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Families Again
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Sue Patrick's Workbox System - Why We Love It!
Mood:  happy
Topic: Homeschool Product Review
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Since we first began to homeschool, I have been looking for a method of homeschooling that would work for us. At first, I would sit at the table and teach John Allen one on one. Then, when Joshua began kindergarten, Sarah would sit on one side of the table with him and John Allen would be on the other side. Unfortunately, Sarah and Joshua were too much of a distraction for him, and so that had to change. Later, when Sarah's ministries with her ladies increased, I took over homeschooling both of them. I would give John Allen an assignment and then begin to work with Joshua. If John Allen had a question, he would either have to wait for me to finish what I was doing, or I would have to interrupt my one on one with Joshua to help him. Neither solution worked. Either John Allen would become frustrated or Joshua, whose attention span was short anyway, would suffer. But, still, we struggled on. 

When I was first selected for the homeschool crew, I noticed that one of the things that we were going to review was Sue Patrick's Workbox System so I did a little reading up on the idea. I immediately realized that this could be the answer to our problems and couldn't wait to recieve her book. I was not disappointed. The workbox system is exactly what we needed.

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As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was sent the ebook edition of Sue Patrick's Workbox System's User Guide free of charge to try out and then write a blog review of our experiences. One of the first things that I read was the philosophy of her system and knew that it fit our situation "to a T". According to her ebook, the seven points to the Workbox System's educational philosophy are to provide:

1. Structure
2. A firm foundation in discipline
3. A clear and visual presentation of their
curriculum
4. A way to present expectations for their
curriculum in a clear and logical way
5. Fun and interesting materials
6. Important educational repetition
7. An expectation of greater independence

Two of the points struck me right away. Joshua certainly needed the structure, and John Allen needed to learn to work independently. 

The Workbox System is very easy to use and to set up. You simply put all of your child's work in numbered boxes (or in our case baskets) with everything they need to do that assignment and a piece of paper telling what is to be done. You always put his core subjects in the boxes as well as a few supplemental but fun assignments. The student then works through his 10-12 boxes in order. That way, he can see the fun things that are interspersed throughout, and is more motivated to work diligently in order to get to those fun things. He also has a clear picture of what he has accomplished and how much more he has to do until he is finished. There are always certain things that need to be worked on with the teacher, but you wouldn't believe how many things can actually be done independently, even in the younger grades, with a minimum of parental help. 

The first day we tried the system, both boys loved it. Joshua was indeed motivated to work diligently and stay on task because he knew what to expect, and had everything he needed right in front of him. It was amazing how John Allen got down to work and was able to do many things without asking for help every two minutes. I was also thrilled at how much got done! Now, I won't say that every day using this system has been that easy. The newness of the system eventually wore off, and they aren't always as eager as the first day, but the core philosophical goals are still there.

There are other things that you do that make the Workbox System very easy and effective to use, but I won't divulge all of the secrets because I want to encourage you to buy Sue Patrick's ebook. But, I do want to reemphasize that it does work! Sue encourages you to try to do things exactly the way that she has written to do them, but sometimes that is impractical for some families. We were not able financially to purchase all of the things that she recommends to begin the system, but we still go by the basic principals of her system and love it. I would encourage you to buy the ebook and try to implement the system the way it is to be done, with the understanding that if you need to tweak it to fit your children's (and your) needs, then you can.

But, by all means, purchase the ebook! It has totally revolutionized our homeschool for the better. It sells for $19.00 for the ebook or $19.95 for the hard copy version. You can access her website by clicking here, or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. The website has all kinds of other items that will assist you in implementing her Workbox System, so have fun exploring. As usual, you can also check out what the other TOS Crew Members are saying about this product by clicking here.


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Posted by tink38570 at 9:18 PM CDT
Updated: Monday, 26 October 2009 9:37 PM CDT
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Wednesday, 21 October 2009
BCM International - Core Ministry - Church Planting
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Ministry

This is the last installment of the BCM Core Ministry videos. Most of BCM's church planting efforts are overseas. As you are watching the video, please be praying for our BCM church planters, especially those in countries that aren't always favorable to Christians.

