How's the View?

In our country, around age fourteen to fifteen, kids (especially boys) start thinking about cars...at least in my part of the planet. Instead of the latest video games, the focus moves to car makes and models, and driver's ed road rules. It's a rite of passage (though we make sure our kids know that driving is a privilege, not a right) in American culture for teens to get a learner's permit at age fifteen, then take driver's ed and get a license at age sixteen.

Those are the laws of our country. I ask you, have you considered what are the laws of your household?? What do you require of your students to earn the privilege of driving lessons and a license? I know some parents who insist on their students maintaining good grades. I agree with that, but then again, I insist on good grades, driving or not, so that's nothing new. I also know some parents who practically throw the keys at their teens, they are so glad to have someone to share the driving with and who can drive to the corner store for milk at the last minute.

I really do think this is an important consideration. I want my kids to see driving as something they are allowed to do when they show that they are responsible. One way they show responsibility is to maintain good grades. Another way is to model good behavior in the home and to keep up with chores. But there is more than that. A license bestows upon its holder a measure of freedom that was not present before, in many cases. A freedom of movement and choices that reflects a new level of responsibility and accountability.

That is why Hubby and I decided that in order to earn a driver's license in our family, each of our children would have to do two things (aside from the already mentioned good grades, good behavior, and the required passing of a driver's education class) to earn the privilege of being allowed to drive our cars.

The first thing we require is that they must show the ability to maintain a vehicle (cleanliness, basic fluid and tire air level checks) and perform basic repairs (such as oil and tire changes, replacing burned out headlights, changing filters and windshield wipers) by taking on responsibility for one of the family's vehicles for a period of six to twelve months. (You can see the benefits to mom in this one, eh?)

The second thing they have to do is to complete an apologetics course we approve of in the year preceding driver's education class. You are wondering what apologetics has to do with driving, I am sure. Well, here's our thinking: If you are going to be out there in the community, potentially responsible for yourself, my car, and maybe even some other folks (including siblings), then you had better know one hundred percent where you stand concerning various issues.

Since we are Christians, I think our opinions on various issues need to be based upon the Bible, and all of our choices should reflect our choice to identify with and follow Christ. If you don't know what you stand for (or who you stand for), you can often be talked into doing stupid things and making poor choices. I want my kids to make wise choices, and I believe that in order to do that, they need to be well-grounded. Solid Biblical teaching in Apologetics is one of the best ways to get grounded (other than daily Bible time and prayer) that I know.

Years ago we attended several Worldview Weekends over the course of a few years. If you've never attended one as a family, I highly recommend it. We purchased some of the worldview resources they offered, and have enjoyed listening to and reading them over the years. A few years after attending my first Worldview Weekend seminar, I heard about their online classes, and was thrilled. This would be an excellent way to round off the worldview education we desired for our oldest son. Unfortunately, the seminars aren't held near enough to our current home to make attending them a part of our yearly schedule, but Tex still plans to do the Worldview Academy three month class as part of his schoolwork next year. However, that leaves at least a half of a year of Bible study open...so what do you do?

Wouldn't you know, God always offers a solution if we are listening closely enough...When we were asked to review I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, my radar went wild because Norman Geisler is one of the speakers on our set of Worldview Weekend resource tapes. I remember him to be one of the more technical speakers (as opposed to informal and chatty), but I also remembered him to be very detailed and convincing.

We decided to review the book and workbook, and had initially planned to use it as our summer Bible study, to count for a semester of worldview study towards our year long requirement for Tex to be eligible to take driver's education training when he's fifteen. However, sometimes things happen, and Tex had his accident at church camp (and subsequent hospital stay), so not as much of the study was gotten through as planned. However, I studied the book myself while sitting by Tex's bedside for two weeks, and found it to be excellent and am enthusiastic about working through it in the fall with him for his first semester credit, then doing the online worldview course together for the second semester. Then by next summer, oh my goodness, he will be eligible for that permit and all I can say is that I am so not ready for this!

Back to the book. Can I tell you my favorite part so far? The title. I know, that sounds cheeky...like I haven't read any more than that (I have), but it is true. I love the title. I like it because it is one of my favorite fall back lines when folks who are non-believers start arguing against a loving Creator.

I mean, if you want to believe that some random particles in vast amounts of space (and where did that come from?) randomly managed to randomly come together at just the right time and in the right amounts to make the first organized group of particles which somehow ran into other particles of a similar sort (or managed to figure out how to replicate)...and all this in vast amounts of space over billions of years...and then they all got together and created a big BANG which made lots of space, the final frontier, and then these bits got together and somehow made stars and planets...and then on these planets somehow these random bits made land (primordial sludge) and from this same stuff randomly came one celled organisms which somehow found similar random organisms (or learned to replicate) and from there somehow managed to become multi-cellular organisms, which developed (over millions of years) the ability to reproduce and somehow developed the ability to breathe air and also developed legs and at least two of these random things happened in the same place at the same time and they figured out how to get together to reproduce and all of their offspring survived and from all of their offspring developed all other things (or else all of what you see today on our planet came from a series of parallel random events occurring simultaneously and similarly...but randomly...LOL). Well then, I've got some land on Mars that's really pretty and we are starting a colony and it's a very exciting place to visit. Would you like to buy a share? 

