Why We Don't "Do" Halloween

Now that harvest/canning is nearing an end, I'll be able to resume my school/life posts soon, but in the meantime, here is a repost (please excuse the margin mess-up in the transfer)...

 

I did a post last year about Why We Don't "Do" Halloween, which became by far my most viewed post EVER!  So, since it's "that time" again,  I thought I'd  repost with just a few updates (mostly additional images).

May the LORD be glorified!  

Most of the month of October and particularly October 31st is a time of avoidance for our family:

• Our family tries to avoid going to stores where we are bombarded with displays of witches, haunted houses, ghosts, & the like, and sometimes costumed employees.  And where check-out clerks use to ask the girls what they were going to dress as;
• We avoid going out to eat at most restaurants with again costumed wait staff and when the children were little we would avoid all those Happy Meal-type toys that took on a more ghoulish theme.
• And I would cringe when the girls were little and in gymnastics or swimming and it never failed, the instructor always thought she had to go around the group and ask what each child was dressing up as on Halloween.

Not that we think we have to stick our heads in the sand or that we are stuck-up or holier than Thou, far be it!  We just take to heart God's Word when He says:  

 

^{I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. ~ Psalms 101:3}

 

^{Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ~ Philippians 4:8} 

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.   Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. ~ II Corinthians 6:14-17

Now, I can't say we have always had such a diversion to Halloween.  Both Jeff & I grew up thinking Halloween was more or less a harmless fun night.  Our parents, I guess, didn't seem to know or understand what all was behind such a holiday and so we dressed up in costume like everyone else (mine were probably more of the princess variety, as I know my parents didn't allow the scary kind) and went around collecting candy.  For my family (mom, dad & me), we moved a lot, but I recall one time when we lived in a neighborhood that had a lot of young families and for the fun of it, we counted with hash marks the number of trick-or-treaters that came to our door one Halloween that year -- 500!!!  That was a fun year!  So what I'm about to share, I certainly don't judge or condemn anyone for their degree of participation in this yearly ritual and ask that you please provide our family with the same courtesy.  The last thing I want to seem is self-righteous or condemning.  I have no idea who is going to read this, if anyone, and I don't know what your family does on October 31, so really, I'm not pointing fingers at anyone.
With that said however, I just felt I wanted to humbly share why our family doesn't "do" Halloween.  For some, it may seem controversial and narrow. but for our family, it has become an area we feel very strongly about and will not compromise our convictions.  I know there are others of you out there that feel the same way and I hope this encourages and reaffirms your beliefs; and for others perhaps you feel an uneasiness about joining in on the festivities, but didn't realize the extent of the deep darkness behind the holiday; ...or perhaps you are just curious why some of us odd ducks don't join in on the fun of October 31st.

Like many families a generation or so ago, and most families today, Halloween is considered just a make-believe fun holiday.  In fact, I just read that for the first time in history, more is spent on Halloween than Easter and the average family spends $80/yr on costumes, candy, and decorations.  I'm no expert on Halloween (or anything really), but have done a little research on the subject as a way of apologetics.  So lets just address each of the main elements of Halloween and see what God's Word says about it, shall we?

1. Halloween's Pagan Roots:

Not being one who enjoys reinventing the wheel, please go to the following site:

http://belief713.hubpages.com/hub/Why_Do_We_Celebrate_Halloween

I think this site sums it up pretty well.  NOTE:  Do watch the short YouTube videos there, but I wouldn't recommend watching the third video entitled "Halloween Origins" with children in the room, it's pretty frightening.  And the first video on that site is marked private for some reason, so you won't be able to view it, but the rest are good.

But if you don't have time to look up the link now (I hope you can find time later, it's excellent), in a nutshell, Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Druids, who were a highly educated or 'priestly' class of the Celts of the time. The Celts worshiped many false gods, including Samhain, the lord of the dead, on October 31.



Modern Druids at Stonehedge

It was (and is) believed that on October 31st, "the lord of the dead would gather all the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals. He then decided what animal form they would take for the next year. (The good dead were reincarnated as humans.) The Druids also believed that the punishment of the evil dead could be lightened by sacrifices, prayers, and gifts to Samhain (the god of the dead).

