I'm busy getting ready for the upcoming school year. I love shopping for the new school year. I love books; I love how they look and smell and feel in my hands. I love learning how to learn and how to teach. I love learning how to apply God's truths and laws in our lives. So how am I preparing for the new year? During the summer and the breaks that we take throughout the year, I pray a lot for wisdom, I read a lot, and I listen to sermons and other messages. This year I listened quite a lot to the homeschool messages at Charity Ministries These messages are free and they give me a wonderful vision and much needed encouragement to begin again. During the summer and other breaks I listen to these messages over and over again. Several years ago I came across the website A Woman Who Fears the Lord and I printed out many articles. A couple of these articles I read every summer. Is Christ Truly Your Homeschool Foundation? and Choosing Books that Nourish your Childs Soul.

My Shopping List

Language Arts
Reading, Writing, Grammar, Spelling
Rod and Staff Grade 2 Readers
Rod and Staff Grade 3 Readers
Rod and Staff Grade 3 English Set
Spelling Workout B and C
Continue Italic Handwriting
Writing Strands 2 (my son likes to write, I only intend to use this book as a guide to the different styles of writing, I'll be creating my own writing assignments. For example one lesson is writing as a reporter. Instead of reporting about something frivolous I'll choose something of meaning for him to report such as an event in the Bible, etc)

History
Story of the World Volume II and Activity Pack: We really enjoyed SOW volume I. It is interesting, thorough, and it's not textbook like at all. I don't want to use text books for such exciting subjects as history and science. In fact the only thing I intend to use text books for would be language arts and math. We just read the book as a story and we learn some interesting history in chronological order. Order is important to me. Learning history in school was pointless, b/c it was all out of order and I couldn't put anything together. Last year we studied the ancients, this year we're studying Medieval and Early Renaissance some titles of books we'll read:
These books will come from the library, thank God for inter library loan.
You Wouldn't Want to be Sick in the 16th Century
Science and Technology in the Middle Ages
You Wouldn't Want to be in a Medieval Dungeon
You Wouldn't Want to be a Medieval Knight
You Wouldn't Want to Sail with Christopher Columbus
You Wouldn't Want to Explore with Sir Francis Drake
Who was Marco Polo?
King Arthur
Genghis Khan
Attila the Hun
Joan of Arc
John Calvin
Martin Luther
Shakespeare Can be Fun Series
Medieval Medicine and the Plague
What were Castle's For?
Growing up in Viking Times?
Christopher Columbus
Good Queen Bess

Science
Apologia Astronomy and Botany: This is another book that reads like a story, it is very thorough! This is not a text book, it is a lively, colorful, very interesting book. I will probably buy the science kits, b/c my son really likes to do experiments. We bought Sonlight last year, the only thing I liked about it was the DVD. We ended up going through a science book that I bought from the thrift store. We also live right next to VA Air and Space Museum so we're getting a membership.

Math
Continue with Math U SEE Beta

Reading
All from Keepers of the Faith I am sooooo excited about these books. I am particularly praying to persevere in reading aloud. I have the Read Aloud Handbook and I've read it. I'm convinced of the benefits of reading aloud, but it falls by the way side. Not this year! So were getting...

