Reaching Higher Homeschool Ezine, Issue #013 -- A Gift that Keeps Giving

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Issue #013 - December 2007

A Gift that Keeps Giving

As homeschoolers we all know that learning doesn’t end when the school term ends. Most of us have created learning environments in our homes and so whether you are following your curriculum or taking a holiday, no doubt your children are still learning.

This holiday we have taken some time to do some fun projects together – some lapbooking and paper crafts (details below). While we are enjoying the break from formal study, there is a lot of character training happening in our home. We are concentrating on practicing honouring one another, especially by means of the tone of voice we use with one another and the body language that goes along with it!

Unlike moms who send their children off to school after the holidays, we can’t afford to let character-training slip or else we will sit with little monsters in our schoolrooms in 2008! Use this holiday time to focus on character-training. Work on character while there is no pressure of academics and set yourself up for a good start to the new school year.

Advice

The festive season is often a time that brings families together for these special celebrations. For some the time is a blessing, but in many families, the close proximity of relatives is a time bomb waiting to explode, if left too long.

We are called to be peace-makers, but sometimes its hard, when your ‘buttons’ are being pushed by interfering mothers-in-law, indulgent grandparents or other family members that don’t share your values! You feel like the trigger in the time bomb.

As you anticipate interaction with people that may ‘press’ you, remember that God uses circumstances and relationships to build character. Ask him to show you the issues in your heart that need to change so that you can reach out to others in love, instead of reacting in sinful ways.

Printables

This month we have added a hands on South African Unit Study to our website as a fundraiser for a little girl with HIV that is desperately in need. A homeschooling friend brought her plight to our attention and so we are offering this printable download in return for a small donation to pay for the painkillers and medication that Nobuhle needs to live comfortably.

The Fly, Eagle, Fly unit study is based on a classic South African children’s picture book. It is suitable for ages 4-8 and includes:

narration notebooking pages,

copywork pages

Bible Memory verse copywork pages

lessons about light and colour,

a colour wheel to make

lessons about birds, flight and birds of prey,

a lifecycle wheel to make,

various mini-books about the sun and solar system, planets, birds, the Xhosa people

outline map of South Africa

directions for a 3D model hut

opposites matching card game and more.

Read more and find out how to get your copy here: Fly, Eagle, Fly unit study

Websites

We found some free printable paper crafts at www.papertoys.com including a nativity scene, gift boxes to fold for Christmas, plus loads of other fun projects suitable for a range of ages.

A Christmas Gift that Lasts

As you know, besides running the Footprints website, we each have our own personal websites where we encourage other homeschooling moms.
Not only has it been enormously rewarding to hear feedback from site visitors, thanking us for the encouragement and information, but our families and others have been blessed by the income that we have been able to earn from our sites.

We want to share this with you all again because EACH of us have a hobby, passion or expertise on a subject – we just picked homeschooling.

Since we started, other friends and acquaintances have started websites too – Cathy started a site about Christian unschooling, Ali has built a site about Cape Town as a family holiday destination, Tienie built a site for her husband’s Kalahari hunting trip business, Jo’s husband is sharing his passion for Science with a science fair project theme, another South African mom is focusing on her love of interior decorating. Other moms we know have sites about kids cooking, natural beauty products, kids crafts etc...the amazing niches they find are endless.

If you haven’t yet, then think about how you too could build a site about your interest, share your knowledge with others, earn an income from home and be able to give to the needy.

At the moment the package we used to succeed is on special: there is a buy-one-get-one-free offer from Site Build It! - so you can team up with your husband or a friend and get your sites started at half price. Give yourself and someone else a gift that will ultimately keep giving.

Remember, this offer is on for a limited time. It ends on Christmas Day, so don’t waste any time.

Footprints News

2007 has been a busy year for Footprints and we’d like to thank you for your support.

Not only have we worked hard at increasing the amount of information on our website, but we also gave our Footprints into the 21st Century manual an overhaul, created a daily schedule for it and added a Language Arts programme. We published this newsletter each month and also created the 7 part e-course Tips for New Homeschoolers…and mostly because we get a kick out of doing it!

We will be taking a much needed break from 15 December until the New Year and so we wish you and your families a blessed festive season. We pray for safe-traveling, good health and good progress in all your relationship-building!!

Till next month, we wish you every blessing

Wendy and Shirley

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