School is Out and Blog is Suffering

Aside from finishing up craft projects and doing KONOS fun activities, we are done with seat-work, Math, and most other subjects for the month of August. We'll still be doing chores, reading, educational videos, and the aforementioned KONOS and crafts... but technically school is out. I guess that really just means that MOM doesn't have to do lesson plans and can catch up on grading, reading, and planning for NEXT school year. Sounds good to me.

We went on field trips today, and had a picnic in the park. Kev used some nasty Cajun turkey-breast meat in my sandwich, so I ended up just eating a cheese sandwich, chips, and a pickle. I left the turkey for the ants. We took some photos for our Field Trip Foto Friday series. It was educational. Hopefully, said photos will be available when I get around to posting my 2004-5 and 2005-6 school year posts... on which I am way behind. Sorry.

I wasn't in the mood to blog today, so we all goofed off as a family and enjoyed ourselves instead. I did get a rather nasty email from some Swedish dude pretending to be trying to serve my better interest by saving my kids from my crazy Creationist viewpoints. He made sure to tell me that Americans have a serious history problem because we are such a young nation, and we are seriously lacking because we haven't been "abroad" and don't let our government tell us how to educate our kids. I probably shouldn't have, but I emailed him back (I was somewhat nice, but firmly let him know that his insults would not be tolerated). I know, I know... I took the bait. The bible does say not to cast your pearls to swine, and arguing in circles about Christianity is no way to win souls. However, I'm really tired of people trying to be "helpful" when what they really want to do is just try and "put you in your place". I think they could do the world a great service by keeping their opinions on their own blogs rather than just randomly attacking happy, innocent bloggers - like myself. I especially have a problem with those who think they are better than others, just because of their nationality (here in America, we call that RACISM). It isn't just a color thing, obviously. It may seem like I'm picking on Sweden, but Honestly, I've never had anything against Sweden - nor it's people and customs... I'm sure there are other nice people there.... and maybe this guy just had a bad life or something and needed someone to belittle?

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back to my sweet self tomorrow after I pray really hard for what's-his-name and myself, both.

Have yourself a merry little Tuesday and I'll be in later in the day (after more interesting field trips we are planning and some celebrating for the kids since they did such a great job this year in 3rd and 2nd Grade) to notify you that I'm hosting the carnival of homeschooling next week!

Check out this post to find out how to submit an entry.

Good night and God bless!


Buzz Words: racism, Carnivals, Kids, Blogosphere, Opinion, Creation, Comments, Christianity, Homeschooling, Homeschoolers, Homeschool, Parenting, Summer, Field Trips, Last Day of School, Family, Life, Personal, Rambling

Promised Carnival Links...

I rounded up those other two carnival links!

Here they are:
Carnival of Cats #123
Carnival of Kid Comedy #19

I've also added some links to my sidebar in mostly every area... so enjoy!

I'm off to curl up next to 'Minga the Snott' and catch some Zzzzzs.


Buzz Words: Cats, Carnivals, Kids, Blogosphere, Children, Humor, Creatures, Animals, Funny, Pets, Silly, Parenting, Mommy, Daddy, Links, Family, Life, Personal, Blogs

Sunday School Lesson Plans

I ran late this morning and am having to miss Sunday School. Oh, well... at least I am dressed and ready for church. I have had this little post saved for a month, waiting to be posted. I figure a Sunday is as good a time as ever to share it with you all.

Not long ago, we were running late like this morning, but we missed church entirely. So, rather than waste the morning goofing off, we sat down with a Bible, a printed lesson plan, three crystal wine glasses (Daddy works Sundays, so he was not home), a bottle of cold grape juice, and some crackers. I know it is confusing for little kids some times when they see the communion trays pass in front of them... so I thought I would do a little lesson plan on why we take the Lord's Supper.

We really enjoyed the lesson * (see below for link). I thought it was well-thought-out. I wanted to share it with you in case you were interested. The kids really loved it, and felt very important getting to take communion with Mommy. They have since asked me if we could do it again. Sitting down and talking seriously with your kids is something they really enjoy! Imagine that! In my humble opinion, the more you do it when they are young, the more they will come to you when they are teens and young adults for life's big questions.

Here are the links I discovered that day when we all learned about the Lord's Supper.

SUNDAY SCHOOL Lesson Plan Pages

• * The Last Supper Lesson Plan (awesome!)


• Sunday School Lesson Plans for Gradeschoolers

Happy Sunday everyone. Be blessed.


Buzz Words: Christianity, theology, Christian, learning, communion, homeschool, homeschooling, educational, church, Teaching, children, Sunday School, teacher, religion, lessons, lesson plans, character, Bible, elementary

Planning Ahead: KONOS Unit Scheduling

I've been working on our next school year's unit schedule with KONOS, and have penciled in what we're most likely going to cover. I did the following school year as well. Then I looked over all the rest of the units we will have left and got an idea of what we'll need to cover the three following school years. It looks like we'll just be finished with all three KONOS Volumes by Kaden's 8th Grade year... leaving Morgan time to review her favorite units in 8th Grade while her brother moves on to the KONOS high school program or some other worldview curriculum.

I'm excited to get started on next year, even though we're just barely finishing up this one (our last day of school is Monday - rewards day - but today is our last day of seatwork and testing)! Morgan is taking the Texas TAKS 3rd Grade Exam today at home (link in my sidebar if you want to print your own out). She's finishing 2nd Grade up right now, but I did the same thing for Kaden when he finished Second grade... and of course, it helps to give you an idea of what areas to work on. I still don't have results from Kaden's state tests back in April. Yeah, I had to show up on time by state order for him to test... but apparently, they have the entire SUMMER to get the results to you. It's a good thing I'm not starting school already like a lot of my friends.... or I wouldn't even know what his test scores were for last year until well into this coming school year!

