, highly collectible and trade-worthy! From the Civil War through WWI, patriotic lapel pins were medallions hung from ribbons pinned on a lapel. After WWI, there were more factories and the ability to mass-produce die-cast metal led to the popularity of die-cast lapel pins. The trend took off and patriotic lapel pins became more popular and collectible as the nation moved into a depression and everyone tried to do their own part, even something as simple as a lapel pin. The quality and craftsmanship of these earlier lapel pins is excellent, and a single patriotic lapel pin can sell at auction for $25.00 or more, depending on the subject matter.
The most patriotic symbol for any country is the flag, and in the US is no different! The American Flag is the most patriotic lapel pin that a citizen can wear. Fortunately there is no shortage of pins to be had! There are cloisonné, die cast, sequined and any imaginable variation of the American Flag on patriotic lapel pins. After 9/11 the sale of American Flags in the form of flags, pins and signs skyrocketed from the shelves, and today that patriotism is still evident with the American Flag everywhere, including on lapel pins. An American Flag lapel pin is a simple way to declare your feelings of pride in your country. Many of our politicians and celebrities have begun to wear patriotic lapel pins every day as part of their normal dress. American Flag lapel pins are elegant, and come in a variety of designs. Many people who travel internationally take American Flag lapel pins along on their travels to exchange with people from other countries or to hand out as small tokens from America.
Of course, there are many other patriotic lapel pins including military pins in support of our troops, pins remembering the 9/11 tragedy and the police and firemen heroes also from 9/11. A patriotic lapel pin gives recognition to those who have sacrificed to protect the nation’s freedom and rights, and shows that you are aware and thinking of that contribution. The commemorative Olympic lapel pins are also patriotic and among the most sought after pins by collectors. So, dig out your Lake Placid Olympic lapel pin and wear it with pride!
Many patriotic lapel pins can be purchased in 14karat gold and sterling silver, which make great gifts. Be sure to shop carefully and purchase a pin that truly reflects your patriotic enthusiasm. Most of all have fun, enjoy your lapel pins and wear them!
Lapel Pins Info provides detailed information on lapel pins including many lapel pin options such as custom, military, cloisonne, Christian, and patriotic lapel pins. Lapel Pins Info is the sister site of Lanyards Web.
How To Care For Your Leather Furniture
March 29, 2006
Leather is the most durable fabric used for furniture today. Although leather is so resistant to harm, it is always wise to take precautions when taking care of you’re furniture in order to ensure it always looks great. Where you decide to place your furniture is very important if you want it to last a long time. Leather should not be placed within two feet of any direct heat source, including fireplaces, radiators or heating vents. Direct sunlight should also be avoided, because over many years the leather will begin to dry out and fade.
It would also be wise to place your leather furniture in a place where many people will not be constantly rubbing against it causing irreversible marks. Most marks can be removed with leather conditioners, but over time there will probably be wear and tear that you cannot fix. Cleaning your leather is also very important for keeping it young and beautiful. Each week you should dust it by rubbing it down with a cloth. This keeps the leathers pores free of any dust particles. If someone happens to spill food on your leather you should wipe it up immediately with a wet cloth and liquid hand soap. More serious spills such as blood, urine, grease, wax or ink should be removed using a leather cleaner immediately after the spill occurs. When you first buy your leather, you should apply a protector to ensure years of beautiful furniture. After this you should be cleaning your leather thoroughly four times a year. You should be using a professional leather cleaner and then seal it again with the protector.
If you follow these simple instructions, you should be fully rewarded and satisfied with your leather purchase.
Tyler D Falls - houseware
The Sundial - Garden Ornament or Exotic Timepiece?
March 29, 2006
Most of us regard a sundial as an attractive ornament for a park or garden. Their effectiveness as time keepers is highly variable
That’s unfortunate, because it is not at all difficult to ensure that your garden sundial will be an accurate timepiece, provided, of course that the sun is shining.