Don't these sound so exciting! I can't wait.
Hedge Fence: "A Hedge Fence is an outstanding book for children. Frank, the boy in the story, has been wishing he had a hedge to keep him from doing wrong. An older friend begins sending Scripture verses to Frank each month as a "hedge fence" against temptations of sin. Frank, at first, cannot see how the verses could help him, but he quickly learns that Scripture is a very ready help in time of need. Frank also has a wonderful relationship with his father and mother, which would bring joy to the heart of any parent. Although this book is written for children, teens and adults will be blessed by reading about these wonderful hedges. They just might prove helpful to many of us too! Old reprint."
Side by Side: "This book has to be one of the best Mrs. Alden wrote! It is the story of two young girls—one a very wealthy girl, and the other, a very poor girl. One has grown up in Sunday school and church, and one has just begun to come to church. These girls sit side by side in Sunday school. This is a story of contrasts: rich and poor, educated and uneducated, and, more importantly, a professing girl, and one who has truly come to know the Savior. This gem of a story paints a black and white picture for children and adults of the difference between saying you are a Christian and actually being a Christian. Excellent! Every child should read this one! KOF Old Reprint."
Robert Dawson: "This book is not about that Robert Dawson who was a missionary. However, it is an excellent story for boys! Actually it could even serve as a manual for parents who wish to rear boys to be real, responsible men. The story line is simply chock full of what is real determination, diligence, obedience and many other character traits—all seamlessly integrated. Do you want your young man to understand and to have a real work ethic? This is a must read! KOF Old Reprint."
The Giant Killer:"Meet Giant Sloth, Giant Selfishness, Giant Untruth, Giant Hate, and Giant Pride. They are as wily and sneaky as they are huge and strong—these giants within. Meet Fides, an honorable knight, whose job it is to slay these giants and others. He wishes to do so to please his King, with Whom he wishes to go soon to live. Fides is often easily tricked by these giants, as he often underestimates them and their power. He comes uncomfortably close to being destroyed by several. Only with the sword and shield given him by his King, and with the aid of his friend Conscience, does he narrowly gain the victory. The Giant-Killer is considered one of A.L.O.E.’s finest works, and she intended it to be a teaching device designed to be read in a family setting in which parents can explain and supplement discussion of its truths. It is allegorical in nature, and is a story within a story in which a mother uses to teach young people about the subtle, yet odious, sins of the heart."
Batting With the World:"The sequel to The Giant-Killer continues the story of the Robys. It is now several years later; the Probyns have returned home, and yet the lives of the Robys and Probyns continue to be somewhat entwined. Tragedy and sorrow have struck deeply at the Roby family, and yet they continue to bravely fight the battle of faith, strive for contentment, and do right in the midst of very trying circumstances. See how they rise, determined to conquer, and love each other, and trust in God in the journey of life. You won’t want to miss this one!"
The Mine:"The Mine is quite a thriller, both in the light of this world and in the light of the next. Arthur and Phemie (brother and sister), and Asahel have all lost their parents. As such, they have given more thought than most young people as to what brings happiness in life. Arthur and Phemie have had Christian upbringing—Asahel has not—but do any belong to the Lord? That is an important question because they explore an abandoned mine shaft together and become trapped. No one knows of the opening, so speculation and searching occurs at the seashore where they are thought to have drowned. Thus, they face the one question of life alone and in total darkness. Don’t miss this one."
Captive Treasure:"This is a refreshing book for children set in the days of the pioneers. It is the story of a little girl separated from her parents during an Indian attack on their wagon train. All she has is her Bible as she is carried captive to sojourn with the Indians. Prayer and the Word of God sustain her as she becomes a witness to this Indian tribe. Captivating story."
Prudence and the Millers: This is the only Millers storybook that we don't have. We all love reading these stories, it has helped us all with our personal devotions and applying the scriptures to our lives.

I look forward to reading these books; learning spiritual insights, having our faith encouraged, pulling science, history, and geography from these books. I like to use these books to diagram sentences and as springboards for creating our own stories. Today we started listening to Ten P's in a Pod on mp3.

Ten P's in a Pod:"They journeyed across North America as a family---Arnold and Mrs. Pent and their eight children. Their goal was to share the Gospel and share their passion for God’s Word to all those who would hear them. Piling in their old Packard and Pierce Arrow "horseless carriages" along with guitar and banjo, they rambled through town and city singing the songs of the faith and reciting large passages from Old and New Testaments to groups both large and small. Theirs was a family mission. They served Christ together. With great fervor and conviction, they shared their lives and hearts with the world.
Ten Peas in A Pod is the million-mile journal of the Arnold Pent family. Penned by Arnold Pent III, the third-oldest of the eight children in the Pent clan, and first published in 1965---the same year the Sound of Music was released---this book is more than a cross-country family chronicle, it is a fruitful testimony of a family whose ministry of word and song impacted a generation as thousands professed the name of Christ and embraced the glory of the Word of God.

Filled with folksy anecdotes that take the reader back to another time in America, Ten Peas in A Pod crackles with life and captures, with both humor and sobriety, the almost irrepressible spirit of the Pent Family. To the Pents, the story of faith was real and practical, and nearly every page of Ten Peas contains the Words of Life---a verse or passage from Scripture that the Pent Family recited and applied, literally, to where the rubber met the road."

Today we all gathered in bed after nap time and listened for about 20 minutes. It's neat that the guy reading it is one of the eight children. I want my hero's and my childrens heros to be people of great faith. When I was a little kid and I went to Christian school, me and all the other children all wanted to be missionaries when we grew up. That's who are heros were. Those were the people who were emulated in our churchs and school. Today, I am appalled when I ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. Last summer I was teaching Childrens Ministry first and second graders they all wanted to be fashion designers, models, American Idols etc. Someone said that imitation is the highest form of worship. I want to imitate Christ. I want to imitate, lift up, and honor those who honor Christ. I pray that God helps me and that I don't get side tracked by the worlds standards of success. My heart tells me that true success is walking close to my Savior and that "there is no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 1:4

The twins will do lots of hands pre-reading, writing, and math activities.

I am looking forward to this year.