Here's what our pencil-sketch of the next two years looks like:

2006-7 KONOS Unit Schedule

September 06
Ears, Sound, Music (Attentiveness Vol 1)
October 06
Eyes, Seeing, Other Senses, Predator & Prey (Attentiveness Vol 1)
November 06
Frontiersmen, Tracking & Trapping, Review of Indians (Attentiveness Vol 1)
December 06
Birds/Christmas Break (Attentiveness Vol 1)
January 07
Trust General Unit, Floating & Ships (Trust Vol 1)
February 07
Deception Illusion, Flight & Airplanes (Trust Vol 1)
March 07
Bread & Grain, Plants & Gardening (Patience Vol 1)
April 07
Plant and Animal Classification (Orderliness Vol 1)
May 07
Sequencing, Measuring & Construction (Vol 1 Orderliness)
June 07
Attributes of God, Pottery & Sculpture (Honor Vol 1)

SUMMER SCHOOL (only KONOS)...
July 07
Tabernacle/Reverent Behavior/Hymns (Honor Vol 1)
August 07
Cathedral and Church Architecture (Honor Vol 1)

2007-8 KONOS Unit Schedule

September 07
Bees, Family, Church & General (Cooperation - Vol 3)
October 07
Town & Community (Cooperation - Vol 3), Choices & Safety (Vol 2 Wisdom)
November 07
Country/Culture (pick a country), Kindness, Service & Etiquette (Vol 1 Honor)
December 07
Christmas Unit (Vol 2 - Love/Generosity)
January 08
Body Systems (Cooperation Vol 3), Body/Appetite/Emotions (Self Control Vol 2)
February 08
Human and Animal Birth and Growth (Patience Vol 1)
March 08
Begin States & Regions Unit (Cooperation Vol 2) - Texas History Month
April 08
Continue States & Regions.... (possibly add colonial & war of independence NE)
May 08
Continue States & Regions.... (possibly add civil war/Virginia & South)
June 08
Continue States & Regions.... (possibly add Explorers/Western States)

SUMMER SCHOOL (only KONOS)...
July 08
Continue States & Regions.... (possibly add arctic & ocean life/Alaska & Hawaii)
August 08
Continue States & Regions.... WRAP UP: USA STATES & REGIONS PARTY

Buzz Words: schedule, reading, school, learning, unit study, homeschool, homeschooling, education, back to school, parenting, children, plans, teacher, history, lessons, lesson plans, character, KONOS, elementary

Saturday Around the Blogosphere

CARNIVALS OF NOTE:

• Christian Carnival
  
• Homeschool Carnival at the Lilting House (love the Schoolhouse Rock Theme!)

There was another carnival or two that I participated in, but I'm not sure what days they are on, and as of yet, I haven't seen them come across my site meter. I'll get links up for those when they happen.

AROUND MY BLOGROLLS:

• Poor Five - by Hula Seventy (she's a great photographer and masterful writer - love her artsy posts)
  
• Academics KO Grammar Again - by Grizzly Mama (just when you thought homeschooling until high school was enough...)
  
• Texas Family Looses Both Their Sons in War - by Isn't it Rich (prayers needed)
  
• Tour of Homes Meme - Boo Mama (Ok, so she's not on my blogroll - YET, but Sheri tipped me off and I enjoyed her photos, so I had to click over and check Boo Mama out!)
  
• Lasagna Roll-Ups Florentine - by Gathering Manna (yeah, this is my food blog... but hey... it is a really good recipe)
  
• My Little Scheduling Tip - by Higher Up and Further In (always helpful, that LindaFay... and she links to some nice print-out schedules on her site in this post)
  
• Socialism in Education and Homeschooling Solves Literacy Gap - by SpunkyHomeschool (keeping us up to date on homeschool news)
  
• Evangelism in your tax-funded schools - by A Little Perspective (... and in Kentucky?)
  
• Young Earth or Old Earth: Do answers exist? - by A Little Perspective (there's a new Creation/Evolution debate in town!)
  
• Wild Day in China - by Double 3 (hat tip to Terrible Speller)

I'm such a name-dropper. Oh, well, at least now I can clear out all those checkmarks on the bottom of my Bloglines subscriptions.

I'm sorry for the double posting today... I've got another saved post to put up after this one!


Buzz Words: Culture, Carnivals, Education, Blogosphere, Literacy, Agenda, Creationism, Lesson Planning, Homeschool, War, Creative, Teaching, Mommy, Links, Christian, Round-up, Christianity, Recipes, Homeschooling

Field Trip Foto Friday: Texas State Railroad

The Texas State Railroad runs between Rusk and Palestine and is like a walk back in time. The Victorian style depots at both ends of the line and interesting exhibits make you feel as if you stepped back into an age long-gone. The track's forest surroundings are lovely, and when we took the train with a large homeschool group in March of 2004, we enjoyed seeing the spring dogwood blossoms along the way. The trip between depots takes between 11 AM and 3:30 PM with a nice layover for lunch in-between with picnic areas and lovely scenery in the shade of tall pines. Interestingly, there have been many movies and television shows filmed there... and during the tour, your guide talks about the engine itself. The steam engine we rode on was an actual World War II locomotive steam engine that was used to deploy troops as well as to transport prisoners to death camps.



Here's a snip from the railroad's website:

"Train Stations and Railroad Stores The depots located in Rusk and Palestine reflect the architecture of the early 20th century. The station offers historical exhibits, pictures, and displays. Each depot has a Railroad Store offering unique gifts, nostalgic keepsakes, and educational toys. Food service is also offered at each station. Sandwiches, chips, drinks, and ice cream are available during each day of operation."

And here...

"State Park camping and picnicking facilities are adjacent to both depots. The park at Rusk offers shaded picnic tables, a scenic 15-acre lake, group picnic pavilions, and full hookup camping. The Palestine park has shaded picnic tables and water-only camping sites. For information on camping or pavilion rentals, contact the Rusk/Palestine State Park (903) 683-5126 or Park Information at 1-800/792-1112."

