MathTacular Reviews

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Amber, the co-star of MathTacular, recently alerted me to the fact that only one person has left a review of MathTacular4 on the website. "I've been dying to know what people think of it for so long," she said. "After all of that work, it'd be nice to know."

Yes, it would. A little validation is nice <smile>.

Speaking of validation, standardized tests can be an excellent way to give yourself a pat on the back. Getting some third party objective feedback on how you're doing as a teacher can be uplifting. Seeing that your students are excelling in so many areas is a major encouragement. Granted, standardized tests can also give you some feedback on areas you may want to focus on in the coming year. For example, my mom discovered that we needed some formal spelling practice. You can read more about that experience in her blog post The Three Rs.

An outside perspective is great. It can help you see things more clearly. You can use input from others to make better decisions for the future. And you can bask in the glowing reminders of how good of a job you are doing.

So, I'm going to make a request: If your kids have watched the MathTacular DVDs (especially MathTacular4: Word Problems), please leave a review. Amber and I, not to mention Justin, love the encouragement. Your reviews also help other homeschoolers decide if MathTacular is a product that will work for their family.

And, while I'm at it, please feel free to review any other programs, packages, or resources you've used this last year.

Thanks!

Have you found standardized tests have helped and encouraged you?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

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Four Benefits of Literature-Rich Learning

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It's no secret that Sonlight offers literature-rich homeschool curriculum. There are many benefits to this approach, but I'll mention four here.

First, reading quality books helps us learn to receive literature, not simply use it. C.S. Lewis used these terms in his book An Experiment in Criticism. Those who "use" literature function more as consumers and, as a result, often fail to appreciate its artistic merits or the ideas developed in the work. They usually only read a book once, thus missing out on the joys of receiving literature by appreciating it in more depth and wanting to read a great book more than once.

Second, literature-rich homeschooling helps children become acquainted with the great conversation of ideas. Throughout the centuries recurring themes that define our humanity appear in literature--love, justice, redemption, the meaning of life, and more. By reading literature that explores these important themes we can participate in the great conversation of ideas that stretches back through human history.

Third, in reading great literature we can in a sense see through the eyes of others, thereby expanding our horizons and our understanding. As C.S. Lewis put it in An Experiment in Criticism, "We want to be more than ourselves ... We want to see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts, as well as with our own ... in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself." There's a world of ideas to explore and literature can take us on a guided tour of these insights.

Fourth, we are made to think and feel deeply, and literature can help us develop not only our intellect, but our emotions. It appeals to our entire being, especially when we are immersed in a good story with characters we care about.

What do you appreciate about literature-rich education? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Robert Velarde
Author/Educator/Philosopher

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From Luke's Inbox: Favorite Homeschool Memories

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What are some of your favorite memories about homeschooling as a child? What do you wish you could (or could not) have done now that you are an adult? I don't come from a homeschooled background, so I'd love to learn more.

My favorite memories from homeschooling are absolutely the books. I bump into so many favorites every time I flip through the Sonlight® Catalog. But it's not just the "fun" books that make up my favorite memories. My understanding of history is largely credited to the biographies and historical fiction we read together as part of our Sonlight studies. But even more important is the way missionary biographies shaped my theology. I can't emphasize enough how much of an impact these memories have had on me. My faith and my love for others, as well as my beliefs about what I can accomplish as I follow God, have been molded by reading Scripture and other accounts of believer's lives. This is huge.

Other favorite memories? Having time. Having so much free time that I could hone my skills and be creative.

I feel I should also point out: Homeschooling's not always sunshine, rainbows, and joy. Sometimes, homeschooling is simply hard work.


Not Always Sunshine and Rainbows

* * *

Are there things that I now feel I missed out on, or regret, having homeschooled?

No.

I spent seven minutes thinking about this. I tried to come up with something I missed out on. But I couldn't. That's because homeschooling, despite the stereotype, wasn't about being trapped inside my house. I participated in a band and a swim team. I was active in my church and youth group. I spent ridiculous amounts of time with friends. I went on missions trips and trips to the water park.

In other words: I had a normal childhood. I "merely" had the added benefit of a personalized education based on fantastic literature that shaped my view of the world and gave me time to develop skills and pursue my interests.

Not a bad gig.

Again, was it all perfect and awesome? No. But I have no regrets from being homeschooled. And now, as an adult, I keep finding new things that reinforce to me that homeschooling was a fantastic option and opportunity.

Do you have any homeschool memory favorites?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

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One More Year...

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I have heard Sarita Holzmann, founder and president of Sonlight, speak many times. One of the things I have heard her say more than once is that when she started Sonlight, she wanted to gather the best of the best books and curriculum and develop an easy to use guide so that families on the mission field would not have to leave the field in order to give their children a great education. Her goal was to keep missionaries on the field "one more year." She thought this was something she could put together in the afternoons while her son Justin was taking his nap. And, thus, Sonlight was born.

Recently, I was at a homeschool convention talking to families who came to find out more about Sonlight Curriculum. A smiling mom came into my booth and introduced herself as having talked to me a couple of years before. She said she was about ready to quit homeschooling and came to the convention as a last ditch effort to try to get motivated enough to teach her kids one more year. I showed her how Sonlight would work for her family and she was coming back to thank me and to tell me how Sonlight kept her homeschooling.

I shared Sarita's story and she said, "That's me! She kept me on my mission field one more year!" And that's when it hit me.

We are all on a mission field. Some of us live as ex-patriots in foreign lands as missionaries doing God's work in all its various forms. Some of us are living in the land of our birth, maybe in the same town, but we have a mission field too. It starts with our families then radiates out to our neighbors, communities, states and countries. We are ambassadors for Christ when we make a sandwich for our husbands, teach our children,  go to the grocery store and beyond.

