PrincipledMom™

Word studies are hard. And dry. And time-consuming. At least that's how some people see it. Even the title makes me chortle. Who ever heard of such a thing as actually being fun? Well, everything we do for our kids' education can be something we enjoy. If not all of it, then at least some part.

You may not know what a word study is. Or you may avoid them. Or you may do them and not know them by that name. Whatever category you fit in, I think you can see word studies not as a necessary evil, but as an important tool in your home educating process. Any home educator can implement word studies, no matter what approach or curriculum is in use. It's a powerful way to bring a subject alive for teacher and student.

...Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom,  and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach...   Daniel 1:4 KJV

A word study is simple and straightforward. One way to do one is as follows:

1. Choose a key word from your study in any subject.
2. Define the word from Webster's 1828 dictionary.
3. Underline key words in the definition and look those up in the 1828.
4. When you feel you have defined it sufficiently, begin to find the words you underlined in a Bible concordance. Write down any scripture you deem relevant to the words and definitions.
5. Using all this information, write your own definition of the word.
6. Using the information you have gathered, deduce the Biblical principle from the study.

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. Jer. 15:16 NIV

Now who wouldn't like to do that? Seriously, there is something really exciting about learning something new about a word you assumed you knew the definition of. And it's even more exciting to see what God has to say about that word. Or with that word.  Why do I want to do a word study?

• To understand the English language better.
• To have mastery over a topic/subject so I can teach it better.
• To deepen my understanding.
• To learn God's thoughts on a matter.
• To improve my scholarship.
• To increase in wisdom.
• To discover the Biblical principles on a matter.
• As a springboard for a new/deeper study (AKA "rabbit trail").

Some tips to enjoy your word study more:

• Don't do it when you are tired. Nothing is fun then.
• Give yourself plenty of time. Do it in chunks even.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment. Then expect amazing things to happen because God will show up right in the middle of your study.
• Get your kids involved. Let them be your research assistants. Make it a family affair. (read: don't be a martyr, studying alone for hours on end with frequent sighing and complaining.)
• Don't do them all the time. They are not necessary every week.
• Don't give independent word study assignments to young kids. This is a bad idea. When your kids are younger the word studies are for you to digest and give to them on their level. As they get older you can introduce the idea and start walking them through the process in small doses.
• If you don't like them, ask God to change your heart. Things you hate to do can actually become joyful times with the Lord. It is always delightful to spend time in His word.
• Share what you learn with your spouse and anyone else who will listen. Don't become obnoxious, but share what you learn liberally with others. They probably can use something you learned.
• Reward yourself when you are done. (Ooooh, I hear M&M's and a bubble bath calling me, but I digress...)
• Invest in quality tools. A nice pen, clean paper, a Strong's concordance will make you more willing to get the job done. And who doesn't enjoy a nice writing pen?
• Be willing to stop and enjoy what you are learning. Take a breath, sit back and Selah--think on these things.

My most exciting times as a home educator have come under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Without the help of the Holy Spirit my lessons become dry and frankly pretty boring. I thought I would share some thoughts concerning this.

If you are a Christian teaching your children at home, you probably already have experienced spirit-led lessons, even if you didn't know it or call it that.

When you are teaching multiple grades together you can relax. Just as happens in a church full of individuals, the Holy Spirit has a wonderful way of tailoring the lesson to fit the needs of the hearer. I never cease to be amazed that a room full of people can hear the same sermon, the same words and scripture, and get something intimately personal from it. Only God's living Word can do that.

The Holy Spirit is here for, among other things, education.  John 14:26 Jesus says that when He left the Holy Spirit would come and "will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." "All things" there means in the Greek just that--all things. So rejoice that the Holy Spirit is there to teach you, to teach your kids, and to teach you to teach your kids all things.

If you are struggling in an area such as math or history or even how to schedule your day or deal with a difficult character issue, help is a prayer away. God gives wisdom liberally if we will only ask (James 1:5). And when we don't even know what we need the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26) and Jesus (Rom. 8:34) both are praying God's will on our behalf. Praise God! If you are weak in an area let God show Himself strong. I can tell you from experience those are the most exciting lessons of all because I cannot do that in my own ability. (2 Cor 12:9)

I encourage you to be careful not to put your lessons in a box and think there will be amazing revelations every day in every subject. That won't happen. Many days will be pretty average. But that's what makes the special times so special. And God's grace is in the every day, speaking in quiet whispers through His Word in every subject.

With the Biblical Principle Approach that places God's Word at the center of every subject, you can't help but have Holy Spirit inspired lessons each time you pick up your Bible and read His life-giving words to your family. It's rhema.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.      Hebrews 4:12

As we prepare to get back to our lessons next week, I've been prayerfully considering what to do and what to avoid this year. These are some things I've realized:

less is more. I don't have to teach a lot to teach a lot.

• it depends a lot on my preparation as a teacher. I am not confident when I just open a book and try to teach. I must internalize what I am teaching.
• My kids need things in small bites, and our schedule reflects that.
• I don't need lots of stuff (like teaching aids and such). It clutters and actually distracts us from learning.
• I must be sold out. I can't be half-hearted in educating my kids.
• I need to plan things. I'm not good with a vague idea of how the year will go. If it's not written down, I probably will not do it.
• I have to be careful not to overplan (see #1)

I am seeing what I can keep, what I can do differently and what I can simply let go of. That process really charges me up for the next year. I feel things are fresh again and I'm ready to take on another year.