It was taught that evil spirits roamed the earth on October 31st and villagers had many practices to scare them away. They would light huge fires, dress in grotesque masks and costumes, and make both animal and human (usually infant) sacrifices in hopes of appeasing the gods and keeping their families safe. Sacrifices like these are still made today in many pagan circles, although it is seldom talked about or revealed.

~~~

Now, I'm very careful not to get too carried away with rejecting everything that has pagan roots to the point of being ridiculous because if one goes back far enough, most anything can have some history of the pagans using it for their heathen purposes.  Even many of our English roots, suffixes, and some of the letters of our alphabet have pagan history, but I still use them to speak English if you get what I mean.  But, when it comes to Halloween, there is absolutely nothing Christian about it, nor is it a neutral fun night.  The devil is very clever at making things look fun and wonderful on the outside that are very wrong on the inside -- Halloween is one of those things.

When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer [those that communicate with the dead]. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God ~ Deuteronomy 18:9-13

2. Whom Do we Honor on Halloween?

For most of our American holidays, arguably, we honor (show great respect for) someone by setting aside a special day, a holiday, to remember some important person or event.  If one celebrates these holidays in the Christian tradition... they celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmastime; thank God for His blessings at Thanksgiving; and celebrate our Risen LORD at Easter.  But whom do we honor at Halloween???  In many parts of the world Halloween is a religious holiday -- a holiday when people worship Satan and honor evil.  It's the biggest holiday on Satan's calender!    

  In Exodus 20 (the 10 Commandments), what does it say?  We are to honor the LORD our God and Him only.   In Isaiah 42:8 God says He will not share His glory with another!  And many times over God states that He is a jealous God.

3. What About Trick or Treats?

(Speaking nothing of the health "benefits" of all that candy -- are our children really so sugar deficient come this time of year?  Or does the Bible okay gluttony certain times of the year?).

Going back to Halloween's pagan origins, it all began as ancient cultic ceremonies and witchcraft rituals, honoring and appeasing evil spirits, and communicating with the dead.  People (Celts) worshiped statues and nature (sun, stars) and believed that the spirits of the dead could control the living.  They believed the souls of wicked people who had died (evil spirits) returned on Halloween, roaming villages, going from house to house, and if the families did not appease the evil spirits, they would harm & scare (haunt/torment) those living in that house.  So in order to keep the evil spirits happy, they set out sweets and treats to appease the evil spirits.  So when children Trick or Treat, they are taking part in the playing out of a very real pagan belief, whether they know it or not.  And when people offer treats to the children, they are acting out the tradition of offering sacrifices to evil spirits or Satan, whether they know it or not.  We have always had a rule in our home that it's never okay to emulate evil or to play or be entertained by anything that God calls sin.

I say the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God participants with demons. You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ~ I Corinthians 10:20-21 

4. What About Jack-O-Lanterns?

According to one story, Jack-O-Lanterns started from the Irish legend of "Irish Jack", a stingy drunk who tricked the devil into climbing a tree for an apple, but then carved the sign of the cross in the trunk to stop the devil from climbing back down. Jack then forced Satan to promise never to come after his soul, to which the devil reluctantly agreed. When Jack died, he was turned away at the gates of Heaven and was sent to the devil, who also rejected him. Jack was then condemned to wander the earth. As he was leaving hell, Satan pitched a piece of burning coal at him. Jack put the coal inside a turnip and was forced to forever roam with no resting place, holding only his 'Jack o' lantern' for light. The turnip was eventually traded for a pumpkin, and villagers then set the pumpkins & turnips outside their front gates to scare away the evil spirits who might think Jack was there.  Whether one goes by that legend or other thoughts, the whole idea was/is to scare away evil spirits!

  

 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. ~ James 4:4

5. What About Costumes?

First indoctrination.

Halloween costumes also originated from a time when costumes were used at pagan festivals often to change the personality of a person to allow for better communication with the Spirit world. The Celtic Druids wore large animal heads at rituals, in an attempt to pull energy sources out of that particular animal.  Costumes are used in Halloween tradition to either ward off evil spirits, blend in with the evil spirits, or appease evil spirits.  Even today, most costumes are often intended to be scary or risque´ -- not wholesome, and pure, and God honoring.  Personally, I don't know anyone who dresses their children in costumes with the pagan intent in mind, however, even if we dress our child in the most adorable costume, it doesn't make Halloween any more righteous. 

 

As you can see, Halloween centers around evil, scary things.  Many costumes picture witches, ghosts, skelatons, and evil creatures that are enemies of God.  God calls witchcraft a sin!  (I Samuel 15:23, II Chronicles 33:6, Micah 5:12, Galatians 5:20).  Jesus does not want us to have anything to do with evil.  If we are His children, how can we please God if we look & act like His enemies?  We want to be like Jesus!

 

 

6. What About The Religious Aspect of October 31st, All Hallow's Eve, and All Saints Day?

 

Hundreds of years ago, Rome passed a law that everyone had to accept Christianity as the new state religion.  Most became Christians because they had to, not because they wanted to.  Instead of giving up their pagan beliefs and the worship of many gods, they added these to Christianity.  When the rulers of Rome tried to stop Halloween parties, the people revolted.  They saw nothing wrong with mixing their many false beliefs with the the worship of Jesus.  Jesus was just another god to their collection.  So the Roman rulers moved a Roman Catholic holiday, All Saints Day, to November 1st and gave October 31st the name Halloween, which means Holy Evening.  Then they told the people to pray for the dead on Halloween instead of praying to other gods. (Note: The Roman Catholic Church officiated the solemnity of all saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas as a solemnity celebrated on November 1st in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.  All Hallow's Eve mean the "eve of all holy" because it's the night before All Saints' Day. All Saints' Day is specifically a Catholic feast day celebrated on November 1st.)  So basically, All Hallow's Eve and All Saints Day are a holiday of the Roman Catholic Church (not of the Bible).  Halloween takes place on the day before and was always a religious holiday, but it was never a Christian holiday.  It still isn't!  Changing the name of something doesn't change what it is, it's still a pagan holiday.  I don't ever recall anyone celebrating Halloween because it glorifies God.

 

Holiday of the Roman Catholic Church

A Holy Day to the LORD???
It's not in the Bible!

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.   He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. ~ Romans 14: 5-6

7. What About Attending A Church's Harvest Celebration, Family Fun Night, Church Carnival, Or Some Other Church Alternative On October 31st?

First of all, I don't see anything wrong with attending a church's Harvest Celebration, but I question why some churches think they have to have it on October 31st?  Usually harvest is long over by the end of October (at least it is here in Minnesota).  I would think if it is truly a "harvest" theme, it would be better held around Thanksgiving or better yet, at Sukkot.  I've also heard about some churches that have called their October 31st celebration a "harvest" celebration, but when families arrived there, they found it nothing but a Halloween party, complete with haunted house.  Or why would a city or suburban church even hold a typical agricultural-based event anyway?   If a church is really working that hard to distance itself from Halloween, enough to throw a distinct celebration, why are we linking ourselves to it by having it on the same night?  When we pull out of the driveway, do our neighbors know we are going to church to honor and glorify God or might they presume we are headed to a Halloween party?  Might it hinder our testimony if what we are doing requires an explanation?  The Bible clearly insturcts us to:

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." ~ I Thessalonians 5:22 

Personally, I believe God cares very much about the methodology of our orthadoxy and orthapraxy.  That is to say, he cares about the method in which a church does things.  Is it Biblical?  What saith the Scriptures?  Are there any verses or examples found in Scripture that support what we are doing?  A church event on the devil's holiday so that we Christians might not feel left out of secular fun just doesn’t sit well with me.  It really sounds like an updated version of what the Roman Catholic Church did hundreds of years ago to appease the pagans that were forced to be "Christians".  Another argument I hear is often times churches put on events to attract the unchurched or bring others in to a non-theatening environment "to see what the church is all about".  About what?  The church of fun & games???  A Christian Club Med???   Is that really what the church is all about?  And how many new attenders/members/Godly/growing Christians did this event attract?  And most importantly, did Jesus do that? 

Is it really that hard to treat October 31st just like we do any other non-holiday?  Would we be guilty of child neglect if we did?  Many people (including many Christians) will argue that Halloween is "no big deal".  They feel that by completely rejecting the holiday and refusing to celebrate it in any way, places their family as being 'over the top' - over-reacting.  For our family, the question lies in, "whom does this holiday glorify?".  The roots of Halloween are wickedly pagan, the past and present-day associations are directly connected to Satanism.

We are without excuse

Let's face it. When most of us were little, we didn't realize there was really anything wrong with Halloween -- yes, we probably knew (or not) that we shouldn't dress up as witches if we grew up in a Christian home, but neither us nor our parents knew the details of Halloween's darkness. Information was not as easily attainable as it is today with personal computers and instant internet access. So really, as today's Christians, we are without excuse. Even though one probably won't hear about it from the pulpit (shame on churches), information is readily available. All's one has to do is Google "Halloween Pagan", "Halloween Christian", "Why We Don't Do Halloween", or similar searches and one can find a whole slew of articles on the history of Halloween and why Christians should not be participates of this pagan holiday. Even many secular websites question why Christians continue to celebrate "the devil's holiday".

Those of us who now know the truth about Halloween are accountable for the information we have received and must answer to God someday.  We have been intrusted by our LORD with the nurture, protection, and spiritual training of the children He has blessed us with.  Dispite any human reasoning, good intentions and fond memories are no justification for ignoring God's Truth.  If we know the Truth, we are accountable; and if we choose to close our eyes & ears to the Truth, we are accountable before God for that as well.  What you do with this information is between you and God, but for our family, we found it was time to draw the line in the sand and say, "As for me and my house, we will serve [and honor, and glorify] the LORD!"

 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. ~ Ephesians 5:11

 

Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.   And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.   And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; ~ Joshua 24:14-16