I dunno. It just sounds so improbable and I don't have that much faith that I could believe all that random stuff happened in an orderly enough random-chancey way that we have all of this...

and this...

and this...

And this...

And this...

 And this...

and this...

and this...

Also, if you've ever seen the pillar at the Smithsonian where they show the timeline of creation...you know the one that shows billions and billions of years they think it took to go from nothing to us being ape-like creatures. Then the tens of thousands of years it took us going from ape-like creatures to primitive man. Then suddenly it was like BOOM!!! In just a few thousand years (instead of billions), we go from drawing on cave walls to designing atom bombs and the Internet. Do you really believe that timeline? Does it even make sense?

Maybe you are thinking, "Well, yeah. That's what I was taught. That's how things happened, isn't it?" Or maybe you are telling yourself that sure, you believe that God created mankind, but maybe He used evolution to do it. Or perhaps you are on board with a creationist view, but if asked to defend your stance, well, you'd simply say, "Well, I have faith," or you'd mumble "I haven't really thought about it," and walk away hurriedly with your head down and hands in your pockets.

Having faith is great, but honestly, you need to be able to defend your views. Most folks are not going to say, "Oh, well if you believe it, then so do I." Most folks these days are going to question you, ask for some sort of evidence. With some people, that evidence can be our (or their) experience of a miracle or other life-altering event. With others, they are going to want facts, more information, evidence.

The Bible tells us to always be ready to defend what we believe in. That is not a call to be able to say why you are a die-hard Redskins fan, folks. That's a call to be able to say why you believe God is real, why you believe that He created life, the universe, and everything, and why you believe that a God that powerful sent his son to die a horrible, undeserved death on a cross to pay a penalty for our sins. That's serious stuff. 

Can you defend why you believe? Can you even clearly state what you do believe? Because if you don't know what you believe, then you don't know what to base your decisions upon. Without God, what is your standard? 

I think an ability to defend your faith is a necessity in life. With that in mind, in my mind, if you can defend your views on all of those things, and you can learn to use those views to make your decisions, THEN I will trust you with not only the keys to my car, but I will also trust that you are well on your way to being able to navigate through this very challenging thing we call adulthood. I'd much rather feel I am lending my vehicle, a potential weapon of mass destruction (in the wrong hands) to an adult, wouldn't you? You're potentially going to be in a car on the same roads as my kids, so this involves you, too.

\

In any case, I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist is a 447 page, fifteen chapter comprehensive treatment of apologetics...how to defend your faith. It is engaging, with many stories and personal encounters shared by the authors. It is not as easy to read as some apologetics books I have read, but it is not too difficult for a high schooler or adult to understand or to enjoy. As a young earth creationist, I disagree with the author's unwillingness to take a stance on that position, however, their essential treatment of why a belief in Intelligent Design requires less faith than a belief in evolution is thorough and well-laid out.

Other chapter topics include: Christianity vs. other world views, Can Truth Be Known? Can All Religions Be True?, Divine Design, Micro vs. Macro Evolution, How Do We Know Moral Law Exists?, Absolute Morals vs. Situational Ethics, Miracles: Signs of God or Gullibility?, Reliability of Scripture, Eyewitness Testimony (about Jesus), divergent details in Scripture, Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Jesus: God vs. Great Moral Teacher, the historic and scientific accuracy of the Bible, and If God, Why Evil?.

Each chapter is 15-20 pages long and is preceded by an outline to lay out the plan of the chapter. The chapters range from pointed discussions of pertinent, detailed factual information to chatty renditions of conversations with people on a variety of related topics. They all wind up with a summary to help you wrap up each concept. The end of the book has a listing of extensive notes for further research. We liked Appendix One and Appendix Two, two hypothetical conversations with atheists about why there is evil in the world, and why Christianity is the right choice.

The folks at Apologia have also developed a 279 page workbook to accompany the book. This is what I think makes it an excellent choice as an apologetics curriculum. As with all their workbooks, they are interesting and illuminating. Each chapter begins with a hook to remind you what previous material you may have covered and to get you thinking. Vocabulary terms are covered, as well as anectdotes, questions, and biographies of famous thinkers. I found these biographies to be one of my favorite parts of the workbook. C.S. Lewis, Augustine, Nietzsche, and  Kant are covered in the first few chapters.

The next section takes you deeper into investigating the book and testing your comprehension of the material. It contains an overview, a biography, and more questions. Section three asks you to look at the information yourself by offering additional assignments and activities to enrich your learning experience. Completion of some of these activities can take a simple study from a week per chapter and turn it into an extensive research opportunity of two weeks or more. By doing the enrichment questions, the course becomes a full credit, year long study. If you omit these (or only choose a few), you might make it a half-credit, one semester course (this is the option we will take). 

Lastly, the final section summarizes the material and challenges you to think about what you took away from the chapter. It asks you to think about what you learned, then offers suggestions on how to apply the information as you witness in your everyday life. For example, here is a question from the introduction.