Well I sort of hate to do this, because as soon as I post it here, it probably won't get done as written. ha! I am looking forward to this year more than I have in a while. I have renewed vision and I have studied hard to prepare myself. Also I have accumulated many resources so I have enrichment activities at my fingertips. (I am NOT going to get into a lecturing rut this year.)

Our over-arching principle is the Christian Principle of Self-Government. All we do this year will focus on being more self-governed in our spiritual lives, in our lessons, in our chores, in our personal lives, in our speech and in our service to others. More than anything else, I want us to increase our self-government this year. If this time next year we are more self-governed, I count the year a raging success.

As for our actual lessons, I have taken a decidedly low-key approach. I am not going to overplan and overschedule. I am planning less material so we can actually savor the material, and work on doing an excellent job as we increase our capacity for Christian self-government. I am tired of rushing from thing to thing. We will do less to do more. What I mean is we will get more in-depth with the principles and not just stick to the surface with facts. Here is our schedule:

MWF:Bible, literature, science (M and W), math, Princess G will do this reading program

TT: Bible, HisStory/geography, art, math (reinforcement)

daily: creative writing, reading aloud, family altar, Spanish

This is very manageable for our family. I try to do Bible and academics in AM and enrichment in PM (after lunch). Science works well for us in the afternoon so we have more time for experiments and walks. Art and writing are also good in the afternoon when we have time to enjoy them. Spanish will move to the evenings so we can do it as a family.

Here are my resources:

Bible: JBC--love this curriculum, but it is an investment of time, because you have to do the work yourself. There is a support group too.

HisStory: my own plans with the help of Lisa's Freedom and Simplicity in HisStory materials (although I do love Mrs. Smith's HisStory books for kids too!)

Science: Dr. Worthington Hooker's materials

Literature: my own plans, lots of good literature, main study will be Bach (I think!)

Geography: various stuff from HomeschoolEstore and other sources

Creative writing: this book

Reading aloud: many books, along with some help from this book

Art: various sources, including this excellent book. Also we will make many books by hand, along with ATC's and other various paper arts. Also I like to use art cards, so we will work them in somehow.

Read this post about how I actually plan my lessons with the help of Mr. Rose's book.

One book I highly recommend is Managers of Their Homes. I read it often for help with ordering our days.

Please leave a note if you'd like me to list the resources I use to enrich my lessons. There are so many great books out there and they are so much fun!

Those of you who know me well know how dear Mr. Rose's book is to me. It is invaluable in my BPA quest. I thought I'd share a way of planning lessons using his book. It's not the only way, but one way it can be done, even for new families who want to create their own BPA lessons but don't know where to begin. This is after you have gone through the section on p. 118, have a working knowledge of BPA and a personal philosophy of education written down (mine is in the clear pocket on the front of my teacher's notebook).

(Re)read the section on "Education for the American Christian Home" (beginning on p. 85).

Starting on p. 119,  you can see the subjects broken down into goals and objectives. Here is a list of page numbers you can write in under each subject:

• History (Elementary): objectives p.204
• History (Junior High): objectives p. 204
• Geography: goals--p. 259, overview p. 260
• Literature: see charts pp. 343-351
• Arithmetic: goals p. 241, rudiments p. 237, biblical origin and purpose p. 236, 234
• Algebra: objectives p. 445, vocabulary of algebra p. 427
• Science (A&P): rudiments p. 467, goals p. 468, overview p. 469, principles p. 457
• Economics: goals, overview p. 415, rudiments p. 402

Of course, you need to read the section for each subject, but this will give you a quick reference from the lists on p. 119-123.

As an example, take geography. I am planning for a 4th grader and a 1st grader. Here's how I plan these lessons.

1. Prayer. I have to have the Holy Spirit to help me plan what my kids need to know this year.
2. Make a grid with the months on the side and the subjects across the top, so I can see what I am studying in each subject to create cohesive plans. 
3. See the geography topic on p. 120 for a quick glance at the subject.
4. Read the section on geography, written by Katherine Dang (259-273).
5. Note the goals on p. 259. (If I have 4 R'ed this, then I refer to my own goals.)
6. Note the overview on p. 260 (If I have 4 R'ed this, then I refer to my own overview.)
7. I make note of what I am studying in His Story and try to work geography alongside the subject. If it will not work there, then I will look to literature.
8. Using my overview and goals, I chart the months out. From there I am able to plan weekly lessons, using the biblical principles and leading ideas I deduce from 4-Ring and from The Encyclopedia of Bible Truths for School Subjects. I also add living books, mapwork, reference books and more to enliven the lessons.

I put the year's master sheet into my teacher's notebook so I can see my whole year on one page and how all the subjects are connected.

I love planning my own lessons this way because I can meet the objectives using the overviews and still create individualized lessons for my family. And Also I have a plan until I have 4-R'ed that subject and found my own objectives and so on. For more help on utilizing Mr. Rose's book to the fullest, read my posts under the category Rose's Guide.

Because we work with the seeds of principles, our lessons can look very different from yours and still we can both teach the same rudiments. With the overviews in Mr. Rose's book I have a general direction to head in, but I can take my own path to get to the destination. I love that!