New on DVD: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

 Nothing is more dangerous than letting one's personal problems get in the way of that which should be strictly business, or to allow one's desire for gain to replace all sense of caution in a situation requiring the utmost safety.

This, at least, is the message conveyed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes (prequel to Planet of the Apes) as it examines the effects of an upset in nature's order.

Moviegoers, beware:  the upset is the result of technological abuse.  That's right, folks:  stupid people + technology = downfall of entire human race.

Not to worry, though.  The film handles this concept in such a way that it hardly dampens the fun at all.

Studying History the Common Sense Way

When we decided to start homeschooling, twenty years ago, we immediately purchased The Christian Home Educators’ Curriculum Manual by Cathy Duffy and How to Homeschool: A Practical Approach by Gayle Graham. The latter is a no-nonsense explanation of how homeschooling changes your life in a practical sense with tips and encouragement. The former contains reviews of homeschool materials for all subjects. Both of these books were invaluable to our family, and especially me, since the bulk of the day-to-day business of school was going to be my responsibility. From these books, I was able to understand the kind of teaching philosophy that made sense to me and, armed with that information, I was able to determine the curricula that would most likely work well for us. One of the most important concepts that I learned in all of this that made complete sense to me is that history should be taught from the beginning. This was radically different from the way I was taught in a southeastern Michigan public school. There, most years were spent focused on American history, which was not even two hundred years old at that time. Sure, there were brief studies about tribes in far off countries or extinct civilizations, such as the Aztecs. There was even a sprinkle of ancient history for one semester in high school.  My memory and understanding of history, at the time we began homeschooling, was extremely limited. For us, it made complete sense to begin our study of history from the beginning of mankind’s records.

Great Breakfast Recipe for a Chilly Morning

One of our favorite breakfasts on a chilly morning is Baked Oatmeal. It tastes so good that you almost think you are eating a dessert. It’s not dessert, though, and in fact, it can be a really nutritious start to the day. It’s easy to prepare the night before and then bake first thing in the morning. It’s also a cinch to cut the fat (I’ll tell you how), and the leftovers heat up well in the microwave. Here’s the recipe:

Baked Oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix the first three ingredients in a large bowl and then stir in the rest:

1 c. oil (or ½ c. oil and ½ c. unsweetened applesauce to cut the fat)

¾ c. sugar

4 eggs

6 c. oats (not quick cooking)

1 t. salt

1 T. baking powder

2 c. milk

Raisins (optional—about 1 c.)

Cinnamon (optional—about 1 T.)

Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until just starting to brown around the edges. Serve warm with a little milk poured on top. Enjoy!

Help for Homeschoolers: High School Writing

As a veteran homeschooling parent with twenty successful years of experience, plus work as a writer and editor, I sometimes get calls from parents whose teenage children need help writing. What I concentrate on when I tutor this age group is mastery of a basic, five-paragraph essay. If your child knows how to properly organize and construct this type of paper by the time he graduates, he will be well on his way to academic success in college. There is a simple, almost mathematical formula for constructing such an essay. If your child follows these steps and applies my top two tips, success is only a matter of time: Know the material;  jot down whatever comes to mind, otherwise known as freewriting; create an outline; draft a strong thesis statement and solid topic sentences; pay attention to organization and flow; and rewrite if necessary.

Cynthia Rylant: Great Children's Author

One of our all-time favorite children’s authors is Cynthia Rylant. This award-winning author has written  too many books to mention, but our favorite series are the books about Henry and Mudge and Mr. Putter.

Henry is a young, red-haired boy whose family adopts an English Mastiff puppy. Every story has a fun, believable adventure and a happy ending. Mudge, instead of being an intimidating watch dog, is really just a big, sweet teddy bear of a dog who shivers from fright if he has to visit the vet and leaves puddles of drool wherever he goes. When Rylant first introduces Henry’s cousin, Annie, she is very prim and proper and worried that Mudge will soil the party dresses she constantly wears. However, Mudge quickly wins her over, and she learns to relax, even enjoying a snack that Henry finds under his bed and shares with her. A little later in the series, she and her single father move close to Henry, and the adventures continue. Annie is such a likeable character and so enjoyed by little girls, especially, that a spinoff series has been created in her name.

Pet Peeve from a Word Lover

Every generation has an idiosyncrasy or two about the way it uses the language. One of the most annoying misuses of a word today is “feel” instead of “think” or “believe.” While the word “feel” can mean something related to perception, it is not nearly as strong a word as the other two. In addition, it is being used much more frequently nowadays, mostly by young people when they really should be using one of the stronger words.

Why are so many young people overusing “feel” when they really mean “think” or “believe?” My own theory is that the tolerance movement is probably a major contributing factor. No one wants to offend anyone else. We are all supposed to be “politically-correct” and not step on anyone’s toes. Having certain thoughts about something – or stronger still, beliefs – will offend someone, so a way to soften the blow is to use a gentler word, hence “feel.”

Help for New and Prospective Homeschoolers

           

When I was in upper elementary, I remember my mom teaching me that, in order to do a good job on a report about the Titanic, I should answer the following questions:  Who? What? When? Where? Why? She also told me that a writer should always consider whether or not “How?” would be an applicable question. I followed her advice and received an “A” on my outline and paper.

It’s kind of funny that the lessons I remember the best are the ones my mom taught me, even though I was not homeschooled. This seems to be the way it is with most people: they remember what their parents taught them.

Children, in fact, become accustomed to learning from their parents even before they are born. A baby becomes attuned to his mother’s voice in the womb and her voice will continue to get his attention even right after birth. The same can frequently be said of the father’s voice.

Homeschooling is a natural extension of the early parent-child relationship. And because children learn best from their parents, especially in the early years, and benefit immensely from the one-on-one tutoring that is characteristic of homeschooling, it is almost always a more successful endeavor than public or private education. There are exceptions to this, but statistics support that this is the rule. 

Teaching Children to Write Well

            The schools are turning out too many graduates who can barely write a coherent English sentence.  A lot of these young people somehow get into college and then struggle to write papers that would have been simple for American high schoolers as recently as the 1940’s and 50’s.  Homeschoolers are well aware of this and for many, this is one of the reasons they are teaching their own children.  Still, teaching young people to write well can be intimidating and overwhelming, especially as students enter the higher grades.  There are three important components to preparing children for writing assignments in high school, college, and beyond:  Making sure that they are good readers and read a lot; giving them numerous writing projects; and finally, teaching them to master the basic five-paragraph essay.