Humans have a tendency to adjust the truth to fit their desires rather than adjusting their desires to fit the truth. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul says we "suppress the truth" so we can practice unrighteousness. Give at least three real-life examples of people changing truth rather than changing their desires.

If you want to make sure your kids have a worldview that will carry them safely through adulthood, then think about trying an apologetics course like I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. You might try tying completion of the course to Driver's Ed, like we are, so you will be sure that when your kids have your keys, their hearts and heads will be full of the Word of God, and be overflowingly ready to share it, instead of the world suddenly opening up in front of them like an enormous vault ready to pour its empty values into a huge empty space. Pray about it and ask the Lord to search your children's hearts (and your own) and tell you what the "view" is from the inside...

If you'd like more information about I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist:

• You can read the introduction of the book at the Apologia website, so you can see whether you think that this book is a good choice for your teens (or yourself).
• You can view a sample chapter of the workbook to see how it is laid out.
• I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist is available for $16.00 from the Apologia website. It is currently out of stock, but will be available again in September. I guess it was popular at the conventions this summer, huh?
• You may purchase the workbook for $33.00. This may sound like a lot of money for a workbook, but it definitely makes the book into a full course...and it adds a lot of student-friendly content that all of us enjoyed. As with all Apologia workbooks I have seen so far, it is worth the investment.
• You can read what others on the TOS Homeschool Review Crew have to say about this course on the Schoolhouse Reveiw Crew blog.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: I received copies of both the book and the workbook in order to complete this review. All opinions you read are my own. No other compensation was received.

Who Is My Neighbor?

Last year we were given the opportunity to review Who Am I?, book two in Apologia's "What We Believe" series of Bible study materials geared towards ages 6-14. This Bible study, an in depth look into how God sees you, how He made you, and why, was a huge hit at our house. My Amigos (ages 3-8) truly enjoyed the lessons, and got a lot out of them. We had many insightful and meaningful discussions about the materials, and I noticed that on the days when we listened to the accompanying audios (stories and other study materials on mp3), our days went more smoothly...the children tended to be more thoughtful of their actions and more considerate of each other.

Recently, we were given the opportunity to review book three in the series, Who Is My Neighbor? This particular study is about the people around us and our relationship with them. Instead of focusing on the individual, it focuses on the body of Christ...His people...and how we interact with each other.

I thought, rather than tell you again, how much my children enjoyed this product (since they did, and their reactions this time are pretty much the same as last time...you can read my previous review here), that I might sort of take you on a quick "tour" of the first chapter of the book. I will share some excerpts from the text, and some of the supplementary materials, so you can see for yourself why this is such a rich and valuable resource.

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The following passages are excerpts from Lesson One, Does Anyone Really Need Me?, of the textbook Who Is My Neighbor? published by Apologia Ministries.

"Two are better than one...if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

The Big Idea

"Can you imagine living completely alone? Not just alone in an apartment or house, but alone in the world? Everyone enjoys being alone sometimes, but you couldn't live long in a world without other people. That's because god created you and everyone else to live in relationship with one another. He made us to need each other, to love each other, to share our joys and sorrows with each other, and to help each other. Why do people have such a strong need for companionship? It's because we were created in God's image. Remember, God has never been alone. Before the world and before time, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit lived together in perfect harmony as the one true God. And so when God made people in His own image, He intended that we, too, should live in harmonious relationships with one another..."


Red Sun Rising
Next is a brief biography of Mao Tse-tung (which will tie in to the fictional story presented later in the chapter).

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

• You will learn that God wants each of us to depend on one another.
• You will recognize your calling to serve others and Jesus served.
• You will learn to serve others in confidence, trusting that God will be with you.

Dangerous Journey

"As darkness fell over the Yuan River Valley, the villagers of Kam Tin all closed their window shutters in an attempts to make their homes invisible to enemy planes. Chang Ting carefully closed the shutters of her family's old, gray stone house, hoping to block out the turmoil of the outside world. Then she lit two candles, one for the kitchen and one for the children's bedroom...."

This is the beginning of the first part of a story about a Chinese family who must leave their homeland to escape oppression under Mao Tse-tung (this particular portion of the story is ten pages long). The Chang family flees to America, and each chapter covers another portion of their physical and spiritual journey.

THINK ABOUT IT (questions and space for answering them are also available in the notebooking journal):

• In China, a person's surname, or family name, is said first. Why do you think the Chinese follow this custom? Who is honored when the surname is said first?
• Why must the Chang family leave China, their homeland?
• Why do you think Fong Gui gives the family a Bible to take on their voyage?
• Can you remember all the people who serve the Chang family in the story" WHy would so many members of the fong family help people who are not Christians to escape China?
• What kind of future do you think awaits the Chang family in America? Why?

Shipping Out! (a brief description of freighters to tie in with the story with a picture).

WORDS YOU NEED TO KNOW (vocabulary word with definitions are available in the text, words to define and space to define them available in the notebooking journal): Social, Triune, Interdependence, Servanthood, Trusting God.

