Issue 1 - July 26, 1997
by Diana Waring
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Beyond Survival Things We Wish We'd Known Ancient Civilizations and the Bible Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries World Empires, World Missions, World Wars History Tapes Encouragement Tapes Music Newsletter Web Column Laughing Corner Online Catalog Place An Order! Monthly Special New & Upcoming Meet the Warings Schedule Message Board Site Map What's New? Search Site Web Links HOME

Well, it's official. Summer has arrived with a vengeance at the Waring home. We know it's summer because the kids want to go tubing down Spearfish creek (not advisable during fall, winter, spring); Miggy, our dachshund-with-an-attitude, wants to sit outside all day (not enjoyable when it's wet or cold); I determinedly buy every gardening magazine I see (thinking that, perhaps by a process of osmosis, flowers will suddenly appear in real life!); and my blessed husband, Bill, barbecues everything in sight. Summer is a time for doing active things together: taking walks, gardening, painting trim, swimming, washing cars, hanging upside down in trees, camping, bicycling, vacationing, eating fancy salads with flowers in them, remodeling and more. It's also an excellent time for evaluating the past year of homeschooling and making decisions for the next. What kind of criteria should we use for evaluating the past year? Some folks are really concerned about finishing the last page of every book in their curriculum; others look at the scores from standardized tests to evaluate; still others consult their scope and sequence to make sure everything was done for that grade. We've done each of these in the past years, but, frankly, it often felt more like prescribing medicine to nip a disease in the bud rather than taking preventative measures to insure good health. So this summer we are trying something new: considering where our children are heading in the future in order to be sure of the proper paths for each of them now. Our oldest, Isaac, is sixteen years old and already actively seeking out which college he would like to attend, and his main criteria are the debate team and musical theater. Michael, who is fourteen years old, has been heading for the mission field since he was about seven so he sees everything in terms of preparing for missions. Melody, our twelve year old, has finally connected with her dreams as she has begun to play the violin. She would really like to study at a European conservatory when the time is right. When Isaac was in his early elementary grades, people use to ask me whether I planned to homeschool him during his high school years. My standard answer was, "I'm homeschooling him now so that I CAN homeschool him when he gets to highschool!" It's such an important time, such a formative time for young adults. Since we now have only a few years of school left with Isaac, we are mostly structuring our homeschool around his studies this year. Here are our thoughts and evaluations for our own precious students: One of the most important things for high school students to learn before they leave home is a thorough understanding of worldviews, and how each worldview impacts the attitudes, philosophies and actions of the people who hold them. Because this is so important, we are going to devote a considerable amount of time to studying David Quine's Worldviews of the Western World. Available from Cornerstone Curriculum Project (972) 235-5149] Side by side with this course, the whole family is going to study Ancient Civilizations and the Bible (my new unit study course on history with loads of art, creative writing, drama, geography, and more). This will give ample opportunity for reading, discussing, writing, researching, acting, drawing, creating and more. Available on my website: http://www.dianawaring.com/catalog/. Science has been one of those bugaboos in my family (oops, was I not supposed to mention that?), so this year I bought a computer physics program for high school (Sensei Chemistry available from The Home Computer Market: (612) 891-8184. We also found a brand new product called, Friendly Chemistry, which makes chemistry a fun, user-friendly, hands-on game. The homeschool folks who created it said that even young children can play the games and learn the basic rudiments of chemistry!!! (Does that mean I might learn something too?) Available from Hideaway Ventures: 800-774-3447 Though we are all voracious readers, Bill has had the concern to teach our children to analyze literature (the basic stuff of English lit classes.) We have decided to use Learning Language Arts Through Literature this year to fulfill that need. Refer to your favorite homeschool vendor catalog. Music will be studied through our local university - we found a fabulous voice teacher for our whole family in the vocal department. (I'm beginning to feel like I'm one of the characters in the "Sound of Music!") And Melody is studying violin -it's hard to make it into a music conservatory as a violinist if you can't play it! The two younger students in my family are going to be studying Math this year, using Cornerstone Curriculum's Principles from Patterns (which is the Algebra program.) Available from Cornerstone Curriculum OR Great Christian Books (800) 775-5422 OR Lifetime Books & Gifts (800) 377-0390. Foreign Language is being studied on tape... though the jury is still out on which program is usable in my family. So, no recommendations this year. Last, but not least (to my boys anyway!), is Physical Education. In the state of South Dakota, homeschool students are not allowed to participate in school sports (and many folks would argue that that is a positive thing for homeschoolers!!!). So, we are having to come up with ways for our kids to burn energy (outside of the house...), gain physical fitness and coordination, etc. Mountain bikes and hiking in the beautiful Black Hills are accomplishing this for us right now. (When it's 40 degrees below zero it becomes a little harder!) So, how about you? Do you feel an approaching dread about the coming year, or are you excited to have a fresh start? I almost feel like it's New Year's Day at this point in the summer... a chance to start with a clean slate and thoughtful resolutions! But if you are dealing with a case of the "O Lord, I can't do this anymore!!!! HELP!!!!" syndrome, then take some time to go back to the beginning. Rediscover your motivation for homeschooling in the first place and re-evaluate your children's needs and even their learning styles. Perhaps it's just a matter of "tweaking" your program - finding a different educational approach; or relaxing - perhaps your three year old really doesn't need to read through the entire Old Testament yet (!); or getting some help from your spouse and oldest children and friends - "Supermom-itis" affects even the most sane among us, but we really can NOT do everything that needs to be done (and the rest of the family CAN help clean, cook, do laundry, etc.!) For more help in these areas, consult Beyond Survival: A Guide to Abundant Life Homeschooling (available from my website and/or e-mail me at diana@dianawaring.com.) One last thought... perhaps it is time for you to do something delightful for yourself! Is there some book you've been longing to read? Is there some craft you've been aching to do? Is there some ethnic food you've been salivating to eat? Is there a beautiful dress earnestly waiting to be sewn? Then GO for it! It will be one of the most refreshing, restful, recuperative things you can do for your homeschooling family. And my blessings! For all of you wily cooks out there, here's a refreshing luncheon dish I learned one summer in Belgium (from a Swiss home ec teacher!): Swiss Summer Salad 3 cups peas, slightly cooked (if frozen, just barely cook) 3 cups corn, cooked (can be fresh, frozen or canned) 3 tomatoes, chopped 3 hardboiled eggs, chopped Sauce á salad: 1 Tablespoon mustard 4 Tablespoons vinegar (cider) 1 half onion, chopped (let it sit in the mustard and vinegar for about 10 minutes) 7 Tablespoons mayonnaise Pinch of salt, nutmeg, parsley Combine all of the ingredients, and let "meld" together for about half an hour in the refrigerator. Serve a few tablespoonfuls over sliced, buttered french bread with a bit of leaf lettuce ("butter" lettuce is the best!!!). This dish has received RAVE reviews from all of the ladies to whom I've ever served it . Children and husbands are NOT so enthusiastic! Your turn... do YOU have any great "Hot Summer, Cool Lunches" to share? Blessings to you all, Diana P.S. Be sure to check out our new Laughing Corner - remember, "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine!" Return to the List of Newsletter Issues

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