Sonlight Homeschooling Blog

Sep. 12, 2014

Interruptions

By Luke

"A scramble." I assume that's an adequate description of some of your days -- maybe every day is a scramble. There is much to do in daily life, and you've added "teach my children" to the list. It's no wonder things can get a little hectic now and then.

'Now and then? You clearly haven't been to my house, Luke.'

True. The point remains: You're busy.

And then one of your kids does something that completely derails you and stops you in your tracks, like Tanya's little guy who stopped to admire a sprinkler. (Click the link. It's a brief and very nice story!)

Years ago, someone shared a story about running late and, while driving up to the train tracks, was asked by her son, "Can we stop and watch the train?" Confused, she said, "But there isn't a train right now."

"I know," he replied. "Can we wait for one?"

(I wish I knew which blog this came from; Google has failed me. If you recognize your story, or the blog from whence it came, please let me know so I can add some link-love!)

Train Waiting

What makes these interruptions so important -- and causes us to pause and consider -- is that they remind us of something. These aren't the annoyances of traffic or diaper blowouts. These are genuine glimpses of humanity that shift our focus to the people for whom we do all this crazy amount of work. These serendipitous breaks from routine let us see, once again, that our children are here and part of this madness. In the activity, we can lose sight of them. But without them we wouldn't be doing this.

Enjoy the interruptions. Relish the reminders. You're a mom -- or dad -- and all this work is for your kids and totally worth it. The occasional interruption is a blessing from God.

Have a great day; may you find encouragement in the scramble.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Pseudo-Dad

Tagged activities, children, schedule, Time Management | 2 Comments

Sep. 11, 2014

It's time to . . . clean house!

By Judy

Yep ... it's that time of year again. Time for starting school, freezing corn, and cleaning out! For whatever reason I have always felt the need to clean house at the beginning of every school year. Sort of a "fresh start" ... not only for school, but also for our entire household. Even though my days of starting a new school year are behind me, fall cleaning is not. This past weekend we sorted and tossed, moved furniture, and cleaned from top to bottom. It has left a feeling of satisfaction and the sense that we're now ready for whatever this year's upstate NY winter has to bring.

I'm apparently not alone in my urge to clean. Over on the Sonlight Forums, Grace4all penned the following limerick:

"There once was a mom with ambition,
Whose sanity was under suspicion.
She was a bit rash as she threw out the trash
...the family barely survived her mission."

There are a lot of great books and blogs out there on how to effectively clean your house, but in the end, I've always found it was simply a matter of motivation and muscle-power. However, great tips and ideas are always an encouragement, and may even offer the missing motivation for deep-cleaning. A timely forum conversation can yield some great ideas! Here are a few that I've found worth repeating ...

Find an area you want to work on, set the timer for five minutes, and then stop working when it goes off. Leave everything there (in that closet, cabinet or whatever) until the next time you have five minutes--either later that day or the next day. Keep working on that one thing until it is done. (Grace4all)

Start a "Minimalist Game" - You get rid of one thing on the first, two things on the second, three things on the third, and so on until the end of the month. Some people in each game have followed the rules, others haven't, some are major hoarders, others just need to do a little purging ... but everyone is super encouraging as we all make progress. (bethanyandtim)

Make your bed right before or after your morning shower. A neat bed will inspire you to deal with other messes immediately. (realsimple.com)

Establish 15 minute housecleaning plans ... a list of 2-3 chores you know can be completed in 15 minutes or less. Maybe sweeping the kitchen floor, or dusting the window sills. (housecleaning-tips.com)

Whatever motivation you need today, I hope this little conversation has provided a bit of "get up and go" for decluttering your home. Now don't sit there looking at your computer for a moment longer ... go clean that closet!

Still on the journey ...

~Judy Wnuk

PS ... Need even more ideas for organizing? Check out our "Organizing Your Home for Success" webinar.

Tagged clean, declutter, organize | Leave a comment

Sep. 10, 2014

From Luke's Inbox: Now Is Not the Time to Learn About Islam

By Luke

I understand that missionary work is very important. However, I don't appreciate you encouraging us to teach our children to understand Muslim culture and beliefs. I think this is particularly poor timing.

I appreciate the feedback. Of course, I was expecting this kind of response to some degree. But my conclusion is exactly the opposite: Now is the best time for you and your children to learn about Islam.