~~~

And now a few practical tips on what a family can do on Halloween

First of all, it's best to never even start celebrating Halloween.  When our first born was yet a baby, my husband and I agreed that we wouldn't do Halloween (or Santa, or the Easter Bunny for that matter).  However, there's nothing like the present to make changes.  Pray about it and as a family sit down and humbly make confession and explain the changes that will be made and why. 

 

When our girls were young, I found at a Christian bookstore, the book, "Mommy, Why Don't We Celebrate Halloween?"  by Linda Hacon Winwood, and read that to them every Halloween.  The girls never questioned why we didn't do Halloween, they knew, and easily accepted it.  This year we will be reading and viewing the YouTube videos from the link I gave you (under #1 above).

Some years we have gotten together with other friends that we knew didn't do Halloween as well and would have a potluck supper, sing worship songs, talk, & laugh (a lot) around a campfire.  Very fun Christian fellowship!

Most years we do nothing special and treat it as any other day.  This year friends are coming to visit (who don't do halloween) in the afternoon and then this evening we will enjoy a very quiet family night.  We are planning to cook out on our firepit.  Perhaps play some board games or watch a dvd (non-halloween related) and just enjoy eachother's company.  We live at the end of a quiet dead end road and never have any trick-or-treaters visit, thankfully, however, we keep the front lights off not to encourage any newcomers either.  To us, it's just another day and we never feel deprived or like we are missing out.  This is the day that the LORD has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.  (and never give place to the devil).

May the LORD be Glorified!

2013-14 School Schedule & Curriculum Choices

 

It's hard to believe that we are now into our 15th year of homeschooling here at Prairie Hill Farm.  The memories are sweet and we cherish each day with our two Blessings! 

Amber, Jeff, Jane, Anna

We graduated our oldest in May of 2012, who is about to open her Etsy shop of selling her own vintage-inspired creations; and when not working on the biz, she is leading a girls Bible study, an Awana leader, volunteering at the nursing home, playing violin for weddings, and still helping out around the farm.  Oh, and she still enjoys joining us in Hebrew study and sometimes history.