HIDE IT IN YOUR HEART (memory verses...two pages for completing this copywork are available in the notebooking journal)

•     "Serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13
•     "Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire." Psalm 37:3-4

We Were Made for Each Other: "God made people to be social, meaning we need and enjoy the companionship of other people...We are happier and healthier when we are surrounded by people who know us and take an interest in us, and actively participate in our lives. An abundance of these kind of relationships gives us sense of security--they make us feel safe, knowing there's always someone to turn to in times of difficulty...The fact is that we are better together than we are apart. A family, a neighborhood, a church, or a country is more than just a collection of what each person brings to the group. Together, we enrich each other's lives through our individual interests, gifts, and talents. And only when we live and work and play together can we become the kinds of healthy, balanced, purpose-filled people God created us to be...You see, people were made to live and work and play together because we were made in the image of a triune god. Therefore, the more we learn about what it's like to live in a relationship, the better we will understand God's nature."

Make a Note of It: (a factoid and a question leading back to the discussed topic...space with an illustration and a place to answer the question is available in the notebooking journal) What kind of animal would you like to have for a friend? Why do you think Adam's ideal helper could not be found among the animals?

The Buddy System: (inset about the "buddy system") "Have you ever heard the saying that "two heads are better than one?" That's the idea behind the buddy system, in which two people function together as one, encouraging each other, helping each other, and keeping each other out of trouble...The buddy system is a Biblical principle we see implemented throughtout the scriptures (examples given)...As children of God, we could all use a "spiritual buddy," someone we can count on in times of need..."

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER? (several pages discussing how individual parts contribute to a group) "Like the parts of an engine, God made us to depend on each other. This is called interdependence. An interdepedent relationship is one in which two or more people help one another and depend on one another for help...Within a family, a church, a nation...every member brings a unique set of talents, skills, and experiences to the mixture that enrich the group and make up for what may be missing among the other members...in order for the group or organization to function at its best, every member must contribute to the best of his or her ability while working toward a goal agreed upon with the other members....As a child of God...you have been made new in Christ Jesus to do good works He planned for you long, long ago...He has already equipped you with the tools and skills you  need to see (your mission) through to completion. Form the time you were born, God has provided you with a special set of gifts---your talents, your personality, your experiences---which no one else possesses...God has been placing you in specific situations and introducing you to specific people who need your help."

Make a Note of It: (a thought-provoking suggestion...this one is about identifying someone you know who might be feeling lonely and purposing to talk to them...a notebooking page to answer this query is included in the notebooking journal).

YOU ARE HERE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: "You are called to die to selfishness and "do good to all people" whenever you have the opportunity (Galatians 6:10). In this way, people will see the Father's love in action and perhaps they will be drawn to God's grace and come to know the hoy and peace and life you have. That's what servanthood is all about: building relationships of harmony with others by showing them God's love..."

WHAT SHOULD I DO? "Trusting God means having complete confidence that He will always do everything He prmises. God promises that He will be glorified by your obedience to serve others rather than be served (Matthew 5:16)..."

Make a Note of It--GROUP THINK: Draw a picture or write about a group you want to be a part of someday. Do you ever worry about being rejected by a group? Why?

A Prayer (a brief prayer to wrap up the lessons main idea): "Dear God, thank you for the relationships in my life. Thank you for all of my family and friends..."

ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS--The Wedding Feast: a fictionalized account of the Wedding at Cana, featuring a young woman named Miriam (nine pages long).

Take a Closer Look (thoughts and questions about the reading passage, such as "How did Jesus serve this young bride?").

The Notebooking Journal also includes: 

• I SPY! page where your child can record (by writing, drawing, or both) a place he or she has seen God working during the study period. 
• Two Are Better Than One minibook to make and attach to the page.
• Making a Difference word search puzzle
• My Prayer page to record your own prayers.
• Praise Report page to record how God is answering your prayers and working in the lives of others during your study.

The Coloring Book includes six pages coordinated with the content of this section for your children to color. They go with different parts of the text, such as the story about the Chang family, the allusion to race cars working together as a team, and the final story about the wedding at Cana.

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As you can see, the lessons are very extensive, thorough, thought-provoking, and will definitely enrich your children's walk with the Lord. In fact, these lessons will impact the lives of anyone participating in this study...including you and older/younger siblings who might just be listening on the periphery. 

The one difference between this study and the Who Am I? study we reviewed previously is that the MP3 audio recordings of all of the content were not available at the time of our review. This definitely impacted our use of the program. Previously, it had been our habit to listen to the audio tracks while the children were eating their breakfast, after they got dressed and completed their morning chores. This was an opportunity for them to sit and listen and focus, while I was able to finish up the dishes in the next room, but still hear the audios so we could discuss them later. 

Usually, I would provide each of the younger children a coloring page (they took turns using the coloring book, alternating with their Bible study notebooks with blank pages they could color on), and Ladybug, age 8, would do something in the Notebooking Journal (which she loved, since she was singled out by having the priviledge of using the journal). They would color or draw while we listened about twice, sometimes three times a week, often listening to the same stories and content more than once. At least once a week, Tex would sit with them, so he'd hear the excellent content, while not having to complete any written work.