But that will be covered in another article. For now, let’s see what a sundial is, and what it is capable of.
Sundial History
We forget in this modern age that accurate, affordable watches and clocks have been around for much less than 200 years.
Before then, sundials were one of the few ways to tell the time with reasonable accuracy.
Shadow clocks dated at 1500BC are known from Egypt, but the first dials appear to have been Babylonian. The Greeks adapted the idea, the Romans developed it further, and by about 100BC had perfected the horizontal sundial (and placed it in their gardens).
Even in ancient days some people had schedules to keep, and both agriculture and religion required knowledge of the seasons and the movement of the sun to determine planting and the timing of ceremonies.
The sundial was an important means of providing that information, and considerable advances in mathematics, geometry and astronomy were made while it was perfected. The knowledge gained forms part of the foundations of modern science.
Types of Sundial
There are four reasonably common types of sundial.
They all have two things in common. Each consists of a raised structure, called the gnomon (silent “g”) which casts a shadow onto a plate called the dial. The dial is divided into hourly or shorter time divisions and may also show other information.The part of the gnomon whose shadow indicates the time on the dial is called the style.
The most abundant form is the horizontal sundial, happily sitting on its pedestal or column and adding beauty and interest to the home garden.
Related is the equatorial sundial, with its dial oriented at the same angle as the latitude. It works slightly differently, and is easier to use when properly calibrated.
Thirdly, there is the vertical sundial, ideally located on a wall facing due south in the northern hemisphere, and north in the southern hemisphere. The principle is much the same, but the sundial only occupies a semicircular area. Vertical sundials displayed the time to the public, and were used to correct unreliable public clocks.
And the most elegant of all, the portable sundial. George Washington had one - at that time pocket watches were most unreliable. Modern examples can be a work of art. They combine a compass with an adjustable dial. The dial is tilted to correspond to local latitude, and the compass defines north. Pretty neat!
Sundial Accuracy
A properly designed and installed sundial can be a very accurate means of telling the time, down to intervals of less than a minute.
I won’t go into the mathematics, but on a sundial 16 inches (40cm) in diameter, the shadow of the gnomon will move about 1/30th of an inch, or just under 1mm, in a minute. This may be small, it’s enough for our eyes to see.
Two Major Problems
Apart from the frequent absence of sunlight (Problem 1), all sundials show time by calibrating outwards from the position of the sun at noon. If you live east or west of me, your noon is different to mine.
Although the earth moves around the sun, we see it the other way. The sun appears to move from east to west across the sky, and local noon is when it’s vertically overhead. But if you live 100 miles west of me, my noon is still your late morning, and your noon is my early afternoon. This would be inconvenient if we used our sundials to arrange a lunch date, but a real problem if I had a plane to catch in another city.
Solar Time and Official Time
People managed to live with this problem until communications and transport became faster. Imagine calculating train timetables when Boston, New York and Buffalo all worked on different local times.
The answer was the development of local time zones. US Railways did this in 1883, but in 1914 the world’s governments agreed to divide the globe into 24 zones, each 15 degrees of longitude in width, and each one hour different in time to its neighbours. Boundaries were altered slightly to account for state and national borders.
There are four time zones in the contiguous 48 states of the USA: Eastern, centred on 75 degrees W longitude; Central, on 90 degrees; Mountain, on 105 degrees; and Pacific, on 120 degrees. Noon was identified astronomically for each of these meridians (now it’s done by atomic clocks), and accepted everywhere else in the zone.
Noon on sundials in places very close to these longitudes will correspond to official noon. For every degree east or west of the central meridian, for 7.5 degrees either side, you will need to add or subtract four minutes respectively to correct your sundial.
A few other adjustments are necessary to compensate for irregularities in the earth’s path around the sun - not too difficult to make but the theory is beyond this article.
They add to the inconvenience, and that’s why sundials have been superceded by more convenient and reliable forms of time keeping. But problems with time zones and orbital paths can be corrected, and there’s no reason why you can’t find the correct time from your sundial.