This particular Field Trip Foto Friday couldn't have come at a better time. It seems the Texas State Railroad is suffering under recent funding cuts from the Texas Legislature. The tracks in the deep Texas piney woods may finally fall silent after so many years of chug-chug-chugging. This is very sad news indeed. If you are a train lover, a history lover, or just a Texas lover... I urge you to contact your representatives today and join up for the Friends of the Texas State Railroad to help keep this Victorian beauty steaming along.

"Smokestack on his back! Chug-Chug-Chug! Coming down the track! Chug-Chug-Chug! Little red caboose behind the train! Toot-Toot!"


Buzz Words: Field Trip, Photos, Foto, Family, Enrichment, Fun, Kids, Activities, Train, Learning, Homeschool, History, Pines, Picnic, Locomotive, Parenting, Children, East Texas, Texas, State Parks

Thursday Challenge: Sports

This is taken in grandma's pool. I don't really think of swimming as a sport. I never liked the race-type swimming, although I did learn how to swim properly. It is so much more fun to swim all the way under water on the bottom of the pool... to dive for lost objects... and to look around with your goggles or mask on. Even better is swimming at night and playing water volley-ball. We lived at some apartments when we first got married that had a lovely pool and a volley-ball net that was set up all the time. It was so pretty at night. I haven't ever had a pool at my house, but I bet I would swim a lot more often if I had one so handy.

Click over to the Thursday Challenge and see some of the other wonderful Sports related photos. I just love these three: Ballpeen, Open Eyes, Look Through My Eyes.... and here's another homeschool mom who's participating today: Beth from the Brew*Crew Adventures!


Buzz Words: Photos, Thursday Challenge, sports, swim, play, July, outdoors, exercise, photography, parenting, children, family, fun, pool, summer, swimming, kids

Book Report PDF Files

The kids filled out some wonderful book report forms last night after Daddy finished reading "The Hobbit" to them (we have all taken turns reading it). We have really enjoyed reading it as a family. We are looking forward to the rest of the series... but for now, I think we will be moving on to something else: Charlotte's Web. We just are finishing up Spring in our study and are planning to finish the year off with Summer (and save the Fall and Christmas for their proper times next year)... so Charlotte's Web will fit in great with our Unit. It even has a chapter called, "Summer Days".

Anyway... while I get back to the kitchen and get the Mexican Cornbread Casserole out of the oven (will put the recipe up tomorrow on Gathering Manna), help yourself to these great Book Report Forms by Edhelper.com!


Buzz Words: books, reading, school, learning, children's books, homeschool, homeschooling, education, home school, parenting, children, family, teacher, book report, fiction, literature, kids

Reduce Stress This School Year!

I got this via email, and thought it was a nicely put together list of ideas on keeping sane and reducing the chance of homeschool-mom burn-out! I have no idea who wrote it, but thanks to whomever it was!

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others. - Let the kids gather the supplies, do some laundry and read the recipes! They aren't helpless!

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases. Try and wait a few weeks before a purchase to see how long you can live without it.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read when you have a minute to spare.

17. Get enough rest. Remember to schedule a few days off in your school year!

18. Eat right. Plan your meals so you won't end up at McDonalds.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. Sermons, self help, Diana Waring, Konos, or Hank the Cowdog, anyone?

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. And write your family and friends!

22. Every day, find time to be alone. And alone with God.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand. Or do scripture memory index cards and keep them handy.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself seriously.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

What would I add to that list (aside from what I already edited a tad up there)?

37. Pray for other people. I know I couldn't have made it this far if others had not prayed for me. This also helps you get out of your own bubble and live for more than just yourself.

38. A combination of #21 and #25 - Write in a prayer journal. It is nice to see how God has moved in your life when you go back and read what you have prayed in the past.

39. Hug your kids and kiss your spouse often. Set aside a date night (for your spouse) and kid day as often as you can (to get each kid alone for some quality one-on-one time).

40. Plan ahead (keep a calendar, dayplanner, menu planner, and lesson planner updated and handy)


If you would like to add anything to this list, you can do so in my comments section or on your own blog! Consider yourself tagged. God bless and may your 2006-2007 school year be un-stressed!


Technorati Tags: stress, teaching, school, learning, mom, homeschool, Homeschooling, Education, Home School, Parenting, children, Family, teacher, resolutions, self help, school year, getting things done, planning ahead, relationships

From Bones to the Barnyard

"Evolution" of a Llama:
First few steps (painting sticks, hot glue)...


Last few steps (wrapping with fiber fill, adding pipe-cleaner ears and burlap/cloth saddles, ropes and bridles)...


I thought the kid's llamas came out better than mine did. They did a good job helping with this (although Morgan and I both got burned by the hot glue gun a little). I'm just no good with craft supplies without supervision! Maybe we should just stick to Elmer's.

Sorry, I just didn't feel like writing today. It's my day off with family again... too many things on my mind to sit down and write. Our last week of school for 2005-6 starts tomorrow! Yipee!!!
More on this craft here: Finally Finished the Llamas (sortof)!!!


Technorati Tags: llama, animals, Pets, farm, KONOS, homeschool, Homeschooling, Education, Home School, Parenting, children, Family, teaching, Crafts, Photos, Unit+Study, Project, Art, Photos

Bug Trivia

The kids discovered an interesting little bug at a relative's home in Houston on our vacation. It had lumps of what we think is black clay dirt on it's back, but we weren't going to sample it to be sure! It looks to be the larval state of some strange insect. It was about as big as a lady bug (very tiny) and had a greenish waxy look. The little spiky spines made him look tough for a wee-one. When we set it on a piece of paper for the photo-op, it got mad and reared up, putting it's 6 legs up towards us.

Let's play "Name That Bug!" - ready, set, go!



