Catholic Reading Club and Summertime 1:53 am
Aquinas and More has a great summer reading program for adults and children. Right now you can vote on the three books you would like to be used for summer discussion groups, and on June 16 a child’s list will be available.
What a great summertime activity for homeschoolers to take part in–good, solid, entertaining reading and NO book reports!
Inspirations 4:06 pm
We are touring the southwestern national parks with our children and grandchildren. Our dining experience last night in Cortez, Colorado was less than wonderful. We waited for what seemed like forever for our pizza, and the little children were approaching meltdown.
Our pizza finally arrived and we ate. We adults were frazzled, but as we were leaving, our eight-year-old granddaughter said, “I would like to find the waitress and thank her for serving us such delicious food.”
I think the socializing process under her attentive parents is working!
Nuts and Bolts 5:40 pm
When it comes to the socialization debate, I think many focus too much on having our kids be with their peers and they overlook the civilizing of our young. One need only spend a few moments in the mall to see that while many young people seem to feel comfortable in their little social group, they really do not know the first thing about civilized behavior. Their bizarre dress and hairstyles, the piercing and tattooing, the chains, the coarse language and wild music remind one more of primitive than civilized people. Many of them do not know how to show simple respect for their elders by offering their chairs, taking their hats off inside, holding doors for others to pass, etc.
The Greeks viewed education as the training of the children to be virtuous members of the society in which they lived. Education was the vehicle for the transmission of the Greek culture. Through education students were taught to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, and they learned how to choose what was good and beautiful.
How did they accomplish that? There is much that we can learn from the Greeks by looking at the way they educated their children, and we will be exploring that in the coming days.
Nuts and Bolts 9:17 pm
Why is there is so much opposition to homeschooling, and why are state legislators constantly working to undermine our efforts and our freedoms?
Bill Bennett said during a discussion about education on Morning in America that one of the most important questions in the organization of society is “who gets to teach the children?”
It makes sense. If the parents are teaching the children, the children will assimilate the religious beliefs, the love of family, the culture in which they are raised, and the values of their parents. Children should be taught how to think. If the State teaches them, they will be taught what the State thinks they need to know. The two are not the same. The agents of the State think it is in the best interests of the society as a whole if all children are taught “tolerance,” diversity, sex education, environmentalism and other “ísms,” and what were once core subjects are often being neglected in favor of ideologies. These same educators are curiously intolerant of the values that many homeschooling families are teaching their children. Their diversity of thought is not acceptable.
So it boils down to the idea that whoever gets to teach the children gets to form their minds and attitudes. Minds that have been taught how to think rather than what to think are harder to manipulate. And the old saying that “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” is extended beyond the cradle.
Homeschooling 101 3:33 pm
I saw this on Maureen Wittman’s blog and then found it in color on the artist’s website. I love it when artists can express ideas in this way!
Homeschooling 101 4:48 pm
I stated earlier that the primary means of socializing our children is through the family. As an extension of that, we make it a point to spend time with other families as well. While it is fairly easy to invite one or two families to our home, it is not always feasible to host a lot of them due to the size of most of the homeschooling families we know. That does not prevent the kids from seeing their friends, however.
Most homeschool groups provide activities for the younger children, which provide ample opportunities for the children to work and play together. What about the teenagers who have outgrown craft projects and kickball?
We do not encourage dating at the high school level. When our teens gather with their peers, it is in group settings which are well chaperoned and organized. We have found that we have to spell out our expectations as parents for teen activities and have drawn up a mission statement with expectations.
In our area, there are a number of parent-sponsored activities for the 13-18-year-olds. Some have almost taken on the feel of Tradition. One, which has been very successful, is an evening with the bishop. This dinner provides an opportunity for our teens to visit with Bishop Sheridan, who is most gracious to attend. There were close to 40 teens and parents at this latest gathering. What an opportunity for socialization of a different kind, and the kids did very well.
Another parent-sponsored activity is Masculine Virtue in the Movies. One of the dads (my husband) selects movies which demonstrate masculine virtue. He has made up a discussion sheet as a guide for the boys to note the various character traits of the main characters portrayed in the movies. He uses Boys to Men as a guide to the virtues. These bi-weekly evenings provide an opportunity for teen boys and their dads to get together with other boys and their dads in a relaxed setting, enjoying a movie, munching goodies and discussing things of value.
In November our teens gather to celebrate the feast of St. Martin. We always have a fire in the firepit and it is guaranteed to be cold out. That doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the kids who gather with lanterns around the pit, sharing stories about St. Martin, drinking hot cider and eating homemade bread.
