Sorting Out Activities
I thought I’d write a follow-up to my previous post on socialization. I’ve noticed the problem today doesn’t seem to be that there aren’t enough activities for homeschoolers, but rather that it’s easy to get involved in too many. It’s amazing how quickly calendars can fill up, isn’t it? There are simply so many activities available. Soccer, ballet, co-ops, art lessons, horseback riding, and speech—the list goes on and on.
Just sorting out the myriad activities and deciding which ones to participate in can be overwhelming. It is so easy to just do something because everyone else is doing it, or because it blessed you and your family last year. I’d encourage you, however, to take each activity before the Lord and seek His thought and plans for you today.
Not only will you be more confident that you are doing what the Lord has for you, but, as you lay your activities out before the Lord, you’ll be teaching your children a valuable lesson. As I watched my mother begin to question why we were doing various activities and start to take our calendars before the Lord, she was unknowingly teaching us that we needed to live our lives on our knees. Although I didn’t see it at the time, or always appreciate the results, today I am grateful for her example. I find myself referring to her godly actions over and over again when I need to make decisions and put together my calendar. Sorting out activities before the Lord could very well bring life-long blessings to your children!
Katherine Loop @ October 15, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments (0)
What About Socialization?
Since it’s near the beginning of the school year, I thought now might be a good time to address the subject of socialization. If you haven’t already been asked how your children will learn to socialize in the “real world” if you homeschool them, you probably will be sometime soon. I know it was one question our family was asked over and over by friends and family.
When people ask me now how homeschooled children will interact in the “real world,” I can’t help smiling. What “real-world” setting do you know that has people of only the same age? You don’t go into office buildings and find signs telling forty-year-olds to head one direction and twenty-year-olds to go another. Instead, you find people of all different ages working together. Yet in a school setting, children are in a room with others their own age. This is not a real-world scenario at all!
In a homeschool setting, on the other hand, children are learning to interact with people of all ages just by interacting with their parents and the people God has put in their lives. Homeschooling provides more of a “real-world” setting than does the public school!
Let me end by sharing a few resources you may find helpful in answering questions about socialization.
Back in 2003, Dr. Brian Ray surveyed 7,300 homeschool graduates. His results showed they were not handicapped socially. His results are published in Home Educated and Now Adults, available in the HEAV store . You can view a synopsis of his report on HSLDA’s website at http://www.hslda.org/research/ray2003/default.asp.
Homeschool dad Rick Boyer has written an excellent book on socialization called The Socialization Trap. This book clearly shows the harm in peer-group settings. It is also available at the HEAV store.
Katherine Loop @ October 8, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments (0)
An Excellent Choice
Home Education: An Excellent Choice—the theme for the 2008 convention has been running through my mind ever since our convention director pointed out that little word “choice,” and warned us that God has a way of letting the entire HEAV staff and volunteers live the theme all year. While I can’t speak for anyone else, I know that God has been using the theme to bless and convict me all summer long. I’ve discovered the little word “choice” has very big implications.
When I’ve been tempted to complain or worry, God has been reminding me that I have a choice. I may not enjoy the situation I’m facing or the task I’m doing, but I can choose to delight in it, knowing it’s what God has given me. Delighting in our Lord and His will is a daily choice we each get to make.
I know the 2008 convention is a long way away, but I invite you to join us in pondering the theme. Please also remember the convention in your prayers as many decisions will be being made in the coming weeks. You can check back at http://www.heav.org/convention for more details about the convention as they become available. We hope to have more speaker information online by the end of October.
Katherine Loop @ October 1, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments (1)