Since the audios were not available at the time of our review, I had to read the content myself, which made it much less convenient. I found myself more prone to skip around and edit for time, and the kids were more likely to interrupt and fuss. They are good listeners when it comes to our usual read alouds, but my voice is not as soothing as the previous readers' voices, and honestly, I don't speak with as much authority and assurance as the readers did when covering this content.

I spoke with the Apologia folks at our state convention, and they said that they audios are scheduled to come out around August.  If you plan to purchase this curriculum for next school year, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so when the audios are released. In my opinion, you will do fine (if you need to cut costs) with just the Notebooking Journal ($24), the audio, and the Coloring Book($8). It is nice having the hardcover text ($39), but honestly, if I had to choose between the text or the audio, I'd definitely choose the audio, no contest. 

HOWEVER, if you have an older, independently reading, non-auditory student, the text is great, and is full of quality pictures and classical art pieces that supplement and enrich the content, and I think your student will like it just as well as an auditory learner will like the audios (assuming they are as good as the previous lesson's set). The Notebooking Journal ($24) is convenient and well put together, but it is not necessary...you can use your own Bible notebook and have a similar experience with the content. If you have smaller children who will be following along, the small investment for the coloring book ($8) is a great idea. You can see more about ordering these products at the Apologia site.

But don't take my word for it; read what others have to say about this exceptional Bible study course at the TOS Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Check out the other studies in the What We Believe series. They are all wonderfully well done!!

Blessings,

Disclaimer: I received complimentary copies of the Notebooking Journal, hardcover Text, and Coloring Book for Apologia's Who is My Neighbor? Bible study for the purposes of offering my personal opinion and experiences about it here on my blog. What you read here is our honest impression of the product. No other compensation was received.

Character Training Tools---Help for Developing Character in Our Children

Today's topic is "How does my family teach 

character in our homeschool?"

(with a bunch of freebies you will love at the end)

I want to start off with two disclaimers. 

First, I truly do believe that the best and most important teaching tool we ALL have for instruction in character is the Bible. Here is mine.

It's worn out, falling apart, and currently being held together by the only Vera Bradley thing I own, a bookcover. I probably should get a new Bible, but then I'd have to do all my underlining and note-taking over. That is just purely intimidating to me.

Pathetic as its appearance is, it is the go-to resource when there is a question or a conflict that needs resolving. It is a source of wisdom and strength. If you don't have a worn out Bible at your house, maybe you need to work on that a bit more (*smile*), or else you are one of those folks who likes to get a new one every few years and doesn't write in them...and that's okay, too, but I couldn't do it...then again, I started writing in mine before sticky tabs came out, so maybe now I could...nope, forget that.

Anyway, in spite of what will follow, I want you to understand that disclaimer number one really is true. However, I am wholly and unashamedly (well, maybe a little) a curriculum junkie. I have A LOT of resources I've collected over our thirteen years of homeschooling and we've used them a little bit here, a little bit there. The only consistency is that after our first two years, we never went straight and all the way through any one curricula. We like to make up our own plan as we go.

Each of the following items I am sharing with you is not free (the free stuff is later in the post), but each of them has also proven to be useful and helpful at one point or another, and has been worth the investment. I will start out by telling you what we are doing this year, and then I will share some perennial favorites, and THEN I will move on to the freebies.

These are the flowers Bubba gave me for Mother's Day. They are sitting next to the Character Sketches books my parents gave to us when we first began homeschooling. They are filled with lovely character-building stories centered around nature. For example, a deer is attentive because it must not only pay attention to its mother when it is young to avoid danger, but also to its surroundings. Not being attentive can endanger its life.

Character First and Institute in Basic Life Principles

As you may have gathered, I am not a hard-core follower of any particular method (other than the Bible), but I do find things that work for our family during various seasons in many diverse methods. This is our first year to use the IBLP online courses at the Embassy Institute. 

Mostly I have been the one to benefit from it, and I have passed time while folding laundry or doing some other repetitive and stationary task hearing various speakers on a multitude of topics. For a mere $9 a month, I have access to all of the videos from the Basic course, the Advanced course, the Anger Resolution seminar, and the Financial Freedom seminar. I also have access to many of their online character resources, and have appreciated the way you can easily find seminars (and many printables to go with them) to fit different topics, such as attentiveness and prayer, or speakers, such as Jim Sammons or Gil Bates. 

I do believe that continuing to develop and learn as an adult is as important as instructing your own children. We need to model an enthusiasm for learning and a desire for spiritual growth, so that our children will follow our lead and be enthusiastic growers, too. Other places I frequently find excellent and challenging sermons are at northpoint.org (Andy Stanley), marshill.com (Mark Driscoll), intouch.org (Charles Stanley), and sermonaudio...but guess what? These sources won't cost you a penny...they are FREE!

To go along with our character studies, we purchased the set of coloring books that go along with our Character Sketch books, and the very inexpensive set of 49 character trait cards. We use the coloring books to supplement our other resources and reading, and when each trait has been covered for one month, we add the card to a laminate card holder that is displayed on our fridge as a reward and reminder.

We have also added the online subscription to the Character First online materials this year. The kids have loved this collection of songs, audio stories, printables, and audio files that help them learn their memory work. It makes it easy for me, and for just $20 for the first set of traits for this year, it is a good value for us.