Some parents host a bunco night for the teens once a month at one of the parish centers. The kids take snacks and drinks to share and have a lively evening.
This is just a sampling of the kind of group activities we provide for our teens. The point is, they are not isolated and they have ample opportunities to practice social skills outside of their families. Most of the homeschooled teens we know are also involved in 4-H, Youth Symphony, charitable works, church programs, dance, music and a myriad of other activities. The difference is that they are not peer-driven, and there are always responsible adults and parents involved.
Family Life and Inspirations 1:14 am
We don’t always know how much little children listen when adults are talking, but we found out the other day.
The subject of abortion came up and Lucy, age 8, who had heard a previous conversation about the condition of orphans in Romania, said:
I want to open an orphanage where children are held when they need it, not just on a schedule, because if they aren’t held when needed, they have a hard time learning to love and if they don’t learn to love, they won’t know how to love their own children.”
She knows about love first hand—she is the oldest of seven very-much-loved children—the seventh will manifest himself/herself in September!
Homeschooling 101 4:30 pm
We as Catholic Association of Teaching Children at Home (CATCH) come together with the understanding that each of us is part of the Mystical Body of Christ in union with the Magisterium of the Holy Catholic Church. The purpose of our group is to grow in love and understanding of the authentic Catholic Faith and to support each other to live a truly Catholic life.
Mission Statement and Guidelines for CATCH Teen Group
The CATCH Teen Group exists to foster genuine friendships and fellowship among its members, a love for the Catholic Faith, and a safe environment for homeschooled teens to be with other teens.
In order for a Teen activity to be under the umbrella of CATCH, it must conform to the following guidelines:
• The minimum age for attendance is 13, the maximum age is 18
• A parent-chaperone must be present at all activities
• No public displays of affection (pda)
• Respect of other people is necessary in words and actions
• The proposed activities must be approved by at least one CATCH board member before being announced
• The group activities will not be a meeting place or destination for “dates.”
• Both boys and girls must dress modestly
o No visible undergarments
o No sleeveless clothing
o Dresses to the knee
o Clothing fully covers midriff
Guided by our Faith, we look to the Catechism of the Catholic Church as one source of guidance:
2521: Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
2523: ….modesty exists as an intuition of the spiritual dignity proper to man. It is born with the awakening consciousness of being a subject. Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in then respect for the human person.
2525: Christian purity requires a purification of the social climate. It requires of the communications media that their presentations show concern for respect and restraint.
Homeschooling 101 4:26 pm
There is often a perception by people that homeschooled youngsters are being cheated out of the socialization that is so vital to their development. We have already discussed the common view of what that socialization entails.
There is another way. By exposing our children to people other than their peer group, we help them to be more at ease in a variety of situations. Since there is much to socializing our young, this post will focus on one aspect of that process, and later on we will explore other vehicles for socialization.
The primary vehicle for socializing the young is the family. Therefore, we have always made it a point to spend time with other families. That means that our children have been around not only their peers, but also the younger siblings, the parents and the grandparents and assorted relatives of their friends. In those settings, they experience a microcosm of society. They have been taught to speak with everybody and to help with the little ones and the elderly. Our family loves karaoke, and when we have a karaoke party, the kids of all ages are right in there singing with the adults. The same holds true for large dinner gatherings and picnics in the park. While the youngsters may cluster together for games or chatting, they are still part of the larger group and interact with everybody present.
Talent shows in conjunction with birthday or Christmas celebrations provide the perfect opportunity for those who are so inclined to perform for the others. Even the youngest children can recite a poem or sing a song, and they gain self-confidence by doing so in a safe setting. The older kids or adults may put together an instrument ensemble, or one may accompany another in singing, or they may do a skit. When the children see the others participating, they naturally want to join in. They also learn how to be attentive to the efforts of others, giving the same courtesy that is given to them when they are “on stage.”
Before our daughter got married some friends offered to teach the family to dance. We gathered together on our deck, invited other families, and had a wonderful time learning the polka, waltz, tango and a variety of line-dances. Again, the children learned along with the adults and by the time the wedding came, we were all confident in our ability to dance with anyone and not feel awkward.
When families interact with other families, children are provided with natural and unselfconscious opportunities to practice a variety of social skills. The environment is safe and the families are supportive and united in the same goals for their children. If problematic situations arise, the parents are never too far away to intervene and provide guidance. Their example helps in the socialization of the young, and it helps to impart the skills necessary for getting along and respecting others.