  Our baby is now in 11th grade (grades are somewhat arbitrary here) and also helps lead in Awana, volunteers at the nursing home, plays piano, and helps with the farm.  She is our animal lover extraordinaire, and it's fun a challenge to try to find additional studies to help her on her way to have a career with animals that doesn't compromise our young-earth creationist and holistic beliefs.

I already know this is going to be lengthy, just skip what you like.  I like to keep a record of everything to print out for our records so I don't forget as I'm very eclectic and always pulling together the best of the best for us. 

 

 

Our Educational Philosophy & Teaching Approach: (for anyone new to my blog)

 

Biblical

We firmly believe that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and base ALL of our learning upon Sola Scriptura (Latin, "by Scripture alone"). Therefore, we look first to see what the Scriptures, God's Holy Word, say about any and all subjects, issues, and doctrines rather than the mere philosophy of fallible man. Our entire school day, as well as our 24/7 living, is saturated in God's Word.

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up, ~ Deuteronomy 6: 5-7

Hebraic and Providential 

Our homeschool style is more of a Lifestyle of Learning – incorporating all of life in our learning process. And although we maintain high academic standards, more important than academic knowledge is the development of Godly wisdom and to walk in a manner pleasing to our LORD; therefore we use a Biblical (Hebraic) approach to education with God and His Word paramount. We teach the totality of Scripture! HIStory is taught chronologically and providentially. Science is studied in the order of the days of Creation, centered on God’s Word and God’s World. We do a lot of lapbooking, timelines, interactive notebooking, mapping, hands-on, and field trips as well as an occasional unit study or workbook.

he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. ~ Deuteronomy 32:46-47

The Schedule:  

 

Our 2013 - 2014 School Schedule

Click to enlarge

 

Our schedule has pretty much kept the same look throughout the years, with only the curriculum changing each year.  I don't put in any "times" for my own sanity, but we are usually at it right after 7 a.m. barn chores and breakfast, so around 8 or 9 a.m..  This year we started on Thursday, September 5th as we had an extended Labor Day weekend mini-vacation.  I should have waited until October 1 to start as harvest/canning/freezing is in full swing (late due to our late spring), but we love school and my daughter was anxious. 

 

You will note that we don't have a separate subject for "Bible".  This is because most all our subjects are saturated in Bible and we all have our own personal quiet times as well as family devotions most evenings plus extra Bible study time on Shabbat (the Sabbath).

 

 



So here we go with this year's curriculum choices (in the order of how they appear on the schedule).... 

 

*Note: I buy almost all my books used, so even though the links might show some pretty pricey books, you might be able to snatch them up for a song like I did.  My favorite go-to places are Amazon, Homeschool Classifieds, and Ebay.



 

The Curriculum:  

 

Note: I ALWAYS buy way too much curriculum, but the beauty with homeschooling is we can continue throughout the summer or just pick up where we left off next year.  This year we look forward to incorporating a lot of dvds and mp3's into our lessons by people who are smarter and far more eloquent than I.   On the down side of this is that Anna will not be able to rush through school like she is accustom -- after all, you can't speed up an hour-long dvd and it still make sense.     

 

Biblical Hebrew
 

This is a continuation of their (Amber joins us) Hebrew studies over the last couple of years, first using Zola's Introduction to Hebrew.  The girls continue to love learning God's pure language and this year it has grown closer to a unit study with a short lesson from me and an accompanying workbook, dvd, and cd (songs).  

 

Biblical Hebrew

 

Once they have completed the year's lessons, they will move on to the curriculum's Jonah Copybook: An Interlinear Hebrew Translation Workbook where they will translate the entire book of Jonah using the Copybook and Hebrew Bible.

 

Hebrew Lit. 

As part of the Biblical Hebrew "unit study", we will also be reading aloud the following:

Sofer: The Story of a Torah Scroll by Eric Ray

The World Jesus Knew by Anne Punton

Listening to the Language of the Bible by Lois Tverberg, Bruce Okkeman

Stones of Witness: Images of the Holy Land by Stewart Custer 

History of Christianity and the Christian Church

 

We begin with Genesis and move chronologically until modern times in America.  (This may take 2 years to complete).  I know the below list of curriculum looks rather intimidating, but I am listing everything I plan on using just so I don't leave anything out.  Most of these are not used on a daily basis and many don't begin until later in our studies or will end after we are done with Holy Land/Ancient times.  Amber wants to join us on these great lessons as well.

 

History of the World 2006 Mega-Conference with BC/AD  by Vision Forum (10 dvds & 40 mp3
     lectures & study guide)

The History of Christianity and Western Civilization by VF (over 50 mp3 & dvd lectures)  

Drive Thru History Holy Land (Volumes 1 - 4/ 12-episode dvds)

Drive Thru History Ancient History XL Series (12-episode dvds)

100 Most Important Events in Christian History by Curtis, Lang, Peterson

Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History by Richard M. Hannula
DK The Story of Christianity by Michael Collins & Matthew A. Price
History of the Christian Church (Sonlight 220 Parent Guide) selected portions only
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions by Ruth A. Tucker
Reformation Time Line by Rose Publishing
Drive Thru History American History Series (Episodes 1-12)
Drive Thru History Foundations of Character study guide & dvd
Homeschool In The Woods: Old Testament Lapbook (started yrs. ago & we will finally finish and put
    inserts in our history notebook instead of a lapbook)
History Through the Ages: Record of Time (Timeline book - I am printing out my own online images)

Trail Guide to Bible Geography and Bible Lands Activity Maps from Geography Matters

Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands (out of print, but worth the hunt)

...and other online sources in case this isn't enough, ha. (I've already found some and I'm wondering if I can fit them in (I know, crazy talk).