Other Quick Links:
Spider Speak
Chigger In My Refrigerator
Thursday Challenge: Nature
Texas Tarantula Hawk
Wicked Waspy Thing
Eyed Tiger Moth
Picturesque Praying Mantis
Green Spider

Buzz Words: Science, Photo, Nature, Children, Parenting, Answer, Creepy, Kids, Pests, Garden, Learning, Teaching, Question, Insect, Bugs, Quiz, Back Yard, Photo, Trivia

Field Trip Foto Friday: Houston Studio Glass

Glass blowing and glass art are extremely interesting... and the team at Houston Studio Glass (link under post title) put on an exceptionally educational demonstration at their studio not far from downtown Houston back in February of 2004. Here are a few things we learned on our trip (mind you that the group of children who attended were between the ages of 4 and 15 and the trip was FREE):

1. We learned about the kiln and how hot the fire must be


2. We saw the brittle properties of glass and how heat makes it malleable (they stretched it across the studio and made the kids 'oooo' and 'ahhhh'!)


3. We watched glass be blown into different shapes and learned about the different types of objects you can make with glass


4. We viewed a gallery of art and objects already made


5. We discussed the way glass blowers are able to put different colors into their work and watched them add lines of blue to a white vase


6. We learned some of the substances that provide the different colors


7. We watched them mold the glass in various ways and add artistic marks on the objects they fired (and learned about the tools they use)


8. We talked about how long it takes for the glass to cool

This was an excellent field trip (as far as learning-opportunities go) and a fun one, too. I highly suggest a glass blowing field trip for your homeschool adventures. If you don't live in Houston, just look up glass blowing in your town. Hopefully there is a studio not far away that will be willing to give you an educational tour or demonstration!

Other Quick Links:Other Field Trips from 2004-5
Homeschool Series


Buzz Words: Field Trip, Photos, Foto, Family, Enrichment, Fun, Kids, Activities, Art, Learning, Homeschool, Unit Studies, KONOS, Glass, Teacher, Parenting, Children, Gulf Coast, Houston, Science

Just a little Evil?

Here's a little comic relief for an otherwise pretty serious week:

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you view life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

OK, so what if some of this IS true?!! What are you going to do about it, HU???!!!


Buzz Words: Memes, Humor, Sesame Street, Personal, Personality, Funny, Weird, Quiz, Silly, Evil, Strange, Odd

Spider Speak

My husband likes to put freaky photos on his desktop to gross the kids out. His favorites are cow-patties, flies, and close-ups of really MEAN looking spiders. The kids enjoy this - even though they usually say, "EEEEEEwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Groooooossssss!"

Here's one of his latest favorites:



Even scarier than the spider is the fact that my kids know more about it than I do.

Here's the conversation they had when Daddy put the photo up:

"Those spiders have eyes all over the place." - Daddy
"Yeah, it's amazing that we can catch them at all." - ME

"They don't see very accurately, but their sense of feeling and motion is quite acute." - Son

I mean, really... what nine year old uses the word ACCURATELY and ACUTE in regular conversations with his parents (and in the same sentence)? After we were able to stuff our tongues back in our mouths and both shoot each other an equally awed glance (husband and I), we continued the conversation.

"What are those two things on the front? They look like furry teeth?" - Daddy

I guess he figured he would test to see if Mr. Know-It-All really knew what he was talking about.

"Those are his biters and the orange things on the side are his venom sacks. The two things on the front are his feelers, even though they look like legs." - Son

I grinned at Kevin who was looking at me incredulously as if he didn't believe how much Kaden knew about bugs (pardon me, arachnids).

His father and I both knowing that most of his bug knowledge is from reading bug encyclopedia books (which he loves); I just smiled and winked and said, "I homeschool him!" Oh, well - I can TRY to take credit for it.

After doing a little studying, here's what I did learn about wolf spiders (seems Kaden was being a little too general about the eyes part... since Wolf Spiders are active prey hunters and can see relatively well - although they also rely on other sensors, too). I'll still give him an A+ for effort. It certainly blew me away!

Most wolf spiders have stout bodies and long, thick legs. Their bodies are low to the ground even when walking or running, giving them the appearance of continually being on the prowl. Wolf spider species are similar in general form, but their bodies vary greatly in size, ranging from 2 mm (0.08 in) to nearly 40 mm (1.6 in) in length. They typically have two very large, forward-looking eyes in the middle of their face, flanked by two large upward-looking eyes, and a row of four smaller eyes below. Wolf spiders generally locate their prey by sight, but may also use touch to determine the nature of the prey. They use their front legs to grab prey, then bite and crush it with powerful jawlike mouth parts called chelicerae.

Credits:
Excellent WOLF Spider Photo by James P. Rowan
Article quote from everythingabout.net


Buzz Words: Science, Humor, Spooky, Children, Parenting, Funny, Creepy, Kids, Education, Arachnid, Learning, Teaching, Mommy, Spiders, Bugs, Smart, Vocabulary, Photo, Homeschooling

Best-of Bloggie Bookmark Backpack

This post is a 'backpack' full of homeschool (and other) links that I've come across this week which turned my head. I think each is worth the read, and wanted to save them here on my blog for further inspection as time permits. I figured I'd share the joy and spread these links around (much like kids share peeks at the contents of their backpacks and delight over new school supplies).

Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Praying Backwards - Challies.com

Winners of the 2006 Blogs of Beauty Awards - A Gracious Home (Congrats to Winners - one of my nominations won!)

ABCDEF Meme - Bioluminescence (note to self - do this one day)

Link for Screwtape Letter Worksheets - MJ

"Aids Testing for All" - Crossblogging

Great homeschool mom encouragement - Grown at Home!

Top Ten Habbits of a Happy Homeschool - Linda at Higher Up and Further In (my favorite international homeschool mom's blog)... I am not sure if I have linked to it before, but it's worth a second link if so! She also has a string of very good recent posts such as, Narration - Getting Started, To Tickle Your Funny Bone, and Narration vs. Questioning

A recipe I want to try - Kitchen Chick

I think it was Wittingshire (correct me if I'm wrong) that sent me to this article at "The New Editor": "Man Uses Chip to Control Robot With Thoughts" ... All I could say was 'Holy Cow'. That's amazing!

Great Home-Ec ideas - Phat Mommy

Sweet article about Dana's son who likes to eat dirt at Principled Discovery. She also shares a cool new tool for tracking your blog comments (pretty neat), and this one called "Standardized Tests, An American Addiction".

