Behold Your God - Crew Review

 

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Positive Action Bible Curriculum equips Bible teachers to share God’s glory with the next generation. Behold Your God introduces high school students to foundational Christian theology. Within the thirty-five chapters, students study the knowledge of God, the nature of God, the attributes of God, the history of Christ, the person of Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

As an academic curriculum or devotional study, Behold Your God presents both factual content and personal application materials. The Student Manual is a softbound workbook that contains a fill-in-the-blank outline of the corresponding teacher’s lesson. Students complete the “student work” portion on their own. Then they take “Notes from the Teacher’s Lesson” before they complete “Application Activities” to prepare them for weekly quizzes and unit tests. Discipleship depends on the student-teacher relationship; and this study weaves independent learning with teacher-assisted discussion to guide students through the Word.

The Teacher’s Manual is a sturdy three-ring binder that contains thirty-five lessons, weekly schedule, lesson objectives, scripture memory, testing, and answer keys. The lecture material is presented verbatim, although it is formatted with headings and bullets in case you prefer to teach from limited notes.  Note that underlined words in the teacher’s lesson correspond to blanks in the students’ outline.

We study the Bible for more than mere knowledge. We believe Christian parents are directly responsible to God for raising children who know him, love him, and follow him in every area of life. This Bible study inspires students to explore the heights and depths of his majesty. We will never understand the height of God’s holiness or the fullness of his grace, but we can trust that he is molding us into a better image of himself. 

I especially enjoyed the lesson on God’s incomprehensible love. True love is the decision to reflect God’s goodness to others. The love of God is significant to salvation, to service, and to security. We cannot truly experience God’s love without it changing us. God’s love never changes. It is constant and consistent, despite the wrong we do or the right we do. Once we are redeemed in Christ, his love flows to us freely and as generously as we receive it. So, when you are in the depths of failure or despair, when everyone has given up on you, when even those you love hurt you and criticize you, know that God’s love is still the same. As you meditate on this truth, as you rest in him, his love will cast out your fear.

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Celebrate Your Homeschool Graduate

 

Homeschooling through high school is a great accomplishment; and what better way to celebrate than with a graduation! A high school graduation is worth celebrating with pomp and circumstance! I have graduated two homeschoolers, one with a formal graduation with her co-op class, and the other one a little less formal with her church family. But, with each graduation, everything was done decently and in order. Here is the checklist I used to create a memorable graduation.

BEFORE GRADUATION

[] Decide on location and set a date and time.

[] Schedule a senior photoshoot.

[] Create and order graduation announcements.

[] Order cap, gown, and diploma at www.homeschooldiploma.com.

[] Mail graduation announcements.

[] Order graduation dessert plates, cups, napkins, beverages, and decorating supplies.

[] Order graduation cake.

[] Create a slideshow to share before presenting diploma.

[] Decide who will speak at the graduation ceremony.

[] Prepare a Senior table to showcase talents/hobbies/interests and college admissions.

[] Prepare a photo booth for selfies!

GRADUATION DAY

[] Pick up cake.

[] Set up food and beverages.

GRADUATION CEREMONY

[] Graduates walk in to “Pomp and Circumstance” as usual.

[] Speaker welcomes guests and presents motivational speech.

[] Show slideshow.

[] Parent presents diploma.

[] If multiple graduates, show slideshow, allow parent to present diploma, do this for each graduate.

[] Speaker thanks guests for coming and invites them to celebrate with family and friends in the fellowship hall and presents the Class of 2022.

[] Enjoy your celebration!

AFTER GRADUATION

[] Mail thank you cards.

The high school graduation ceremony is for presenting the high school diploma. To help you put your own presentation speech together, I would like to share what I said to my oldest when she graduated with the Class of 2019 – When you were born, graduation day seemed a million moons away. I look at you now and see a beautiful, confident, young woman ready for the adventures that await; but I also see my little girl. As I look back over these seventeen years, words cannot express the pride and love in my heart. I recall our bedtime stories and now I see your love for reading, whether it’s curling up with a good book or volunteering at the Kountze Public Library. I recall the days you loved to dress up in your princess clothes and even now you still love dressing up, whether its for prom or a dance performance. I recall your curiosity and love for learning, in fact, you started Kindergarten at age 4 because you kept asking to do school and now I see your academic accomplishments as you graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and you still have a love for learning because you are eager to attending Lamar University for a Bachelor of Science in Theatre and Dance. You are my beautiful ballerina; but your beauty goes much deeper, you have a heart to serve the Lord, and I pray that you will continue to acknowledge Him in all your ways. Our homeschool journey has been a blessing and today we are reaping what we’ve sown for the past 13 years. I pray that you will continue to seek Him first, praise His name in the dance; but above all, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I am so thankful for these seventeen years. As you accept your diploma, remember your high school graduation marks the end of one chapter but there is so much more to your story yet to be written. I love you to the moon and back!

A high school graduation is worth celebrating with pomp and circumstance! You should feel proud of yourself and your graduating senior. Pause and cherish this moment! High school graduation should always be celebrated to recognize their hard-earned achievement!

Why Attend a Homeschool Convention?

 

With product reviews, You Tube videos, and Facebook groups filled with homeschool help, is a homeschool convention even necessary? Absolutely! Attending a homeschool convention has many benefits; but here are my top three reasons you should attend a homeschool convention this year.