Music

Amber

Amber has taken violin lessons for 13 yrs. and still takes lessons even now, only every other week.  She enjoys playing for ministry and special events or weddings.




Anna

Anna has moved from violin, to guitar (& still plays for ministry and fun), but now devotes her time to her first love (musically speaking) of piano.  Although she has taken piano for only about a year, she has quite an ear for it and is to the point where she could teach beginner piano (if she wanted to).

 

 

Vocabulary & Typing 

    

High School Vocabulary (2 words/wk from a list I have from Inga Cannon)
Vocabulary Cartoons.com (1/day - 3 days/wk) will finish in 25 wks.
Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms by Marvin Terban (3/day - 3 days/wk) will finish in 9 wks.
Words on the Vine by Claudia Vurnakes (3 pgs/wk) It is geared for 5-8th grade, but many high school
    teachers use it too.  Fun.  Good stuff! 
Bible-based, Self-paced Computer Typing Curriculum by Jackie Newbrough (out of print)

Math  (12th Grade courses)

 

Math U See Stewardship

Landmark's Freedom Baptist Curriculum Business Math

 

I'm combining two great curriculum.  I like MUS for it's common sense practical teaching and because Mr. Steve Demme includes a devotional with each lesson and is pretty like-minded with our family.  I like LFBC because they delve into the spiritual and moral aspects of some math issues; for example, they not only teach about taxes, but address the issues of whether Americans should even have a "Social Security".  Love that!

 

Science

Apologia Zoology III
E-Training for Dogs  (can receive CEUs for course work)
... and possibly other online college-level courses in zoology

Art

See the Light Art Class by Pat Knepley 1 day/wk         
 (a 9-volume dvd Christian art class by a master artist) 

 

Tada!  That about covers it!

Stay tuned for our classroom makeover reveal and First Day of School photos.



Passover 2013

Our Passover Week Celebration

Monday, March 25 (sunset) thru Tuesday, April 2 (sunset), 2013

 

What a DELIGHTFUL week this has been (& not finished yet).

 

There was a time not that long ago that we celebrated Easter just like everybody else.  We tried to focus on the "real" meaning of Easter, meaning, or so we thought, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ...and also including some of the fun stuff of Easter baskets, lots of chocolate, and coloring eggs because, well, that's how we were taught and, it's tradition!  However, as time passed, we discovered the REAL (pagan) meaning of Easter/Ishtar, and over the years have gradually been rediscovering the deep and beautiful significance of Passover
and the tale (true account) of two l(L)AMBS.




Each year we learn & change, and here is a little photo journal of what we did this year...

Removing Leaven (Sin)

 

A Before & After of our Pantry

Okay, so I didn't start this annual spring cleaning 6 weeks before Pesach (Passover) like many Jews do to remove all leaven from our home.  And although I run a pretty tidy ship, I found out I have a really crummy house -- lots of crumbs!  I was defeated before I even started!  I got the pantry clean, and under the kitchen sink, but no, I didn't clean behind/under the fridge, stove, cushions, van,...or take out the vacuum cleaner bag.  Actually, this exercise in futility proved to be an EXCELLENT object lesson in that nothing we can do on our own can remove all the leaven/sin from our lives...nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ!!!



    However, we did make a symbolic effort...

 

and moved as much of the leaven I could recall to our sauna haus for the duration of Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread (I chose not to throw it away and waste such a big investment for symbolism's sake - maybe next year if I start early, I can let our reserves run out).  Afterwards, I remembered some more stash, but we declared this good enough (oh...do I hear another sermon application there!), and enjoyed the matzo bread.  (Even Elsa (dog) had to give up her Ritz Crackers for matzo this week). :)

 

 

our simple Passover table...

 

Okay, now here is where it gets a little weird.  We did have a special Passover dinner, but because our church doesn't do Passover and Jeff & Anna had the regular Monday-night church Bible study, we had an early dinner (before sunset) and off they flew.  It was still a meaningful time and we looked forward to a special Passover Seder presentation Friday night.

Menu
 Caramelized Lamb Chops with Mint Sauce

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Greek Salad

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

Matzo

Grape Juice

Homemade Chocolate Truffle Torte w/Chocolate Truffle Filling

 

Seder...

 

Friday night we attended "Christ in the Passover" at a near-by church....

This presentation was given by Liz Goldstein from Jews for Jesus.  We have attended a performance like this before, but the girls were quite young and really didn't remember it.  It was a fairly good (simple) explanation of the Seder.  Unfortunately, Anna was coming down with a cold and by the time we got home, she was chilled and had a temp. of 99.8, poor dear.

 

 

Now please allow me to digress a tad...

I did have a qualm when the pastor of that church (a church we use to attend) went on & on in his introduction about Good Friday being when Jesus was crucified.  Jesus was not crucified on Friday -- no matter how you do the math, Jesus was dead 3 days & 3 nights (Matthew 12:40) and arose on the third day.  I believe Jesus arose after Shabbat (Saturday sunset) and his tomb was discovered empty very early on the Lord's Day (Sunday morning), so if Jesus arose by Sunday morning, then counting backwards...Friday is NOT 3 days.

Resurrection Lord's Day..