Advice from Tenn on how to eat healthier through smarter grocery shopping - School @ Home. She also has an older post which I bookmarked about Television and Screen Time that is worth the read.

Violet at Schooldaze does a nice word-study and discusses her homeschool principles.

Not a blog, but this article on "The Bombardier Beetle" was quite inspirational.

Not a blog, but certainly a great article about food and homemaking (including recipes) at The Old Schoolhouse.

Thought provoking article on "8 Easy Steps to Destroy America" - Isn't It Rich

"Ohio cracks down on illicit, Amish "raw milk" cartel" - JackLewis.net

Jen, the editor of The Old Schoolhouse is calling all homeschoolers... to tell them "Tag, You're It" and she also shares an inspirational story about her Particularly Good School Day

Check out the flickrInspector (hat tip to Veerle's Blog) to find out lots of information about your flickr account (and others).

Christine Miller shares some scary news on simplified spelling... (heaven forbid!).

AND Don't forget to check out this week's Carnivals:

Carnival of Homeschooling 29
Christian Carnival CXXXI
Carnival of Education (76th Edition)

Next up on Sprittibee's blog ... a spooky, spidery statement by Sprittibee's own son.

See you soon.


Buzz Words: Science, Carnivals, Evolution, Bugs, Blogging, Faith, Creationism, Tips, Education, Belief, Bible, Teaching, Mommy, Links, Christian, Round-up, Christianity, Photo Hosting, Homeschooling

Why I Believe in 6-Day Creation - Part 2

From the Editor
If you missed part 1, you can rewind and check it out here. It took a lot of cutting and editing to get all these notes into one post... but I'm ready to move on and get back to the fun stuff: homeschool and kid posts! So here's my last post on this series. There's tons of great information and in case you missed the introduction, most of this information (a lot of it is directly quoted from Kent Hovind) came from CSE Ministry's Creation Seminar, Part 1, "The Age of the Earth".



PART 2
Why am I so passionate about Old Earth verses Young Earth Creationism? Because I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and I take it literally. I think God made it for me to be able to understand it (like a child, without the aid of an interpreter) and that he wrote it with me in mind. I believe He inspired it and that he preserved it to this very day. Old Earth and Evolution are a far cry from the Bible’s literal account of Creation, and to me, therefore, they are simply not something I can believe in. Millions of god-hating men from the dawn of time have tried to discredit the Bible and as of yet have been unable to do so. The sad part is that there are souls lost to evolution and humanism every day – and it begins with public broadcasting and public schools… when kids aren’t even able to read yet.

The Bible matters. God is what gives me hope, meaning and a future beyond this life. I'm putting my eggs in the basket of eternity. I am naturally interested in evidences that might prove individual verses in the Bible as being true (although I would take them on faith even if there were no evidences to show). Bible archeology is another interest of mine being a Christian. The newest information about the search for Noah's Ark is intriguing. I have been following all the claims and this newest one seems the most promising.

Atheistic evolution provides a world without purpose or hope. If atheistic evolution is true, our star (sun) only has 5 billion years left until it dwarfs and burns up the inner planets... leaving us without resources and most likely extinct (un-remembered in cosmic eternity - returning to the stardust we supposedly came from). What are the odds that humans will find a way off this planet to populate some other perfectly habitable home somewhere in outer space? What is the point in this argument when we are all headed for extinction (either years from now or quickly by catastrophe with asteroid collision)? Come on, do 'they' really think that population control is going to prevent extinction? If 'they' are right, WHO CARES about ethics, morals, endangered species or biofuels? We're on a road to no-where.

So, without further ado, here are a few more reasons why I believe it is not so impossible to believe in a Young Earth....

Here’s a quick maddeningly long [sorry to those of you on bloglines!] overview from Kent Hovind’s Creation Seminar (Part 1, Age of the Earth):

Evolution and Old Earth is opposite from 6-Day Creation (biblical account) on many points, and if a loose interpretation is made of the “days” in Genesis… you can see that Old Earth doesn’t make sense…

BIBLE SAYS...
1. Earth before
2. Oceans before land
3. Light before sun
4. Land and plants first
5. Fruit trees before Fish
6. Fish before insects
7. Plants before sun
8. Marine mammals before land mammals
9. Birds before reptiles
10. Atmosphere between two layers of water

EVOLUTION/OLD EARTH SAYS...1. Sun before earth
2. Land before oceans
3. Sun before light
4. Marine life first
5. Fish before fruit trees
6. Insects before fish
7. Sun before plants
8. Land mammals before marine mammals
9. Reptiles before birds
10. Atmosphere above water

Belief that the days in Genesis are epochs doesn't make sense to me. Think clearly about it here: Either Genesis is out of order (casting doubt on God's 'inspiration') and the plants lived millions of years without sunlight… or the Bible is right that God made the plants a DAY before he made the sun. How can a God that is so holy and perfect that he can create everything that exists in one second and have it be able to sustain life for all known time not know how to write a book without mistakes? He created the human mind and all the animals yet he can’t dictate a story in the right order?
My husband and I both struggled with the Bible for a while when we first became Christians. We studied a lot with other Christians and although we could feel God pulling on our heartstrings, and our life was changing for the better… the real moment of truth happened when the science was put in perspective for us. When we read about dinosaurs in Job and found the evidence that was never taught to us in public schools, it all started to make sense.

I don't believe being a Christian means that you have to commit intellectual suicide. On the contrary, the longer I have been a Christian and studied both critics of Christianity, Secular Science and rebuttals in favor of Creation, the stronger my faith has become. The important thing to do if YOU are seeking truth in this area is to study God's Word and pray. We shouldn't expect that we can find answers to origins from mankind (the creation) and yet not inquire of God. God gives wisdom freely to those who ask Him for it. King Solomon was famous for this in all the earth... and I still think that God will bless us with it today if we ask and seek Him FIRST.