Wherever we are is our mission field.

As homeschooling parents, most of us find that our mission field at this season of our lives is our family and educating our children is part of our job. It can be tough going day-after-day, year-after-year. I know after seven years of using various curricula I was burnt out and ready to throw in the towel. Then I found Sonlight and I was able to stay with it till our youngest graduated ten years later.

I pray that you will find, like this lady and I did, that Sarita's vision of keeping missionaries on the field one more year can apply to you no matter where you live.

Take care,

Jill

P.S. Here are some ideas for a simple summer schedule and some summer boredom busters.

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Time Payment Tutorial

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"Could we include instructions on how to select a Time Payment option during checkout?"

The idea had struck me years ago. It's not immediately obvious how to take advantage of Sonlight's Payment Plans. But I'd gotten busy and didn't do anything about it then. Now that one of our fantastic Customer Relations team members was asking, I had to pause and reconsider. How long would this take me to implement?

10 minutes, it turns out.


Step 1

First, an apology. I am intimately acquainted with how frustrating it is when I can't figure out how to do something on a company's website. I am so sorry that I didn't put these instructions together sooner. Had I done so, I could have saved you time and trouble.

Second, a request. Please continue to send us feedback and ideas as you use our website. Your input and suggestions have always been incredibly informative and play a huge role in helping us move in the right direction. Thank you so much for all the suggestions you've submitted.

Third, an observation. I find I live with small annoyances and don't take the time to resolve simple issues. Are there frustrations in your homeschool or household that, given 10 minutes, you could dramatically improve?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Word of the Day
Recidivist: one who repeats an offense after experiencing the negative outcome of that action

Brought to you by Suburban Correspondent

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How to Teach Children to do Original Research

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Do your students trust the Internet? A little too much perhaps?

The famous Watergate journalist Bob Woodward recently criticized a class of elite journalism students at Yale. Their failure? He says they show "a heart-stopping over-confidence in the quality of the information on the Internet."

Woodward—who helped break the Watergate scandal—recently read the students' responses to the question "how would you cover the Watergate scandal if it unfolded today."

Apparently, the journalism students imagined they'd find the details of the scandal on the internet. In Woodward's words, they thought "that somehow the Internet was a magic lantern that lit up all events."

If you're interested, you can read all about this in The Wall Street Journal article "Before Watergate Could Be Googled." The article certainly got me thinking.

I remember Watergate. It took serious enterprise journalism to discover the facts and bring a private scandal into the open. Do students of today realize that? I wonder if students in the Internet/Information Overload Age really grasp that someone must do original research in order for new information to appear online.

Every field—journalism, the natural sciences, the humanities—requires some kind of original work. You can't report on a scandal if no one talks to the people involved. You can't study new data on the natural behavior of chimpanzees if no one goes out into the jungle and takes notes. You can't study contemporary literature if no one has written anything new.

Enterprise Thinking

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein practiced enterprise journalism; they hit the streets to find new, unpublished information. But I imagine your children aren't journalists. They're students (for now, at least). So what might be the equivalent exercise for them? Maybe we could call it "enterprise thinking," the ability to think for oneself.

How do we help kids learn to think for themselves?

I wonder if a good starting point is to teach kids to read with a critical eye. If we want them to really understand a complex topic, they'll need to read more than just a textbook passage, a Wikipedia article, or a few Facebook posts. They should read entire books and articles; they should consider different views and really dive into the topic.

I certainly hope to foster this type of study and critical thinking with Sonlight Curriculum. Sonlight students spend time reading and analyzing newspaper articles from Core F on up. Sonlight also uses "real" books to present complex issues and help students research various topics. When studying the American Civil War, for example, students read firsthand accounts, biographies, historical fiction and more.

My hope is that as students consider different viewpoints they learn not to take one person's answer (or one internet search) as the whole unbiased truth. I hope they learn to think critically and come to their own well-reasoned conclusions (under the authority of Scripture and with parental guidance, of course).

I wonder—if we can help our students learn that, will they be more prepared to dive in and tackle the challenges of original research and original thought when their time comes?

What do you think? How can we seek to raise up children who critically evaluate and engage their world?

Blessings,
Sarita Holzmann

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Fibonacci and Faith

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I watched a video that suggested the Fibonacci sequence is "proof of a Creator." A video I find even more compelling is Nature by Numbers. The connections and patterns are amazing!

But what I don't find compelling is the idea that patterns and sequences are some kind of "fingerprint of God."1 Creation is amazing, to be sure. Even the most common of natural occurrences can inspire awe (a waterfall, sunrise, wind flowing over a grassy field). But patterns that emerge from an algorithm are hardly creative works.


Fibonacci's Fingerprint

Take, for example, the fact that even "random" computer programs produce patterns: Pseudo-Random vs. True Random

Two things irk me on a regular basis: Bad theology and bad science. Too often, those go hand in hand for people on all sides of the discussion.

Granted, I'm no theologian or scientist. So I still have much to learn. Thankfully, my background with Sonlight has prepared me well. I'm not afraid to consider various sides of a discussion. I happily read the insights of those who disagree with a position I favor. By doing so, I can better interact with the ideas, refine my position, and communicate clearly with those with whom I disagree.

Sound good? Read more about Sonlight's educational philosophy.

If you are inspired by the patterns in the world, fantastic! May we all continue to grow so we worship God in spirit and truth. There is always more to learn. Good thing we all like the idea of lifelong learning <smile>.

What things in nature do you find compelling?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

1. If you're looking for "cosmic fingerprints" I'd recommend learning more about DNA and perhaps picking up a copy of The Language of God. That's what I've been reading lately...

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