Curriculum Advice from Victoria Botkin Volumes 1 & 2

Homeschooling. Lots of families have done it. But can you do it? How hard is it? What does it actually look like? How do you know if you’re on the right track for success?

Victoria Botkin has seven well-educated children who love home education and who plan to continue the tradition when they have children of their own. This inspiring home educator will tell you how you can teach your child ­ at home ­ successfully, inexpensively, calmly, and with the powerful confidence that you are doing the right thing before God.

Her advice will give you not only practical ideas, but confidence, enthusiasm, and a vision for the importance of your labors. If you want to combine a godly home life with high academic standards, listen carefully to these CDs.

In Volume 1, learn about:
# Developing the right attitude
# Choosing materials
# Choosing curriculum
# Inspiring them with creativity
# Turning your home into an incubator of curiosity, exploration and discovery
# And much more!

In Volume 2, you will also hear from Victoria's seven well-educated children as you learn about:
# Guiding children into character, maturity and integrity
# How children can take responsibility for their own education
# Teaching children to love writing
# How to use the media
# Helping your child develop a vision for the future
# Recognizing and encouraging your children’s gifts
# Teaching life skills
# And much more!

Make sure you visit the Visionary Daughters website to read what they had to say about their mothers new cd.

Family Scripture Memorizing

Bible Passages for Memorizing
by Ruth Beechick

A basic family tradition is memorizing Scripture. Your family can do this together—easily. Choose a Bible passage such as the Twenty-Third Psalm, and choose a time. Family devotions are an ideal setting for this tradition. Otherwise, choose breakfast or another meal that you share together. Even car time will work for some families with a regular driving schedule.

The Best Memory Method

To begin, you all simply recite the psalm together. Those who read may use their Bibles. Children who do not read follow as best they can, listening or saying some parts as they trail along behind. That is all for day one. The following days are similar. The goal is that in three months or so, all who are old enough will know the psalm by heart. Even the very youngest children gain in many ways, whether or not they actually memorize.

This method of memorizing is called the “whole method.” When you learn a passage this way, you end up able to recite smoothly through it all, just as you recite smoothly through the alphabet without stopping to think which letter comes next. You also learn faster with less work by using this whole method. Research documents the results of the whole method: memorizing is more efficient, takes less total time, and produces better memory results.

Most people commonly use the “part method” for memorizing extended passages. This means learning one verse, then adding the next, and so forth. This takes longer, and the result is usually a less smooth recitation, as they sometimes pause to think which verse comes next.

As you recite the psalm each day, the children who read will gradually quit following in their Bibles, or you may need to suggest that they look up from their Bible pages when they can. Occasionally you might check that a child correctly pronounces a word like righteousness. Answer questions the children have about meaning, but it is not necessary to study the psalm while memorizing it. Some books for Sunday school teachers say, “Be sure the children understand the verse before they memorize it.” This is useless advice. When do any of us fully understand a Scripture? Children can just as well memorize first and learn the meaning more fully as they grow older.

Continue reciting daily until you have not just learned a passage, but overlearned it. Then review on a diminishing schedule. For instance, for one or two months recite the passage once a week (instead of the new passage you are starting to learn). Then review once a month. Eventually, once a year will be sufficient. There is no specific rule about this schedule. The length of a passage, the amount of overlearning, and other variables all affect this, so adjust as you see a need for more review or less. The principle of a diminishing need for review will continue to apply.

If your family learns three or four passages a year—or even just two—these add up to considerable Scripture for your children to carry in their hearts wherever life may take them—to legislative halls or to enemy prison camps, to their future families or to fellow workers. After some passages of six or fewer verses, your family may feel brave enough to tackle a longer passage, perhaps a full chapter.

Bible Passages for Memorizing

Make your own selections or choose some from this list. You can shorten most of these or, in some cases, extend to make a longer portion. (My son Allen, who learned all these as a child and many whole books as a teen, says Psalm 34 is his favorite. At age 8 he recited Isaiah 53 with its big words, and said, “I like the words of the Bible; they sound so good.”)

Psalms 1, 8, 19, 23, 24, 34, 100

Exodus 20:1-17, Ten Commandments

Joshua 1:7-9, meditate on the book

Proverbs 8:22-31, wisdom speaks (Christ himself)

Proverbs 15:1-6, soft answer

Isaiah 53:1-6 (or the whole chapter), Man of sorrows

Matthew 5:3-12, Beatitudes

Matthew 5:19-24, treasures in Heaven

Luke 2:1-7 (or to 16 or 20), Christmas story

John 1:1-14, the Word became flesh

John 3:14-18, God so loved the world

John 14:1-4 (or to 14), mansions in the Father’s house

Romans 1:14-15 (or to 20 or farther), not ashamed of the Gospel

I Corinthians 13, love

Ephesians 2:8-10, saved by grace

Philippians 4:4-8, rejoice

James 1:22-25, doers of the Word

CLASS

Our boys are both enrolled with CLASS. Joshua is in the 11th grade and Jonathan is in 9th grade.

Visit CLASS to find out more information.

This is our second year with CLASS and we are extremely satisfied with their curriculum choices as well as their costs.

They are extremely strict in grading which helps keep us on our toes. I can be confident knowing the boys are getting the best education as possible.

Here's some quick details about CLASS.

" We see from the Scriptures that the God who is sovereign over education has commanded Christian parents to raise up children who know Him, love Him, and follow Him in every area of life. In short, God requires that His children be given a distinctively Christian education. Every subject is to be studied with the purpose of discovering the God-given meaning contained in it."

"The CLASS program is committed to an educational philosophy which is not after the traditions of men, or the principles of this world, but after Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Christian education means that Christ is central to education. Consequently, our educational theory, methods, and practice must be built upon Christ as their cornerstone. But how can we know Christ apart from His Word which is the truth? The sacred Scriptures are the Word of Christ written. In them God has revealed Himself and His saving purpose in Christ. Because there is only one God and one Christ, there is only one truth. This truth is the center and criterion of Christian education. While the Bible is not used as the textbook in every subject, it is the foundational handbook for every course and the standard for teaching. As the foundational book, Scripture is the only infallible rule for faith and practice, for grammar and literature, for mathematics and science, for health and physical education, for geography and history, and for social studies and the arts. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God."

This is how our year is going!

Well, this is definitely the boys mentality when it comes to math, or really any subject this year!