Below is a list of more questions that evolution fails to answer coherently. I believe you’ll be amazed at all the evidence (or criticism of the other side's evidence) there is and most of it you’ve probably never heard of (if you’ve been raised in American public schools). I know there's been much banter back and forth in my comments section, and a couple of these might have been discussed there as well. I apologize for any duplication of information.

Other questions evolutionists can’t answer:

Who made the laws that govern the universe?

The law of angular momentum in physics dictates that if a body is spinning and it breaks apart, every piece that is flying off will spin in the same direction the original object was spinning. If this is true, and the Big Bang is true, WHY are so many moons and planets in our solar system spinning in different directions? Kent Hovind says that “God did it on purpose to make the big bang theory look stupid”.

Who made the energy needed for a big bang?

Answers in Genesis puts it this way: "Unlike the 'Energizer Bunny', which just keeps going and going on its own power (or so the ad would have you believe), the universe is running out of available energy and is becoming more chaotic, or disorderly, as time goes on. Eventually, there will be no more energy available throughout the universe to accomplish any work. So where did all the original available energy come from, i.e. how was it 'wound up' initially? Someone outside of the universe had to have created it orderly in the beginning—that Someone was God."

Where are all the people?

Kent Hovind discusses the Human population curve for this argument against evolution saying, "almost all textbooks agree that there were only 1 billion in 1810." According to Hovind: 1. The whole population in the world today would fit inside the city of Jacksonville, Florida twice. 2. When Jesus was here there were about 250,000,000 people on the planet. 3. The growth curve proves that we started about 4400 years ago. 5. The Bible teaches that God made everything about 6,000 years ago and 4400 years ago there was a big flood (conveniently starting around the same time the population curve does). 6. Evolutionists then have a huge problem because in just 3,000,000 years the population would have grown to 150,000 people per square inch of earth.

Why are galaxies still spiral shaped?

Galaxies are spinning and gradually loose their spiral shapes. If they are billions of years old why are the still spiral shaped? To the Creationist this is no problem, but the evolution and old earth can not explain this.

Why are there not more Super Novas?

Astronomers observed that about every 30 years a star dies and explodes into a super nova. If the earth is billions of years old, why are there less than 300 known super nova? There should be a lot more of them. According to other articles I have read, the current amount of supernovae in stage 2 found indicate an age of between 10-50 thousand years old (increasing as they find more). More on this topic in my comments section for part 1.

If it takes billions of years for stars to evolve, why was Sirius seen as both red and white in less than 2,000 years?

Teachers say red stars evolve into white stars and it takes billion years to happen. If this is true, why did Cicero in 50 BC state that Sirius was red, why did Seneca describe it as being “redder than mars”, and why did Ptolemy say it was one of the six red stars in 150 AD. According to Hovind, "TODAY SIRIUS is a WHITE star-binary." It has been less than 2,000 years!

Why are some planets and moons still so hot/have such strong magnetic fields if they are so old?

Some planets are cooling off still. Hovind uses the analogy of a coffee cup: "How long does a cup of coffee stay hot?" Jupiter’s moon Ganymede still has a strong magnetic field indicating that it has a very hot inner core that has not finished cooling yet. According to Hovind, "Even evolutionists say that it should have cooled solid billions of years ago. Creationists don’t have a problem here. It isn’t billion of years old."

Why are Saturn’s rings still unstable?

According to Hovind, Saturn’s rings are unstable and moving away from the planet proving that it can’t be billions of years old.

If the earth is 4.6 billions of years old, how do you explain the rate that the moon is gradually moving away from the planet?

According to Dr. Hovind, the moon is going around the earth and gradually getting further away from the planet. He says to his audience on the seminar video, "That means it used to be CLOSER. If you bring the moon in closer, you start to create a problem because the moon causes the tides. If you bring the moon closer, the tides are higher. Calculating the inverse square law (1/3 the force of attraction between 2 objects is 9 times greater) that means about 1.2 billion years ago the moon would have been whizzing around just above the surface of the earth (explaining what happened to the taller dinos)" Then he adds, “They got mooned!” He tells us that using this calculation from the moon makes a 4.6 billion year old earth geophysically impossible.

How can the earth be 4.6 billion years old if there are still comets?

Comets are loosing tails. They only last about 10,000 years. Pretty soon they are gone. Some scientists propose that new comets are coming in from the “Ort Cloud”. In 1950 Jan Ort proposed there was a great cloud 50,000 AU away. Pluto is really hard to see at 39 AU away. Seeing a comet at 50,000 AU is impossible. According to Hovind, "Ort never saw the ort cloud. The whole thing is built on a mathematical mistake (see Raymond Littleton, “The Non-existence of the Ort Commentary Shell”, Astrophysics and Space Science, Vol 31 – December 1934, pp. 385-401)." and, "It is not up to creationists to prove the non-existence of the Ort cloud. Why don’t THEY prove the Ort cloud exists? THEY are the ones with the problem believing comets are OLD."

Why do we still have a magnetic field if the Earth is billions of years old?

Hovind says the Earth’s magnet has lost 6% of its strength in the last 150 years. (Astronomy and the bible by Donald DeYoung, P.18) He says on the seminar, "That means the magnetic field is getting weaker. It used to be stronger. That means the earth has to be at least 25,000 years or younger. If not, the heat generated by the field would have destroyed life on earth." He also claims that this "also means carbon dating doesn’t work."

If the earth is billions of years old, how can you explain its slowing spin?

The earth is spinning over 1000 mph at the equator…. but, it is slowing down. They add ticks to the clock to keep up with this loss of time. Every once in a while (like New Years Eve in 1990 and 1992 – etc.) they have added a ticks. The earth slows down 1,000th of a second every day. In 1992 they added another tick. Leap seconds happen every year or year to a half. Hovind states in his Creation Seminar that: "If the earth is slowing, it used to be going faster. At the steady rate of slowing, a few billion years back, and the earth would have been going so fast that centrifugal force would have spun the dinosaurs clean off of the planet (maybe that’s what happened to them???!!!)" and also says that "the winds would have been 5,000 miles per hour from the Coriolis effect."