No reason, that is, provided it has been properly installed in your garden. And that’s the subject of another article.
Copyright 2005, Graham McClung.
A retired geologist, Graham McClung has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors. And where there’s outdoors there’s weather. He is the editor of http://Home-Weather-Stations-Guide.com, where you can find reviews and advice to help you choose and use your own home weather station. You can contact him by email at information@home-weather-stations-guide.com
Clicking to Good Vibrations!
March 29, 2006
Recently my dad visited me in Victoria, BC. He is THE most appreciative person I know!
While we were out shopping one day, I insisted upon stopping at one place and then another and another–intensly searching for a specific item. Finally, I found it at Staples–it’s a metal counter. You know, one of those metal things that you can ‘click’ to help you keep track of the number of items you are counting. People counting stock in a store often use them.
When we got into the car, my dad looked quite bewildered and asked, “What are you EVER going to do with that?”
To which I replied, “Do you remember that double rainbow we saw this morning? Well, [click, click].”
“And do you remember how the sun was shining while it rained and the rain looked like silver tinsle? Well, [click, click]!”
My dad caught on right away! And for the rest of his visit one of us would appreciate something and say, “You’d better give that a ‘click’.”
Each time we gave something a click we would laugh or smile and joke about how many ‘clicks’ we had gathered that day. People watching us may have thought we were drunk–we were drunk with joy!
One afternoon, my dad began to talk about an unpleasant memory. As I began to enter into his vibration he stopped me and said, “We’d better drop this subject or we’ll loose two ‘clicks’!” Oh, we laughed as we realized how a simple little object could raise our vibration so wonderfully that we DARED not loose a single ‘click’.
Dad has gone back to Dallas, Texas now. And he is telling all his friends about the “AC”–not air conditioning–the Appreciation Counter. This is something you must experience to fully appreciate!=. It’s the best $12.00 I’ve spent in a long time.
Do you have a secret dream, desire or hope?
Contact Rebecca to learn how YOU can live your dream!
Rebecca Hanson, Master LOA Coach-Rebecca Hanson has been out of the workforce for 30 years, raising a large family, when she discovered the Law of Attraction. At an age when most people are thinking about retirement, Rebecca was just getting started. In five short years, she leveraged this powerful law to turn her life around and start seven successful businesses. Rebecca teaches others how to harness the Law of Attraction so they, too, can have careers that are profitable, exciting and rewarding.
http://www.LawOfAttractionResources.com
Foods Can Lower Cholesterol and C-reactive Protein
March 29, 2006
If you have high cholesterol, the American Heart Association’s low-cholesterol, low-saturated fat diet will fail you. Even when applied conscientiously, it achieves a disappointingly modest reduction in LDL cholesterol of approximately 7%. Starting at an LDL cholesterol of 150 mg/dl, for instance, you would drop to 139. It’s no surprise that many people turn to alternative diets (Ornish, Pritikin, Zone, etc.) to get a bigger bang. And no surprise that many physicians go directly to statin agents for their nearly effortless 35% or greater reduction.
The Adult Treatment Panel-III (ATP-III) is a committee of experts charged with developing guidelines for cholesterol treatment for Americans. The latest ATP guidelines suggest the use of fibers for a nutritional advantage in lowering cholesterol. Despite the ATP-III’s endorsement, however, there has been no "real-world" data that documents the LDL-lowering effectiveness of combinations of fibers and other foods added to an AHA Step II low-fat diet (fat 30% of calories). Dr. David Jenkins from the Clinical Nutrition & Risk Factor Modification Center at St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto has therefore explored such a multi-ingredient program, reported in the Journal of the American Medicine Association1. He calls this program the "dietary portfolio," highlighting the inclusion of several different healthy foods combined to achieve the goal of lowering cholesterol.