It may seem like overkill, but my kids really like the idea of earning cards, so we got this set of cards for $3.99 to go with our subscription and they are enjoying it a lot.

Using the various materials already mentioned, as well as some free Character First lessons we saved from many years ago when a church we attended gave them away in the library, we prepare our marker board for each month with our character trait defined at the top (along with its negative trait), listing the ways we demonstrate the trait (with little pictures to the side to help the non-readers), and the corresponding family rule listed at the bottom.

Every few days (I will be honest and tell you that I do not remember to do this every day) we review the trait and its actions, then go over any of the memory work from the Character First website. On various occasions, for Bible time or during reading time, I will read from the Character Sketches book, the Bible, or a story book that has a story which coordinates well with the trait.

At various times, I will ask the kids to write the definition and rules for the trait, as well as to illustrate it in different ways, and/or to complete coloring sheets available from the CF website or the Character Sketches coloring books.

Erika Shupe at Large Families on Purpose blogged about using the CF curriculum recently, and takes you through a sample lesson on orderliness. It is worth reading if you are interested in checking out this curriculum.

Here are some pictures of our Character Notebooks to give you an idea of what we do using a notebooking approach.

Ladybug, age 8

Cowboy, age 6

Firefly, age 4

Mom, age (not going to say, but my birthday is soon!)

I found these two books very inexpensively on Amazon and they provide me with a comprehensive and inspiring overview of the traits and give me ideas to help reinforce them, along with our scripture studies, of course.

Here is an example of the sheet I use to keep track of the kids' work, just in case you are interested. This is the sheet for the Amigos. Tex maintains his own records (at least, he is supposed to).

Here are some character training tools we have used in the past, or may refer to occasionally, but are not currently using full-time. These are the ones we liked and trust enough to want to share.

The Pearables and The Learning Parent both have quality character curricula you might like to check out. The Boyers from The Learning Parent have audios, flashcards, storybooks, workbooks, and leveled curricula available for preschool age up through high school. They have added many new items recently and if you go over there quickly, you might find a coupon you can use. It is very tempting to want to check out some of those new items (or at least, new to us), as what we have already used by them has been excellent, but we are very happy with using CF and IBLP right now. Here is a link to their blog (the Boyers) where they post about character training.

We purchased Character for Life at a discount on a whim and have truly been thankful we did. It contains stories of men and women of great character who helped to shape our Western culture. Last year, Tex used it in conjunction with For You They Signed as part of his American History and character studies. It was an excellent example of how learning about good character should fit into every facet/subject of our homeschooling. I highly recommend both books.

Doorposts provides excellent child-training and character-developing tools. Plants Grown Up, a resource for teaching your boys, takes different character traits to be developed and ties Bible verses and activities with each one of them. You will get a full package of memory work,Biblical learning,  evaluative tools, and worksheets. It lasts for a boy's entire education and is definitely something you can use in conjunction with other training tools. They have a similar book for girls called Polished Cornerstones, and a reference tool called For Instruction in Righteousness which are both equally useful and comprehensive.

Notgrass Company is an excellent source of many Biblically-based curricular options. We really like the "Draw to Learn" series and incorporate the pages into devotions as study of a particular Psalm or Proverb comes up. My kids love to draw and these pages are easy to use for a variety of ages. The act of illustrating a particular proverb really brings it to life, and we all know that the book of Proverbs is just bursting with character-building teaching.

We have mostly used Character Building for Families which I got inexpensively at a used curriculum sale as a reference or discussion starter, but it can be used as a complete Bible curriculum and it looks like it would do so very thoroughly. It is meant for the entire family to do together, which is a huge plus in my book.

Almost done with the not-free stuff...hang in there!!

We've been using the Impress Kids website in conjunction with our church's Awana program to work on Bible memory verses. I have set up our account so that we have sections for family verses, various levels of Awana verses, the songs we are learning as a family (hymns and praise songs), their character trait memory work, and the books of the Bible. The kids enjoy practicing their memory work as a "reward" for finishing their other school work on time. 

One last not-free product that deserves a mention, but is not specifically a character curriculum tool are the Keepers of the Faith clubs. They offer both Contenders of the Faith for boys and Keepers at Home for girls. It is kind of like Christian Boy or Girl Scouts. All of the activities will point you back to good character and the books incorporates plenty of Bible learning. Each club book is filled with activities needed to complete various badges and they are actually quite fun and challenging. 

The books are arranged just like the Boy Scout requirement manuals. There are activities like whittling and orienteering for boys, and crocheting and cooking for girls. If you object to this traditional breakdown of activities, this won't be for you, but I like it and so do my kids. There is even a series for the younger kids in the family. We don't use the books all the time, but sometimes when we are looking for a way to organize a project, or give us some engaging (but not overly heavy) focus during a break, this is just what we need. You can purchase badges after all requirements are met. 

Now for the FREEBIES! Hooray!!

There are lots of them, so go refill your cup and settle in. 

Here we go...I am going to share with you some FREE! resources for what I consider to be the most important subject that we teach in our homeschools...character.