According to the research on the time it takes for the process of desertification, why is the *oldest desert only 4,000 years old?

Sahara Desert has a prevailing wind pattern. Hot air causes more desert to spread – desertification. After studying Sahara, they say it is about 4,000 years old. If the earth is millions of years old, though, why is the biggest desert less than 4,000 years old? It’s hard to have a desert during a flood (4400 years ago).

* Note, according to Talk Origins, they say that there is an 80-90 million year old desert, but I have not checked into this claim or done any research on it. I would ask how they got their date and see if it were feasible before taking this off my list. From what I know, this was not on the AIG (Answers in Genesis) list of "arguments not to use with evolutionists". However, I'm open to letting this one rest if there's clear evidence against it.

If the earth is billions of years old, why is there still oil pressure?

Notes directly from "Age of the Earth": Oil pressure is greater than the pressure of the overbearing rock. It should have cracked the rock in less than 10,000 years. If the earth is millions of years old, why is there still ANY oil pressure at all? Where did the oil come from? Nearly all scientists agree that oil is made from pressurized organic matter (organisms that once lived in the sea changed by heat and pressure). Years ago they learned how to make oil in 30 minutes. Sinclair has the dino as their logo… yet some say the oil has been under the earth mellowing for 80 million years. Young earth creation easily explains this by the flood 4400 years ago and the pressure of the water (enough to cover every mountain on earth) changing all the plants and animals (including dinosaurs and people) into oil. So think of that when you are at the pump! Say thanks to “great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great… grandpa” for keeping you on the road!

How can the earth be billions of years old if the rings in the ice cores are really not annual rings at all?

More notes from Hovind's Part 1 seminar [sorry, I'm getting too lazy to format the notes, if you can't tell already. Whew, this post is long!]: Many scientists study ice cores from Greenland and the poles. Core samples have rings. Some scientists believe refreezing each winter and summer represents an annual ring. But what they don’t take into account is that “The Lost Squadron” crash landed in Greenland. In 1990 ground penetrating radar discovered a plane 263 feet below surface. They melted the hole to get to them and noticed rings in the ice. The guy who dug out the airplane talked with Kent Hovind. He said from the time the planes were lost in Greenland in 1942 up until 1990 when they found them, there were 48 years. If they were 263 feet below the surface, that means 5.5 feet of ice and snow per year. The deepest core they have drilled at the ice labs is 10,000 feet. Divide 10,000 feet by 5.5 feet of snow and ice per year, and you get only 1824 years back! The guy who dug the airplane out said he saw those rings – many hundreds of them. If they are annual, how do you get that many on top of an airplane? The rings represent climate changes – which can be hourly, daily, monthly, or by season!!! Warm cold, warm cold, warm cold! A guy in Alaska got 15 distinct layers of snow on his car in just 8 hours.

How can an old earth explain polystrata fossils or objects that are known to have petrified quickly (when scientists say it takes millions of years to petrify)?

This one is a particular favorite of my dad's. Hovind states as an introduction to this topic that the "Geologic column’s timescale is a lie." If it is true that the layers formed over that many years, how can they explain polystrata fossils (petrified trees growing through multiple layers of strata)??? Even harder for them to explain is the existence of upside down trees (which would suggest catastrophic or flood conditions when rock formations/layers are made). One polystrata fossil near Cookville, TN grows in layers of coal that are dated thousands of year’s difference in age. There are thousands of these fossils defying evolution and old earth. Evolution requires that we believe in SLOW petrification… yet Scientists estimate there are 20,000 trees in the bottom of Spirit Lake – many buried upright and 15 feet deep in sediments. They seem to settle out by species giving the appearance of complete underwater forest.

Not only this, but there are many items that are known to have petrified quickly. The conditions of a flood would increase petrification rate. There’s ample evidence that the time limit required by 'old earthers' and evolutionists for petrification is WRONG. They have found a petrified dog inside a tree, petrified pickles, a petrified fish (giving birth - indicating catastrophic conditions causing it's demise). These things defy the dating systems that evolutionists and 'old earthers' use to calculate the age of the earth and geologic layers.

Another more recent upset to geology is the finding of a live coelacanth. It makes me scratch my head in wonder that no one would question the geologic column (dating fossils by rocks and then rocks by fossils - circular reasoning) when a "prehistoric" fish is found alive. Doesn't that mean that a celocamp could be found in ANY GEOLOGIC LAYER? How, then, do you date a layer of rock with a coelacanth in it? Hu? *scratching head*

Why is the Gulf of Mexico not full of mud already if the earth is billions of years old and there was no global flood?

According to Hovind, the Mississippi river is depositing sediments at the rate of 80,000 tons per hour. That delta is growing larger all the time. It probably took around 30,000 years to put the mud that is in the Gulf of Mexico there. If the earth is millions of years old, why isn’t the whole Gulf filled with mud by now? The flood would have washed half of it out in 20 minutes – yet evolutionists deny flood geology and don’t believe in the flood.

Why is the oldest tree found alive less than 5,000 years old if the earth is billions of years old?

The oldest tree alive is 4300 years old. ... and according to Hovind, Trees sometimes produce more than one ring a year. If the earth is millions of years old, why is the oldest one only 4300? The flood would explain this…. And we can count back by genealogy from the flood to the “beginning”.

If the earth is millions of years old, why is there not an older coral reef?

The largest reef in the world is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. During WW2 some of the reef was destroyed and the scientists began to watch it grow to see its rate of return. They say based on this study that it is 4200 years old.

If the earth is millions of years old, why has Niagara Falls not receded all the way back to Lake Eerie?

Niagara Falls has been eroding for nearly 9,900 years. Up until the 1930’s it was eroding at the rate of 4.7 feet a year, causing the falls to move backwards as the water washed away the land under the edge. Charles Lyell went there and stated at first that it took 10,000 years to erode to it’s present state, and then later wrote the book “The Principals of Geology and stated that it took 35,000 years. Charles Lyell hated the Bible. Darwin read this book. Even at 35,000 years there is a limit to how far back it goes. If the earth is millions of years old, it would already have gone back as far as Lake Eerie.