 

 Though we no longer care to celebrate Easter, I'm still fine with rejoicing in and celebrating the Resurrection of our LORD on any and every day!  Thankfully Anna is feeling better and we attended one of our favorite churches near my mom's home (a great sermon & service) and then had dinner with her.   We are still tied to and feel obligated to honor our families' traditions; and don't feel that them wanting to get together for a special meal is too out of line (correct me if I'm wrong), so we continue to get together with my mom (but we, personally, don't do bunnies, eggs, & the like).  We are not anybody's Holy Spirit, and just as we are learning & growing all the time, we obey as the Lord leads and let Him work in other's lives as He so directs...in His own time.

Tuesday night we will have a lamb roast during our final night of Unleavened Bread.

 

oh, and lest I forget...

 

Passover Notebook
 

 

 

 

here is just a 3-page sample of a Passover notebook we are working on.  It's becoming a rather BIG project that tells not only the Old Testament account of the first Passover of the Israelites in Egypt, but points to Jesus Christ being our Passover Lamb.  I hope we can finish this before we are done counting the omer (49 days to Shavu'ot).  I'm using MANY resources, but also making up some of mine own as of lot of what's out there either doesn't point to the Messiah, or it's very preschool/early-elementary-ish.

 

So, that's pretty much how we have been spending this very special season.  I guess if someone was to ask me, I'd say we don't do Easter, but we do celebrate Passover and Resurrection Lord's Day.  It has really been a very rich celebration and learning time this year and I thank the Lord for it.

 

Btw, (not as a judge, but more as a resource lady), if you would like to know more about the history of Easter or Christmas, here is an interesting video from Jim Staley on the topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNuIz63zBjM&feature=player_embedded

 

He Has Risen!!!

Transcript Talk - Part II, Charting the Course

Greetings Friends!  Here (finally) is the second installment of a series of posts on making up your homeschool student's high school transcript.  If you missed my Part I, you can find it HERE.  I apologize for the length, but you better get yourself a BIG cup of coffee.

Okay, so today we will get into the nitty-gritty of starting to make a high school transcript:

How to chart your child's course and what it looks like on a transcript; 

Whether one of those online transcript programs is right for you; and 

How to choose a look for your transcript.

Charting the Course

There are a few good reasons to make a transcript of your child's high school years -- college admissions require it, occasionally potential employers will ask for it, and being your child's educator and diploma-giver, you owe it to your child to provide them with a professional-looking transcript.  Even if your child never, ever plans on going to college, it's good to have a transcript in their file because how many of us ended up doing something we thought we would never, ever do?

IF your child is in 7th or 8th grade, now is a good time to start planning and preparing for those high school years and how you will track your child's work.  If your child is a smarty pants in one or more subjects, it's perfectly fine to have them do high school level work in the 7th or 8th grade and include it on the high school transcript -- as long as it's high school level work.  Just make sure to write down what curriculum or textbooks they used and anything else that was a part of that course (fieldtrips, etc.) and keep some samples of work they did such as essays.  And don't forget to snap lots of pictures.  For instance, if you child is doing some science lab work either independently or with a co-op science class, try to take a photo of your child doing his part in dissecting that frog (as gross as that may be) - photos are great to include in a portfolio (to be explained on a future post).

      

What to Teach
Now, if there is any area of homeschooling that a typical, out-of-the-box-thinking mom might be tempted to stray and return to the safety of the box (institutionalized/government education), it must be in the area of what to teach -- teaching at home exactly what is taught in a public school.  Most of us homeschooling mom's grew up in a public or private school setting and this is all we know and find ourselves most comfortable.  Sure, maybe we have chucked the school desks (or not) and oodles of homework, but it's easy to feel insecure in not teaching what everybody else is teaching -- and the box curriculum publishers and the popular book writers like E.D. Hirsch's series, "What Your _____ Grader Needs to Know" capitalize on this.  After all, we don't want to mess up our children for life, do we?

(repeat the following paragraph several times loudly until you believe it)

ABOVE ALL ELSE, REMEMBER THIS:  It's not the state that is graduating your homeschool child!  It's not the Federal Government that is graduating your child!  It's not some relative, neighbor, or friend (who thinks they know what is best for your child) that is graduating your child!  It's not any of these self-acclaimed  professionals that are issuing your child a diploma!  It's YOU!!!  And ONLY YOU!  It's your child, your school, you are the teacher/administrator, you are the diploma giver -- you call the shots!  And don't let any one convince or bully you into thinking otherwise!!  No one knows or loves your child more than you do, and you know better than anyone (except God) what they need.  Your diploma & transcript don't have to look like Sunnyvale Public School's -- it will be unique and most likely better.  You decide what your child will learn during their academic years at home.

And why should we even want to mimic government standards?  State and Federal school graduation requirements are ever changing with more and more ridiculous requirements, yet churning out dumber & dumber kids.  And it's not for lack of money either, we spend more and more on public education through our tax dollars with little or nothing to show on the ever-increasing investment.  Look at the chart below, it's from a UK source but as you can clearly see, the US ranks 14th in world education -- nothing to brag about here.   

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  There's nothing wrong with following your state's educational requirements if that's precisely what your child wants to study and what they will need in their future vocation or college entrance requirements, but let's face it -- it probably isn't!

So, let's take a look at a state's requirement and see how it applies to us homeschoolers.  Since I live in Minnesota, I'll post my state's, but you may wish to look up your own state's requirements as you chart your child's course.