You and I both know that Islam is all over the news. But the news is very one-sided. How much better to take time to see how Muslims live, catch a glimpse of what they believe (such as what they think of Jesus), and how Christ has transformed the lives of some Muslim background believers? Equipped with this knowledge, do you not think your children will be better able to pray for this turbulent part of the world? Do you not think they will catch a glimpse of God's heart to bring grace and healing and peace to these people? Do you not see how amazing it would be to give a few dollars and have lives changed in the light of Christ's loving-kindness?

I do. It's glorious.

In desperate need of redemption...

I am so excited about this year's giving opportunity. The fact that recent events have made Islam a topic of national discussion, to me, glows of providence. Now -- now -- now is the time to get involved, to reach up to God and to reach out to our fellow man in desperate need of the transforming power of Christ.

Please, reconsider your part in Off-Road Encounters. You may be more comfortable previewing the videos -- which is not a bad idea. The video team obviously did not go to the more dangerous places where ISIS is currently beheading people, so the series is not going to give a complete picture of the entire situation in the Middle East (of course, I don't think any series could accomplish that given that the conflict is thousands of years old). Perhaps you'd like to share the message in a different way with your children. Awesome! But I do want to exhort you to be part of the solution by both praying and giving as a family.

Then again, urging is all I can do. You get to choose your next steps. You get to choose how you teach your children. That, like missions, is a major part of Sonlight. We believe in education, not indoctrination. I'm never going to tell you what you have to do or believe.

May God bless you this year, whether you get involved in this project or continue to pray for and give to the things that fit your family's missions-minded focus. The need is great all over the world. I am simply excited to see what God does this year through Off-Road Encounters.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Pseudo-Dad

Tagged giving, global, grace, learning, missions, religion | 5 Comments

Sep. 9, 2014

Thinking About Adding Electives? Save 10%

By Luke

As you settle into your school year, perhaps you're feeling like you'd like a bit more to round out your day. Perhaps some fun art books would be just the thing...

Now through October 31, you can add a small package of a few fun books to your curriculum and save 10% on an Electives package.

You may not even have noticed that Sonlight offers Electives. People tend to talk about our History programs so much that our other stuff gets left out or overlooked. And when you're just starting your school year, it's better to ease into things and get your bearings. As we push toward the middle of September -- time sure does fly! -- you may be looking toward the colder, darker months where you may find yourselves snowed in or rained in or shut in for some other weather-related reason. And in those moments, where cabin fever threatens the sanity of everyone in your home, you'll wonder if there is something super-cool you could hand to your precious children to keep them from the brink ... those are the times when Electives are near essential to survival.

...perhaps I'm a tad melodramatic.

Point remains: Save 10% on an Electives.

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Pseudo-Dad

P.S. If your days are full enough already, seriously, no pressure. The last thing you need is to feel like you're "not doing enough." This sale is a great opportunity if you've been feeling a lack or art, or your child is itching to do some computer programming, or you'd like to dip your toes in music... that kind of thing.

Tagged electives, sale, save | Leave a comment

Sep. 8, 2014

What Can Your Children Do This International Literacy Day?

By Luke

Reading is important. You need to be able to do it to get through school -- though, of course, we find workarounds if we struggle with reading. But as a student growing up, that was it. I needed to read for school (and to enjoy the awesome books included in my Sonlight studies). I never really understood what life would be like if I was illiterate.

That changed for me when I started to learn about what Mission India does, especially in our 2008 giving project. I learned that not being able to read makes it difficult to travel and easy to be scammed. You can't read signs. You can't count your change. You must rely on others. Learning the basics of reading and math opens up a whole new world of possibilities for you. That's why International Literacy Day was started.

Literacy

I don't see many suggestions on the official Literacy Day page. But here are a few ideas for what your children can do today:

Read to a younger sibling. Sharing the joy of reading with someone still learning is a great way to celebrate literacy! If your children are not yet reading, they could tell you a story based on a picture book.
Memorize a poem. Some cultures don't have writing at all! These are communities who rely on memory to share their stories. This is often called an oral tradition.
Create your own alphabet. Bible translators working with oral communities sometimes have to create an alphabet for the language. We already have one, but both my wife and I had fun creating our own alphabet characters in college (see if you can translate the message encoded in the image above).
Try reading in a difference language. If you have a foreign language program, this is already a natural part of your day. You could look up your favorite Scripture passage in a different language and see if you can make sense of it.
Pray. Pray for the millions of families around the globe who are struggling because they have not yet had a chance to learn how to read. You can learn a bit more on Mission India's page about adult literacy programs.