If the oceans are millions of years old, why are they only 3.6% salt?

Mineral salts from the soil and rain runoff in the ocean cause the oceans to be 3.6% salt today. Many evolutionists then ask, “How did the fresh water fish survive in the flood?” According to Hovind, fish today are salt-water because of gradual salt increase since the flood (natural adaptation to their environment).

If the earth is billions of years old and formations of flowstone really do take 250 million years to form… how can evolutionists explain the quick rate of observed flowstone formations around the world?

Cave formations don’t take as long as evolutionists say to form. 250 million years is how long evolutionists say it takes (1,000 years per inch). Yet how do they explain the 50 inch stalactites growing under the Lincoln Memorial built in 1922 (photo was from the 1960’s). How do they explain the 2 inch ones growing off of a refrigeration shed in Pensacola, Florida (shed was built in 1926 or 7). Then there’s the building in Indiana open for 40 years that had a basement getting full of flowstone formations (photos and references on Kent Hovind’s Creation Seminars, Part 1 – “The Age of the Earth”). A lead mine cave in Mt. Isa Australia was shut down for 55 years and had huge formations of flowstone that grew there within that time. A building built in 1993 in Hurlburt Field, FL has a 13 inch stalactite growing on the property near a pipe. This was only 7 years! On the UT Campus in Austin, there were stalactites growing on people’s cars in the parking lot. Some guy in Wyoming has a “Tepee Fountain” in his yard made of flowstone. Over a period of 100 years, the pipe is still there and there is a huge limestone formation growing in his yard now – almost as big as a house.

If the earth is billions of years old, why do we still find fossils above sea level?

At the current rate of erosion, the continents would be eroded flat in 14 million years. The ground doesn’t fall UP. It falls down. Volcanoes do not put forth sedimentary rock (which is where fossils are found). Why are there huge erosion patterns in places it never rains? Grand Canyon didn’t form slowly over millions of years – there’s no way it could have flown up-hill for 300 miles to cut the channel through the rock. Ripple marks in southern Iraq only explained by a world-wide flood.

If people are millions of years old, why is the oldest language in the world only 6,000 years old, and why do cultures around the world say that the earth began less than 10,000 years ago?

Oldest language is less than 6,000 years old. The Chinese calendar puts us in the 4700s. Maybe they started with the birth of Shem or Noah? The Hebrews calendar puts us around 5763. There are no historical records that are older than 5 or 6 thousand years old.



Conclusion

Evidence for young earth is overwhelming but much of it is never shown. Not even honest criticism of evolution theory or warnings of false icons in textbooks that are still being used is allowed. Just what are they afraid of? Kent Hovind says on his seminar "When you start to think for yourself as a people, it makes you a bad slave. You just might just throw the tea in the harbor and start a war."

According to Hovind, "75% of kids in Christian homes who go to public school are losing faith in the bible largely because of evolution." He states that many a seminary student has been lost to secular, atheistic colleges that preach evolution and old earth... and he says evolution leads children to believe there are errors in the bible, when it is really errors in their science. According to Hovind (and the great group at Answers in Genesis), "The old earth theory causes the credibility of Genesis to be at stake." The word “Yom” in Hebrew means a literal 24 hour period (see this, and this article for more information). Hovind and Ham both agree that Jesus quoted genesis a lot and must have believed in it.

Hovind discusses the fact that supplying only one side of an argument makes it easy to brainwash people. He says, "All evolutionists have to do is get you off track in the first few seconds and they have you brainwashed." They begin with kindergarteners. One of the first books a kindergartener is ever given is “I can read about Dinosaurs”. First page begins with “Millions of years ago…” (as if there was no other theory and evolution is a fact). Then you have the TV shows on PBS and Discovery Channel that do the same and are aimed at a young audience. Kids are brainwashed before they can even read on their own! Even Dr. Seuss says “Millions of years before you were born”. Dr. Hovind says, "This calls Jesus a liar." Matthew 19:4 says Adam and Eve were the “Beginning” and the Bible says there was no death until Adam sinned. This is another area AIG and CSE (Creation Science Evangelism - Kent Hovind's ministry) agree wholeheartedly.

Many people can’t believe in the Bible because they don’t understand where dinosaurs fit in to the Creation account. Kent Hovind discusses the mention of dinosaurs (behemoth and leviathan) in the book of Job. I read through Job this morning - it always impresses me to read God's awesome rebuke to Job and his awesome wonders... especially leviathan and behemoth.

“Slime to Human” is a philosophy that destroys people’s faith. In Col. 2:8 the Bible says “beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ.”
Don't get me wrong, you can believe in evolution and still be a saved, born-again Christian. I believe there are plenty of Christians out there in the Old Earth camp who are just as saved by grace as I am. I am certainly not trying to point fingers. I just thought it would be nice to explain my position for anyone who may be on the fence, or anyone who may wonder at why we are so against putting our kids in science classes at public school (of course, this isn't the ONLY reason we homeschool, but it is ONE of them). I feel that in my own heart, the literal account of Genesis is the correct account. I don't know HOW God did it, but I believe He did. I believe as AIG says in "Upholding the Authority of the Bible from the Very First Verse". I am a literalist, and am not ashamed to be so. In the end, though - it really won't matter.

A few questions to ask yourself:1. How will kids view the world after 12-16 years to school in your town?
2. If the Bible is right about the beginning don’t you think it will be right about the end?

Other Interesting, Related Reading:Why I Believe in 6-Day Creation - Part 1
Evolution and Emissions Debate
Icons of Evolution - Book Review by Sprittibee


Buzz Words: Science, Apologetics, Evolution, Darwinism, Questions, Faith, Creationism, Life, evidence, Believe, Bible, Geology, Creation, Apology, Christian, Origins, Christianity, Debate, Homeschooling