MN (Public) High School Graduation Requirements

 A course credit is equivalent to a student successfully completing an academic year of study or mastering the subject matter, as determined by the local school district. Students must complete a minimum of 21.5 course credits as follows:

4 credits of language arts

3 credits of mathematics, including algebra, geometry, statistics and probability sufficient to satisfy the standards. Students in the graduating class of 2015 and beyond must complete an algebra II credit or its equivalent as part of the 3-credit requirement. In addition to the high school credits, students in the graduating class of 2015 and beyond must also complete an algebra I credit by the end of 8th grade.

3 credits of science, including a biology credit. In addition, students in the graduating class of 2015 and beyond must complete a chemistry, physics, or Career and Technical Education (CTE) credit as part of the 3-credit requirement. (The CTE credit must meet the standards underlying the chemistry or physics credit.)

3½ credits of social studies, including U.S. history, geography, government and citizenship, world history and economics

1 credit in the arts 

7 elective credits

Plus passing certain required assessment tests. 

I'm guessing your state's requirements are somewhat similar.

Now you can be sure that I don't follow all these requirements for our girls.  I don't believe in wasting our time on teaching a year of some subject that will soon be forgotten and the information NEVER used.  I know my girls, and many of the upper math, as well as chemistry & physics, would be a waste of time and healthy brain cells in our family...we have bigger fish to catch. :)  If, and that would be a big IF, the girls would ever need to know any of that information, they know where and how to look it up as the need arises.  That's not to say we carry on a free-spirited unschool with no structure (although some days the thought is appealing) -- we go way beyond the 21.5 credits (to 34 credits), and that's without what most consider upper math or science.  (The girls had some biology in their Jr. High health books and an introduction to chemistry & physics in a co-op science class -- that's enough.)

What I did is write down these requirements as a springboard, but then looked up the Admission Requirements for 4 or 5 colleges.  Granted, Amber isn't planning on going to college, ever, but I thought that would be a better indication as to what would be more acceptable on a high school transcript.  I do encourage you to check out several colleges.  I found that some of the Christian colleges were far more flexible in their admission requirements, possibly due to encouraging foreign students, but of the colleges on my list, one had very high academic requirements and so I formulated my transcript more after that college's admission requirements and knew it would be above & beyond the requirements of any other college she may (doubtful) consider.  Note:  While we are talking requirements, do remember that if your child is going the college route, most colleges do require ACT or SAT test scores and there are a lot of test helps out there that your child can work on from early on in order to score high.  We never did this and if your high schooler does PSEO (dual enrollment of taking college courses while in high school), your child may be considered an automatic shoe-in to college since they have some AP (advance placement) courses under their belt.  Just pay attention to the requirements of any intended colleges as often the admissions process starts well before a child's senior year.  Also note that many colleges do not acknowledge credits for health, PE, drivers ed, or vocational courses, and just one credit for computer science.

Okay, so after looking at college admission requirements, my transcript framework (planned course for high school) looked like this:

4 credits English

3-4 credits Math

3-4 credits Science

3-4 credits Social Studies

2-3 credits Foreign Language

+ electives

Now comes the fun part.  Decide what your child will study for each of the 4 years of high school, for example, for the 4 years of English your plan might look like this:

9th Grade: Grammar

10th Grade: English Literature

11th Grade: Speech & Debate

12th Grade: Composition & Writing    

Unless you are going with a boxed curriculum all through high school, where the courses are already titled and it's pretty cut & dry, feel free to be a creative.  Consider all that your child did that could go under that subject (essays, field trips, vacations).  You can even double dip, which means if you have more than a full year of say Old Testament study, go ahead and give your child 1 credit under Bible for Old Testament and maybe ½ - 1 credit under English: Ancient Literature.  College admissions counselors appreciate creativity in course work, but just remember creativity does not mean goofy, unless your child plans on going to clown school, don't get too funny or sarcastic.  I encourage you to become familiar with college lingo.  Just as I learned legal-ease when I went into law, so too, academia has it's own pet words.  Google various college courses and see what courses are named and how they describe them (more about that under portfolios).  For example, one of our high school English courses I named "Literary Genres".  It sounds fancy smancy, but just means we dabbled in a little bit of this and a little bit of that. haha

For more information on how to turn everyday learning experiences into impressive courses for your transcripts, I HIGHLY recommend:  Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+La    by Barbara Edtl Shelton.  It's an easy read with lots of humor and very honest, Godly wisdom.  The author thinks a lot like I do, and we never take the establishment too seriously.

HSLDA has a VERY nice printable online brochure (28 pgs. booklet) that helps walk you through the whole homeschooling high school process with sample planning forms and information on various options like military entrance.   

Okay, so now you have a plan.  Of course, the electives can be anything that your child delights in -- music lessons, computer, theater, woodworking, home ec., sewing, arts & crafts, equestrian...and don't forget Bible.  The world isn't going to mention Bible as a core requirement, but I do.  To me, Bible isn't an elective, it's a necessity and it's easy to rack up 4 credits in Bible to add to the transcript.  Btw, on Amber's transcript I included all those hours of church nursery, babysitting, Cubbies leader, etc. and titled the course "Early Childhood Practicum" (pretty clever huh?).

The LOOK (of the transcript)
and whether purchasing one of those online transcript programs is right for you. 

