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raisingcovenantchildren

I've been using @notionhq for my homeschool planni

I've been using @notionhq for my homeschool planning for a number of weeks now. I include screenshots from the pages of books (mostly public domain) to plan my lessons. A couple of weeks ago, I realized that my copy of the Christian Liberty Nature Reader is actually an edited version of the Nature Studies For Young Readers. While I appreciate the more archaic form of writing by Florence Bass, I applaud the deliberate attempt of the Christian Liberty edition to bring the reader to wonder not just with nature or created things, but to fix his gaze upon the God who made all things. It also helps that it provides more updated explanations and illustrations.

But if you ask me to pick one from among the two. The original offers literary value, while the edited one provides Christian discipleship. I think there is room for both in one's library.

Last week, I shared in my stories about how I made

Last week, I shared in my stories about how I made space in our homeschool room and dubbed it the "Narration Chair" to help my student get into the habit of focusing once our read aloud begins. We are now in the sixth week and have now gotten into the rhythm, albeit slowly. "Slow and steady wins the race" seems to be a running theme in our household these days, perhaps it's one of the ways we try to incarnate Festina Lente (make haste slowly).
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Just as well, I have been reading through Pinocchio in the last few weeks and as I reached Chapter 21 this morning, my student narrated the episode wherein Pinocchio was caught by the farmer. The puppet was maltreated as he was brought near the farmer's house to keep watch like a neglected dog. I observed with eager expectation and profound fondness as my student retold and spontaneously grabbed items nearby to "build" her scene. This is one of the many tough parts to swallow in the story, but Pinocchio the quintessential "wooden" child awakens the moral imagination. We have yet to reach what Tolkien would call the eucatastrophe, the ultimate redemption of the story. And while we wait, I am surely reminded that although fairy tales aren't real, the stories are indeed true.

#ourlivinglearning
#livinglearninghomeschool
#pilgrimpaideia

I saw someone post about Snakes and Ladders the ot

I saw someone post about Snakes and Ladders the other day. But I can't remember who—my memory fails me. Then I realized that we don't have that particular board game at home yet. I was filled with nostalgia at first. But I took it upon myself to play with the children after acquiring the games, knowing that they are a good way to practice numeracy up to a hundred. Most therapists use games to practice concepts. Play helps connect synapses in the brain with constant repetition. It helps your brain light up, as what my daughter's reading interventionist would say to her.
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Snakes and Ladders, the BINGO game and dominoes are familiar games to children who grew up with a mostly unplugged childhood. I was fortunate enough to enjoy those years with my siblings.
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What is more, these games do not only promote some good old fun with much educational benefits, these are all quite affordable at less than P200 each. I wish to find a more sturdy lot, but these will do for now.
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Did you grow up playing with such games? Do you play these games at home now?

I've been using @notionhq to plan for our homescho

I've been using @notionhq to plan for our homeschooling, and it has made lesson making so much easier. Because of the nature of homeschooling, and life in general, none of these planners are set in stone. Working with Notion is one big experiment. Likewise, homeschool planning will always remain a work in progress. I have made our weekly template available for download if you wish to try it for yourself.
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I wrote all about it over at my latest blog entry at raisingcovenantchildren.com [link in bio @raisingcovenantchildren]

I used to do side gigs as a freelance web designer

I used to do side gigs as a freelance web designer when I was in college so I'm more comfortable with digital media. But including nature studies in our curriculum created many opportunities for me to try out drawing (and painting for the first time, as far as I could remember) for our #naturejournal. The children and I caught a grasshopper the other day. And we finally let it go after observing it.
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One of the things I've learned from @ourlivinglearning's workshops is to get "in the trenches" with the children. On some days, that could mean crafting, drawing and painting with them. That I did. And it was a good way to exercise #scholeeveryday.
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Apparently, there is still a lot of room to improve here. But thanks to Julia Rothman and her lovely books for making nature easier to paint and follow for uninitiated persons, such as myself. Painting with the children was unhurried. It was restful. It was pleasurable. It was #scholé.
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#DoscendoDiscimus

We homeschool differently because of specific lear

We homeschool differently because of specific learning needs. We use timers for smoother transitions. We use visual checklists. We take a lot of breaks in between tasks. We follow explicit phonics instruction. We use multimodal resources. We do short lessons. We narrate instead of writing. We also give rewards for goals and good work.
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Perhaps this is a reminder for myself that my child is indeed a person. She is made in the image of God. She is an embodied soul that will last forever. She is likewise a sinner who needs the good news of Jesus every single day, just like me. But as a covenant child of God, she bears God's name. She is marked by God in her baptism. She belongs to God, and God belongs to her by virtue of His covenant promises.
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When some days are better than others, I forget that it is for my good. That I am being sanctified.
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I am reminded of what Andrew and Rachel Wilson wrote in their book, Life We Never Expected: "Parenting in a daily willingly-laying-down-your-life way is a powerful opportunity to reflect and enact what the gospel truly is. But it is just a reflection, a role play, if you will—because there is no humbling moment, no public humiliation or social isolation that matches what Jesus experienced at the cross. We have a High Priest who fully sympathizes with all our weaknesses and gave himself up as the centerpiece of our faith. Giving up our lives for others is the centerpiece of our faithfulness. The call to Christ is a call to sacrifice—to suffering, death, and burial—and through that sacrifice, to resurrection and fruitfulness. So yes, today, I am spent. But in the gospel, I am rich."

If you've been following me on my Facebook page, y

I am not very knowledgeable with music. Although I

I am not very knowledgeable with music. Although I learned how to play the piano and guitar when I was younger, I didn't really master an instrument (shame on my cow, I know!), except the computer! Ha! But anything worth doing is worth doing badly. So I prepared these marionettes for weeks in order that we could all enjoy the musical fairy tale that is 'Peter and the Wolf' by Sergei Prokofiev. It is said that this symphonic fairy tale is a good introduction to classical music for children because each character of the story is represented by one instrument in the orchestra.
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So we listened to the music coupled with narrations, played with the puppets, and identified the musical instrument as each character was introduced one by one. I am also glad to finally use some of the music books that I've been keeping for my children! All in all, it was a pleasant experience for my students, including myself. They both enjoyed playing puppet master!
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This was a win for our homeschool today. It was a great invitation to enjoy the beautiful.

"The Christian tradition insists that all that is

"The Christian tradition insists that all that is true, beautiful, and good finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ."

—Alister E. McGrath

My preschooler did this today, and I thought it wa

My preschooler did this today, and I thought it was too good of an idea not to share.
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What does my Pre-K student do on most days? He learns his letters, numbers, and the children's catechism. He draws on his Bible journal every morning. He sings along with the Filipino folksongs that we're learning together and joins the read alouds with his sister. He enjoys watering plants and looks forward to our nature walks in the afternoon. He is ever so curious about insects and wishes to discover more animals in the near future. Most of the time he's drawing or making different creatures out of tape and paper. And when he's asked to pray at night, he always remembers to pray for the coronavirus pandemic to end.

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