The study enrolled 46 adults (25 men, 21 post-menopausal women) with a mean age of 59 years. All participants were free of known heart disease, diabetes, and none were taking any cholesterol-lowering agents. Baseline LDL cholesterol was 171 mg/dl for all participants. Three groups were designated: 1) Viscous fiber, phytosterols, and almond diet, the so-called "dietary portfolio"; 2) Control diet (AHA Step II); and 3) Control diet with lovastatin 20 mg/day (a cholesterol-lowering statin drug). Cholesterol panels were reassessed after a four week period in each arm. All diets had equal calorie content.
The dietary portfolio provided 1.0 g of phytosterols (a soy bean derivative) per 1000 kcal; 9.8 g viscous fibers (as oat bran and oat products, barley, and psyllium seed) per 1000 kcal; 21.4 g soy protein per 1000 kcal; and 14 g (around 12 almonds) per 1000 kcal. A typical 2400 kcal diet would therefore provide 2.4 g phytosterols (2 tbsp Take Control or Benecol), 24 g viscous fiber, 51 g soy protein, and 34 g of almonds (around 34 almonds). Average fiber intake for participants was an impressive 78 g/day. (The average American takes in a meager 14 g/day.)
The control diet was also abundant in fiber at 57 g/day, but contained little of the viscous variety, as the primary fiber sources were whole wheat products which lack viscous fibers. The diet was otherwise very similar to the dietary portfolio in fat and cholesterol content, protein, and total calories.
The dietary portfolio achieved an impressive 28% reduction in LDL cholesterol. Unexpectedly, there was also a 30% reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP), a popular measure of inflammation. The results achieved with the dietary portfolio were virtually identical to the results obtained with lovastatin. The control diet achieved a paltry 8% reduction in LDL and a 10% reduction in CRP. Interestingly, a third of the participants in the dietary portfolio group reported that there was too much food (given the satiety-effect of fiber rich foods). This was the group that lost the most weight, though only a modest 1 lb.
Conclusion:
Dr. Jenkins’ portfolio of fiber-rich foods had the same effects on LDL cholesterol and CRP as a moderate dose of lovastatin. This is quite remarkable, given the relative failure of the diets usually prescribed to improve cholesterol values. Conventional diets, in fact, have been so ineffective that some physicians have abandoned the use of dietary recommendations in their practices.
The fiber-rich foods used in the dietary portfolio are readily available and inexpensive. Though the specific components used in the study have each been shown to lower LDL cholesterol when used independently, the combination has not been examined. Many would likely have predicted that, in view of the similar mechanisms of LDL-reduction among the various components of the portfolio, the LDL lowering effect would not exceed 15%. (Soy protein is the only component with a significantly different mechanism of action-suppression of liver synthesis of cholesterol.)
Instead, this powerful combination achieved an impressive 28% reduction, as good as the prescription agent lovastatin. (In our experience with this approach, LDL cholesterol typically drops 30 to 50 points, sometimes more.)
The high-fiber approach of the dietary portfolio significantly exceeds the fiber intake of the average American. As a practical matter, people who elect to follow this program should introduce each component gradually and drink plentiful water, as constipation can result if hydration in inadequate.
To reproduce the LDL and CRP benefits of the dietary portfolio, a practical combination would be:
? Oat bran-1/4 cup (uncooked) + 3 tsp psyllium seed
? Soy protein powder-6 tbsp/day
? Almonds-34 or approximately 2 handfuls/day
? Take Control or Benecol 2 tbsp/day
Jenkins DJA, Kendall CWC, Marchie A, et al. Effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods vs. lovastatin on serum lipids and c-reactive protein. JAMA. 2003 290:502-10.
William Davis, MD is a practicing cardiologist, author and lecturer. He is author of the book, Track Your Plaque: The only heart disease prevention program that shows you how to use the new CT heart scans to detect, track, and control coronary plaque. He is author of the soon-to-be released new book, What Does My Heart Scan Show?, available by May, 2005 at http://www.trackyourplaque.com