Empowerment

In a digital age where we can press pause and come back later, our attention spans diminish as we go about with household duties. We need time to focus and be able to learn what we need to know to homeschool our children. We might even be able to speak one-on-one with speakers, and glean even more wisdom and inspiration.

Enrichment

Online curriculum reviews are a blessing, but getting your hands on the curriculum changes everything. Even though the handy “look inside” feature on Amazon allows you to see several pages, nothing compares to physically looking through the pages. When you attend a homeschool convention, not only do you get to view curriculum but also save money with convention-only specials; and some publishers even offer product giveaways!

Encouragement

Let’s face it. We all need encouragement once in a while, and getting with like-minded people can be just what we need to press on to homeschool through high school. Homeschooling is tough. Some days are just hard. As any mom can attest, we tend to get so focused on others and neglect ourselves. And that’s not good for anyone. We need to be with other adults – for that occasional grown-up conversation. When it comes to refueling the weary homeschool mom, taking time to be with other homeschool moms can help boost your confidence and give you strength to keep on keeping on.

Homeschool conventions are happening in 2022! I will continue speaking at online conventions; but I encourage you to join me at the Summer Summit where I will be speaking in-person about homeschooling through high school. Registration includes summit sessions, luncheon, summit shoppe, door prizes, and a take-home-tote filled with materials and resources to help the homeschool mom.

Happy Homeschooling!

Fix It! Grammar: Level 5 Frog Prince - Crew Review

 

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary product from the Homeschool Review Crew.

After reviewing Fix It! Grammar: Level 4 Robin Hood, I was happy to review Fix It!Grammar: Level 5 Frog Prince from Institute for Excellence in Writing. This is not a traditional grammar program. Instead, students hunt for and correct errors in daily passages that cumulatively tell a story. Level 5 provides 30 weeks of grammar instruction and editing practice; and each week is broken down into four days.

How does it work?

On day one, student’s read through the Learn It section which covers a concept that the student will practice in future passages. Instructions for marking and fixing passages are included in each Learn It section.

After reading through the grammar instruction, students are given four days of editing practice. Each day has its own reading passage. As student’s read through the day’s passage, they look up the bold vocabulary words in a dictionary and pick the definition that fits the context of the story. After reading, they mark the passage using the guide at the top of the practice page. Then they correct the passage using the guide at the top of the daily practice page. After marking and correcting the passage, they copy the corrected passage on the lines provided or into a separate notebook. For your visual learner, I recommend using one color for the Mark It section and another color for the Fix It section. The teacher’s manual guides you through each day’s passage and provides an answer key for Mark It and Fix It sections, as well as the corrected passage.

Fix It! Grammar Cards are an optional product that will enhance the Fix It! Grammar learning experience. These cards highlight grammatical concepts and provide a way to drill and review what has been learned. Students will learn the following grammatical concepts throughout Level 5: editing marks, capitalization, indentation, subject-verb pair, prepositional phrases, conjunctions, clauses, sentence openers, quotations, apostrophes, verbs, adjectives, interjections, run-on sentences, nouns, pronouns, number words, adverbs, titles, and more. These grammar cards are beautifully designed and come in a sturdy box for easy storage.

Because every level in Fix It! Grammar is foundational to the book after it, Institute for Excellence in Writing recommends that all students begin with the first level. Each level includes advanced concepts, so even if your student knows much of the material, you can still begin with the first level and plan to move through it at a faster pace while adding the advanced concepts as your student is ready for them. However, if you think your student has already mastered some of the concepts, you can use the placement test to determine where to start.

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Jacob Goes to Haran

 

This lesson takes up where the story of Jacob, Esau and the Birthright left off.  After deceiving his father and brother, Jacob left his family home and made his way north to his mother’s relatives in Haran.   

Many important events happen on his trip to Haran, his life there and years later upon his return to face his brother.  The following events begin and end in Bethel. Use the slideshow images below as you read the story through Scripture.

Slide 2: Jacob’s Journey to Haran (Genesis 28:10)

Slide 5: Jacob’s Vison of a Ladder (Genesis 28:11-15)

Slide 7: Jacob Meets Rachel and Serves Laban (Genesis 29:1 and Genesis 29:10-20)

Slide 10: Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:21-30)

Slide 11: Jacob’s Children are Born (Genesis 29:31-35 and Genesis 30:1-24)

Slide 15: Jacob Leaves Laban and Offers Present to Esau (Genesis 31:1-3 and Genesis 31:13-15)

Slide 19: Meeting of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33:1-4) and God appeared unto Jacob again (Genesis 35:10) and now the sons of Jacob were twelve (Genesis 35:23-26).

In the lesson Jacob, Esau and the Birthright we were first introduced to the character of Jacob.  He had lived a life filled with jealousy and deception.  Our natural reaction to Jacob’s story might be that he does not deserve to receive God’s blessing and protection.  The story of Jacob, however, reminds us that God’s plans are not dependent on man’s behavior.  After all, because our sin nature, none of us deserve His blessings.  Instead, human imperfection is the backdrop of God’s perfection and amazing work. God had a plan for Jacob. Although he did not immediately move back to his former home where Esau lived, God eventually renewed his promise and told Jacob to go to Bethel, the place where Jacob dreamed of the ladder, so you see how these events began and ended in Bethel.

Today’s key verse and memory verse for the week is Genesis 33:4 – And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

Craft: Paint a Stone - Jacob chose a smooth stone for his pillow. Children can paint a smooth stone for parents to use a paper weight.