 

 


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Posted by tink38570 at 9:26 PM CDT
Updated: Wednesday, 21 October 2009 9:29 PM CDT
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I've Been Nominated!
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: General

Join Me at The Homeschool Post!

A fellow TOS Crew member just notified me that she nominated me for a Homeschool Blog Award in the Best Homeschool Dad Blog category! Now I need just two more nominations in order to make it to the actual voting round. I know that this may be tooting my own horn, but if you feel that my blog is worthy, then please click on the above button to go the the Homeschool Blog Awards site to nominate. Nominating ends October 30 and the actual voting (if I have at least 3 nominations) will begin on November 9. That's my birthday! What a birthday gift! I'll keep you posted when I know if I made it.


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Posted by tink38570 at 9:05 PM CDT
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Our Fall 2009 Prayer Letter is Available
Mood:  a-ok

I am so blessed to have a wonderful, talented wife that writes all of our prayer letters. She is not only my best friend but also my helper and supporter. She does a fantastic job with her ladies. God has truly blessed me.

To see the letter, just press here, or click on the prayer letter link to the left.


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Posted by tink38570 at 3:18 PM CDT
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Sunday, 18 October 2009
Sarah's Wish (but not my Sarah!?!?!?!)
Topic: Homeschool Product Review
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I think I've told you before about my love of history. I enjoyed history in school, but that's not where I got it. I got it from my family. My family always took the greatest vacations (at least I thought they were) and, somehow, most of these vacations involved historical sites. Some of my fondest memories are of exploring Gettysburg and driving through it's battlefield; walking around Colonial Williamsburg; seeing Plymouth Rock and traveling the streets of Boston; or touring a WWII battleship and submarine docked in a Massachusetts harbor. I remember the history I learned and the pride I felt in 1976 when our country celebrated it's Bicentennial. Even when we visited Disney World I was drawn to the historic sections and shows. 

This love of history carried over to my reading. I loved historical novels and biographies. And I love reading and talking over historical books with my children. That's why I was excited to learn that Jim Baumgardner, the author of the Sarahbooks series, was sending the TOS Homeschool Crew his first novel, Sarah's Wish, for free to read and review.

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Sarah's Wish is about a young girl who lives in the mid 1800's and has just become orphaned. But, you'll soon find out that Sarah is not an ordinary little girl - Sarah has a secret. A secret that she promised her mother that she would not tell. If she does, lives could be in danger. And, Sarah has a wish. A wish to have a new family. But, how long will she have to wait? Where will she live? Where will she go in the meantime? And, what will become of her secret?

As well as telling Sarah's story, Jim Baumgardner's book is full of adventures and interesting characters. Character's such as Granny Evan's, a feisty, eccentric, elderly woman who is part of the underground railroad; Dr. Baumgardner (based after the author's great, great grandfather), a kindly physician who thinks he knows what Sarah's secret is; Running Fox, a quiet indian who has a secret of his own; and Mr. and Mrs. Stately, the wealthy couple who could become Sarah's new parents - or could they?

Sarah's Wish is an excellent historical novel that my kid's looked forward to listening to every day and begged for more when it was time to stop. They can't wait for me to order the next book in the series, Sarah's Promise. And, what's more, is it comes with a free (FREE) coupon code to download the audio version of the book. The girl that reads the audio version is outstanding and makes each character come to life. 

Even though this book is written about a young girl, don't let that deceive you. Boy's will enjoy the adventure just as much as girls do. As I said, my boys loved it. The author wrote it for his grandchildren - boys and girls. This book would be an excellent compliment to a study of the mid 1800's or of the underground railroad. Or, you could use it as a basis for a unit study or it's own. As well as excitement, Sarah's Wish is an excellent example of life in that period. 

Sarah's Wish usually sells for $10.99, but you can purchase is from the author's website for $9.99. If you would rather skip the printed version and go straight to the audio book, you can also buy it for $16.99 a savings of $8.00 off of the regular price. You can also purchase Sarah's Promise and the newly released third installment of this series, Sarah's Escape! And he offers free shipping! Just click here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. To find out what some of the other TOS Crew members have to say about Sarah's Wish, you can click here!

Happy Reading!


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Posted by tink38570 at 9:25 PM CDT
Updated: Tuesday, 20 October 2009 12:04 AM CDT
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