I just love this quote from Charlotte Mason. 

I pulled this picture from the Simply Charlotte Mason site.

If you are working on character at your house, you 

might try starting with some of Charlotte's ideas in the book

Smooth and Easy Days by Sonya Schaeffer which is available 

as a FREE! download courtesy of SCM.

They are offering a new title, The Way of the Will, 

for FREE! as well, which looks very promising. 

Head to their main page to view their other freebies 

on the right sidebar. You will really benefit from them. I did.

If you are willing to spend a little bit of money, Laying Down the Rails by Sonya Schaeffer is a excellent resource for habit training (which equates to character training, when approached Biblically). You can also purchase a dvd of her talk on the topic. Here is a free handout to go with the lecture.

The Character Journal from Homelife Ministries is collection of comprehensive character studies for you to use with your family. Each one is an extensive collection of Bible verses, hymns, definitions, suggested Bible stories and activities related to the quality, a list of "I will" actions, quotes and testimonies related to the trait, and resources. This would make an excellent family Bible study. I highly recommend this site.

Download the Character Trait Checklist from Heart of Wisdom (link is at the beginning of the blog post) and also read how to implement the study of these traits into your homeschool using a four-step method of study. This extensive list of traits also includes definitions and related Bible verses. This is a good addition to a family notebook or child's Bible study notebook.

Homeschool Helper Online has a similar list of character traits, each linking to a brief study, suitable for children of all ages (you can vary the expectations based on age and ability). You are asked to look up the definition for each trait, read a related Bible story, memorize a related verse, then answer some thought-provoking questions. This could be done independently by older children, or orally as a family for younger ones.

Bible Class Books offers eleven character trait booklets that also detail examples and definitions of qualities such as contentment and kindness. These would be good with older students.

This is probably my favorite freebie, as simple as it is...

The Operational Definitions of Character Qualities  is available for FREE! at S.M. Davis' site, Solve Family Problems. This chart lists character traits, their definitions, their opposite trait, and a Bible verse to support why this quality is important.  I find this chart to be an invaluable resource. We laminated our copy and put it on our fridge. Ours is a bit smudged because we take dry erase markers and discuss which quality best describes each person is displaying the best at a particular time, then we circle that quality and write the person's name above it. It's sort of a "reward" for good behavior...just knowing you have been recognized for doing right is a great motivator to keep doing it. Cowboy is our "encourager" since he loves to pass out hugs and compliments in a very sincere way. We all need one of those in our family!!


The chart also helps us remember to encourage each other specifically about certain qualities. Instead of just saying, "You are such a good girl," I try to remember to say, "You were so responsible this morning, Ladybug, when you made your bed and put away your PJs without being asked. Thank you very much." 


 Another thing we like to do with this chart is to have a "family meeting" and decide what things we are all pretty good at doing, and which 3-5 areas we need to work on more diligently (we circle them with red). This helps us to not only identify family strengths, but also areas to improve upon, like patience and attentiveness this month. 

Sarah's Sweeties offers a wonderful printable collection of character quality posters with a Bible verse, picture, and definition on each. I printed these on card stock and we hang up each one on the fridge as we study the quality. We are making a wall display in the library with all of our previously studied traits, so we can review them regularly.

I also try to tie the different character qualities we are learning back to the family rules we came up with using the resources of Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson and The 21 Rules of This House by  Gregg Harris. I am listing this in the freebies section since we did combine the two on our own and did not really implement either book. You could borrow the books from a friend, or just come up with your own rules, keeping them as simple or as detailed as works for you, but just the act of coming up with rules you can refer to when situations arise helps clarify parental reactions a lot. 

We have, over time, found Bible verses to support each of the rules, as well as character traits. I feel much more confident telling my child that he is being disciplined for pushing roughly past his sister because God tells us to consider others as more important that ourselves and to remind him that his actions broke one of our family rules, so he must suffer the consequences than if I was just saying, "Don't do that." (which leads to "Why?" and "Because I said so." Not so convincing, huh?)

I also printed up a set of the Character Trait Songs from Hubbard's Cupboard to use with each study. These are catchy tunes that my Amigos enjoy singing which remind them of a better way to act. It is wonderful to hear them singing the tunes together, or to have one of the little ones ask me to sing the song to go with a particular trait at night before bedtime. What a sweet thought to go to sleep on!

The rest of Hubbard's Cupbard's Character Study resources are excellent for 3-5 year olds (there is room to make it work for more diverse age group with a bit of tweaking on your part). 38 weeks of complete lesson plans with coloring pages, letter activities, character studies, and morewill get you started in your homeschooling, or enrich your current program.

Here's an idea: Have a problem area? Make up your own rules on how to follow it (or what defines it according to you), choose a supporting Bible verse and find a picture online, then make a poster for your fridge. Refer back to it when necessary. The THINK poster was great for self-control, honesty, and kindness, and is an enlargement of a badge is saw on Facebook. I'll bet there are some great ideas over on Pinterest, if you have time to go treasure hunting there.

Homeschoolshare offers an excellent round up of resources to help you supplement your character training. You can print them up individually to use as needed during your character study, or you can save them and assemble them into a keepsake lapbook when your study of each trait is finished. Either way is win-win!

