May 26, 2021 – Are Living Books Always Good Literature?

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

Books—The Way They Should Go

Hey Mama,

Don’t you love seeing your kids reading? Whether it’s the Bible or Anne of Green Gables it does a Mama’s heart good to see her littles (or teens) curled up in a happy place reading books. But we don’t want them to just read any old books; we want the best books, the classics: real literature. We want books that will train them up in the way they should go—books that will help them focus on what’s true and lovely, so they’ll go the rest of the day thinking on those things.

Not sure where to find books like that? Rest assured The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine has that covered.

At Home in a World of Books by Karen Andreola

The Point of Literature by Paul Schaeffer

Classic Literature: A Gentle Introduction by Marla Schultz

And remember, Mama. . .

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are TRUE, whatsoever things are HONEST, whatsoever things are JUST, whatsoever things are PURE, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever things are of GOOD REPORT; if there be any VIRTUE, and if there be any PRAISE, think on these things.” – Philippians 4:8

Let these things run through your thoughts and actions today, over and over again. Minds and hearts on the Lord. Think on these things. 

As you read. . .
As you walk. . .
As you go. . .

As a homeschooling Mama, you have a powerful opportunity with these kids. You have the gift of TIME. If they are off at school all day, your window with them shrinks considerably, and it’s hard to force quality time—meaningful conversations—into those few remaining hours of the evening.

Have you noticed how sometimes during the most harried and crazy day, where normally you’d think it was on track for failure, with few to no redeeming qualities, that you get these nuggets of precious encounters springing out of what seems like nowhere? You marvel at the dialogues that happened because of whatever string of events led up to it—that never would have occurred had the kids been out all day, apart from you. Apart from your influence. Away, where others are their primary influence.

Learning moments. Treasured, divine appointments. God gives them to us, and how special they are! We get so used to these gifts . . . but they may not always be here.

Think hard on these things. As for today, His hand is on your head.

-gena

As defenders of the light, Lauren, Aiden and Ethan embark on a journey to stop the dark forces invading their land. Continue the adventure today!
https://www.towersoflight.net

Beth Mora 

Here to Help Learning.com

To Read that Book or Not Read That Book: Is That the Question?

Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12:12, “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” Yup, that glazed look in your littles, tween, or young adult scholars’ eyes is real, my friend. There is only so much space in your homeschool planner for reading; so it’s essential to choose wisely. Good living books create a space for conversations between you and your child. So, what kind of conversations do you want to have with your children?

Deep Conversations: Science and history textbooks are wonderful, but they only provide an outline for study. Living books provide in-depth knowledge of a subject. Together, you can mine the jewels of understanding that cannot be obtained with simple facts and figures.

Cultural Conversations: A good living book is a trip around the world where my student can experience the food, clothing, shelter, family structures, and belief systems of another fellow human. Meeting and understanding people is at the very heart of God’s great commission to go into all the world and preach the good news. While reading, I ask my children, “How would you share Jesus with the characters or people in the book?”

Relationship Conversations: Let’s face it, relationship dynamics are complex. Good living books provide a place where you and your student can wrestle with multifaceted personalities and see consequences, good or bad, all played out in a few chapters rather than a lifetime.

Communication Conversations: God’s gift of individuality is beautifully present in the way an author communicates with the written word. Through living books, you can discuss the use of literary techniques and how an author tells a story to influence or help the reader feel the story. An author’s style of communication will significantly influence how your child writes and speaks.

To read that book or not read that book is not the question. A better question is, what conversations do you want to have with your children? When you choose good living books for your children, you give your student a moment in time for real conversations, real discipleship, and true education.

Beth Mora, creator/teacher-on-camera for Here to Help Learning’s Homeschool Writing Program (grades 1-6) and homeschool conference and women’s events speaker, loves blog at Home to Home. She serves up HTHL’s Writing Tip of the Week for those teaching their kiddos to write. Everything she does, whether laughable or heart gripping, is done to honor One. God’s grace is the salve that has healed her own life and is what she offers liberally to others.

Dan Beasley

Pillar of Future
Dan Beasley – Preparing for the Future by Learning from the Past

One of my favorite coffee mugs at my old law office noted: “Experience is what you get right after you need it.” That epigram was certainly true as I learned the practice of law. Some lessons appeared to arrive too late—right after the new skill or strategy would have been particularly useful. Hindsight is always 20/20.

As my wife Bethany and I finish up another year of homeschooling, I am reminded that there are many lessons to be learned from both the highs and lows of the past school year. But I also wish that we could anticipate and implement these kinds of lessons instead of realizing that they would have been a good idea after the fact.

The good news is we can learn some of these lessons from others.

We have more experienced friends who have already walked a few miles in our shoes (or at least similar shoes) and are willing to share. If we listen, we can avoid unnecessary hardship by learning from their experience.

Whether we learn by reflecting on our own decisions or listening to others, experience helps prepare us to face the future with more confidence and competence that we can pass along to our children.