I would encourage you to just spend a couple hours and google "High School Transcript Image" and see the various looks and options that are out there.  Some excellent sources are HSLDA, Cindy Downs, and Education Plus.  (I also had a handout from a large homeschool co-op that gave some nice details - your local homeschool co-op might also provide such information).  Just first of all, do know that THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY or wrong way to do a transcript.  There is no industry or academic standard one must follow.  About the only requirement is that they are neat, easy to read, concise, and give pertinent information.  You want your actual transcript to be only 2 pages (one page front & back is best).  (More detailed information can be included in the portfolio (described later)).

If organization or administration are not your strong point, or you just have more money than time, and you would rather pay someone to provide you with a decent transcript, there are plenty of programs & software out there to choose from.  Do shop around.  Just beware, the most expensive programs are not always the best.  I've even seen a site that sells transcript programs that talk big, are heavily advertised & endorsed, but after a lengthy search (like it was some big secret), I found a sample of their transcript and it was very poorly designed and looked rather second rate (at the tune of $27/month - yikes!); but some software programs are very nice, will do the math for grade point averages for you, and plug in all the pertinent information in a snap at a cost of around $50.  However, if you are like me and enjoy organizing and have a little computer savvy, transcripts are easy to put together and look just as good or better than anyone else's.

Then pick a look you like and that applies to your homeschooling method.  My personal favorite source is Education PLUS (by my hero, Inge Cannon), specifically their  homeschooltranscripts.com  website (go there now).  There you will find several nice articles that I recommend a homeschool high school parent should read and they give wonderful samples of transcripts that you can either mimic yourself or buy their software.  If you take a look at her samples, there are two basic types of transcripts -- one that sorts the courses by grade and/or semester, and one that sorts the courses by subject.  I do like the look of the one that sorts the courses by year (freshman, ...) better and that would probably work out if you use certain curriculum where you complete your subjects in one year's time, but that isn't the case with our teaching style, where I commonly take several years to thoroughly cover some subjects like American History or Old Testament Studies, so I went with the transcript look that sorts courses by subject, that way I don't have to give any dates of start to completion.  (Btw, I had attended Inge Cannon's Transcript Bootcamp several years ago and just think she is one of the smartest ladies I know.  I highly recommend anything she offers).  Once you decide on a look, then you just need to gather the information to put on your child's transcript...

  

Five Steps to Making a Homeschool High School Transcript

1. Name your Homeschool!  It adds a sense of legitimacy to the transcript in the eyes of college officials.

2. Establish a Grade Point Average (GPA) System.  Personally, we use the 4.0 system:

A+ = 96% (3.84); 97% (3.88); 98% (3.92); 99% (3.96); 100% (4.00)
A = 93% (3.72); 94% (3.76); 95% (3.80)
A- = 90% (3.60); 91% 3.64); 92% (3.68)
B+ = 86% (3.44); 87% (3.48); 88% (3.52); 89% (3.56)
B = 83% (3.32); 84% (3.36); 85% (3.40)
B- = 80% (3.20); 81% (3.24); 82% (3.28)
C+ = 76% (3.04); 77% (3.08): 78% (3.12); 79% (3.16)
C = 73% (2.92); 74% (2.96); 75% (3.00)
C- = 70% (2.80); 71% (2.84); 72% (2.88)

In our homeschool, we generally require work to be done correctly; if a problem is wrong, the paper is returned to the student and we work on it until it is right and it is fully understood by the student.  Therefore student final grades are always in the A's.

A great article on grading from HSLDA is found HERE.

3. Determine Your School's Graduation; Credit Hour Requirements; and Assigning Course Credits to Subjets.  There is a lot of information out there on how to calculate credit hour requirements which I'm not going to get into lest this post quadruple in size.  Personally, I don't get into all the math for credit hours.  The standard is 120 hours of class period time for every one credit (60 hrs/½ credit; 30 hrs/¼ credit), however homeschooling is unique in that there is far less wasted time than in a classroom situation and what may take a minimum of 120 hours of class period time for one credit, may only take you half that (or less) in a home environment.  Depending on your state's laws and how much time you put into a subject, you will have to be the judge on how you want to determine credits.

4. Add to the Student's Transcript Each Year.  Remember this is your rough draft and can be tweaked throughout the years.  It's much easier to work on it a little each year than wait until they graduate.

5. Keep a More Detailed Academic Transcript Each Year For Those Institutions of Higher Learning That May Require More Documentation of Courses Completed.  I highly recommend working on a detailed transcript to add to your child's portfolio yearly as this is the most time consuming.  I have found that sometimes in the course of describing a course, I will decide to change the name or the course or move some credits here or there under a different course heading in my 2-page concise transcript.  Looking online at Christian high school or college catalogs' course titles and discriptions help.  Remember to use academia lingo for a little polish.  You can also copy the table of context in your child's high school textbook for a listing of areas of study in a particular course.

That's about it.  It's hard to cover everything in a simple post, but I hope this was helpful to those that wanted to know.  I've probably forgotten to mention something, so let me know if you have any questions.

Here are copies of the front & back of Amber's transcript (subject to slight changes as I'm still working on her detailed transcript) just to give you an idea of what one can look like. (address & personal info. whited out of course).  Not sure why the "Academic Summary" got cut off on the scan, but it's just a little gray box with her Final GPA, Total Units, and Graduation Date (important to put that in); and it didn't copy well, the colors are much more vibrant, the blue is much darker with a nice contrast & the school info. & student info. and boxed in a light gray.

And below is the backside of her transcript.

It looks very much like the Education PLUS samples, but I did it myself and saved $50.

That's it for today.  Next time we'll talk briefly about putting together the whole portfolio.

Blessings,
~Jane