WOW!! Have you ever read your kids stories from The Book of Virtues? That book is a favorite at our house. We have a copy of it on tape that we listen to in the car, too. Did you know that there is an entirely FREE! complete book study curriculum online for you to use with your family? Check out The Book of Virtues project at Shiver Academy (links to each chapter are on the right sidebar). Be prepared to be impressed andto run out of printer ink!

I just noticed that Adventures in the Book of Virtues animated episodes are FREE! on Netflix Instant Download (okay, maybe that isn't exactly free, but if you subscribe anyway, it sort of is.)

Here is a printable prayer chart that you can laminate and post on your fridge (can you tell my fridge is covered with stuff?)...it helps you focus and pray for your children about a specific character trait each day of the month.

Another free idea: Find character-building poems and type them up, using your own photos and a related Bible verse. Keep them on the fridge while you are memorizing them, then add them to your school portfolio or notebooks. 

Download a free sample of Character First's character trait cards. You might get inspired to make your own as you study each character trait using index cards...It would be very easy to do using their list of character traits, which is actually an online character library you can subscribe to (check out "alertness" and "availability" for samples). You can print up a free one page poster version of the character qualities and laminate it for your fridge.  


You can also use the Operational Definition of Character Qualities chart  or this list of character qualities defined to make your own cards, then add a few "I Will's" from The Character Journal  to the cards and then take a photo of one of your children demonstrating the character trait (or find appropriate clip art online). Put that all into a Word document (or use Open Office, which is also FREE!), print on card stock, and voila!, you have your own Character Trait cards, useful for review and reminders. You could also make double copies, perhaps with the definition on one and the word and photo on the other, and have younger children play a matching game. Or you could play memory. Or....the possibilities are endless! Also, download samples of their elementary and advanced character study guides. We used to get these at church and loved them.

A last-minute find is this collection of dictionary-linked character traits, both positive and negative. This would be an excellent way to have an older student do a study of different traits, figure out which ones go together, which negatives are the opposite of which positives, and then to find Bible verses on their own to support the Biblical need for the positive ones. Since we are talking about seeing the opposite of good character traits, I just had to add this list of 25 Characteristics of a Fool from A Wise Woman Builds Her Home. I think it is great.

Here is a family favorite read-aloud, A Hive of Busy Bees by Effie Mae Hency Williams. It is a timeless classic that tells stories involving character traits. Chapters include: Be Polite, Be Kind, Be Gentle, Be Helpful, and Be Gentle. This freebie is worth downloading and taking the time to read as a family.

For a useful list of some available FREE! online character-building classics (and a few links to audio versions of the books), check back tomorrow...

Also, you can check out Your Story Hour and Adventures in Odyssey (alternate link) for some character-building FREE! online audio radio dramas. My kids have LOVE, love, love, loved these over the years. If you are going to take the time to have them listen to something, why not have it be something that will do them good? This is a great way to give Mom a break when she needs some quiet time...

My final and favorite FREE! character training resource is YOU. As the sign says, children will think of themselves what you say to them regularly. If you are constantly pointing out what faults they have, they will likely see those faults as the definition  of who they are. Conversely, if, in spite of their mistakes, you are regularly pointing out their strengths, and praising them for their genuine successes, they are more likely to believe that those things make up who they really are and will become.

Even further, always remember that your children are HOMESCHOOLED. This means that you are your child's teacher and one of his or her most important influences. Children will live what they see YOU do. The starting point when working on character needs to be you (and me!).

If, in spite of the minor (and sometimes major) problems you run into throughout your days and weeks, you strive to keep a positive outlook  and stress to your children the importance of living in a way that is pleasing to God, they will learn to behave in the same way.

It might happen almost imperceptibly at first, but eventually, with patience (a virtue!), you will see the fruit of your labors as the seeds of character you have planted grow into beautiful expressions of God's love. In turn, they will plant seeds of kindness and consideration and helpfulness into the lives of others...

How wonderful is it to imagine that??

I think that is why I believe that teaching character is the most important thing you can do for your kids this year. And every year. Start there, and the rest will follow.

I pray you will be blessed by the resources I have shared.

Schedule for the week:

Monday--What is good character and Who needs it??
Tuesday--Why must we deliberately train for develop good character?
Wednesday--How can we develop good character in our children? (with links to character-building freebies and our favorite not free character training resources.
Thursday--How reading aloud to your family will help strengthen character and your family. (With many links to online/downloadable free quality literature and audio books)
Friday--When do we train for character and who benefits...Developing character in your children through serving others.

Join the members of the TOS Review Crew all week for the 

"5 Days of..." Blog Hop. 

Blessings,

By the way, you can check out a previous post called:

How to Homeschool for Free (or at least more inexpensively)

for an exhaustive (or exhausting!) list of ways to cut home education costs. You might want to print it and read it off line...it is chock full of good ideas (and very long)!!

You can also check out my website, homeschool-for-free, for links to FREE! resources in other curriculum areas (but as it has been a while since we ran link-checks, you may find a few that no longer work, but there are plenty more to make up for that...especially on the science links page.)