Lastly, I'd like to encourage you to sign up for our latest Giving Opportunity. It's not literacy focused this year, but it is a great way to get involved in something with international impact today. Join over 3,000 other children who have already signed up to be part of Off-Road Encounters!

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Pseudo-Dad

Tagged books, giving, international, literature | 2 Comments

Sep. 5, 2014

I'm Learning About the State of Policing

By Luke

Life-long learning is an incredible thing. But it's sometimes difficult due to cultural, emotional, philosophical, historical, and other -al type factors. Currently, I'm realizing how much more I have to learn about the law enforcement.

Greetings, Citizen

I don't like commenting on stuff I know nothing about. But when someone else shares insights, I love to pass them along. I really appreciated the blog post What My Bike Has Taught Me About White Privilege. Of everything I've read on the subject, this was the first that was somewhat encouraging. Give it a read yourself. It helped me gain a framework/schema for thinking about current events. His connection of being a bicyclist on a roadway built for cars makes so much sense.

In short, things are not good. The Police State has far more to do with how law enforcement treats certain groups of people (summed up in this image from a show I've never watched and never intend to, but the screenshot summarizes the blog post so well). One of my bloggy friends shared this video [NB: f-bomb at the end] that demonstrates how crazy things can get even if they don't escalate. I've had the police come to my door before, but they didn't treat me like that.

This reminds me of the lecture Don't Talk to Police (I'm sorry, I've lost the link of who first shared it with me). Cameron Russell also touches on the topic of race and privilege in her excellent Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model. TED talk.

I have nothing to add to this conversation. I'm still learning a lot! But these posts and videos have helped me and I'm hopeful they will help you too.

What have you been learning about recently? Anything interesting you'd care to share?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Pseudo-Dad

Tagged current events, life-long learning | Leave a comment

Sep. 3, 2014

150 Muslims

By Luke

"Every Ramadan, my mom would make a huge thing of baklava as a treat for after the sun went down." It's lunchtime and we've been talking food again. Who doesn't like food? Thinking about baklava, my mouth is starting water.* Shawarma. Gyros too (no matter how you pronounce that word, those sandwichy things are delicious). The guy I'm talking with comes from a Muslim background. He keeps quiet about where he is currently with religion. Muslim? Agnostic? I don't know. But he and I can connect over food.

PB+J for Baklava? I wouldn't make that trade...

Falafel.

Islam is all over the news these days. It's uncomfortable for me to even write this post because of how tense things are. Politics are in play. Human lives are affected. This is real. This is life. But almost a month ago I attempted to plant a seed for this moment. I urged us not to isolate ourselves. I did so intentionally in preparation for today.

Because today we are launching our next Giving Opportunity.

What is a Giving Opportunity?

You know that Sonlight is dedicated to missions, giving 50% of company profits to reach those who have yet to hear about Jesus as Savior and Lord. But we want to do more than that. That's why we extend an opportunity for you and your children to get involved every year. Together, we partner with amazing organizations to provide literacy programs, Bible translations, radio broadcasts, and more. We match your generous gift dollar for dollar. These projects are a way to help your children see the global need and how they can make a meaningful impact.

Giving Opportunities are educational as well. We get to learn about far off places in the world and the people who live there. We see glimpses of their lives and revisit our desperate need for grace as we see how it changes hearts and minds. And then we invite you to take part, giving a few dollars which will be doubled to transform the world.

This year is no different.

What is this year's project?

Off-road Encounters is a series of 13 videos each with 8 activities that let you discover various parts of the Muslim world. As you learn more about Islam and the people who follow it, I think you'll discover a renewed desire to see Christ transform their lives as He is doing in your family.

Many of the videos feature food.

When you sign up, you'll get a cool welcome kit for each of your children (sign up now so it arrives before the videos launch later this month). And remember, signing up is not a commitment to give. But the chance to bring the transforming power of Christ to the lives of over 1.5 million Muslims -- or 150 with as little as $28, doubled with the Sonlight match -- is an awesome opportunity I hope you won't pass up!

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Pseudo-Dad

* Why does blogging so often make me hungry?

Tagged giving, global, missions, perspective | 5 Comments

Interruptions

It's time to . . . clean house!

From Luke's Inbox: Now Is Not the Time to Learn About Islam

Thinking About Adding Electives? Save 10%

What Can Your Children Do This International Literacy Day?

I'm Learning About the State of Policing

150 Muslims

What is a Giving Opportunity?

What is this year's project?

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