Ever since I came back from my mission trip to Quito, Ecuador last summer, I'd been thinking about what God wanted me to do. The Never the Same trip for 2012 was going to Panama, and I began to pray about going. Long story short, I got accepted to travel to Panama near the end of August.
Last summer in Ecuador changed my life. (You can read about it here.) I am so excited to see what God has in store for me in Panama.
We'll be doing a bit of the same thing in Panama as what we did in Ecuador. The two week trip begins on July 2nd. We'll all fly to Miami for two days to meet up, learn the drama that we'll perform in Panama, and also do some language and cultural training. Then, we'll all fly together to Panama City.
Once in Panama, we'll minister to people through our drama in parks, schools, churches and neighborhoods. We'll also have the opportunity to do work projects for them.
I am so ready to see what God has planned for all of us going, and for the people of Panama as well. I hope you'll enjoy following along with me.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
How to Host an Operation Christmas Child Packing Party!
If you've never heard of Operation Christmas Child (OCC), it is an project by Samaritan's Purse where you fill a shoebox with toys and other simple items as gifts for a young boy or girl in an impoverished country. You can find out more on the Samaritans Purse website, and you can read about my packing party here.
I encourage you to get involved with OCC by packing a few boxes this year. If you've been involved for a few years, and want to do something a little more, hosting your own packing party is a great way to do that! It's really not as hard as it seems, and it's a lot of fun for everyone involved!
1.) Decide all of the normal party details.
- Where will you host the party? We had the party at my house, but you may want to have the party at a bigger or more accessible location.
-Who will you invite? A good number of guests depends on how many shoeboxes you plan on making, how long you will be packing for, and how big your space is. I ended up having seven girls (counting myself), although I invited a lot more. Another thing to take into account is that some people may not be able to come, so plan accordingly when you make your guest list.
-When will you host your party? Obviously, weekends work best. Try to pick a day where you can have a whole morning or afternoon free. Which leads to the next question...
-How long will your party last? Again, this really depends on how many boxes you're planning to pack, and how many people will be there. My party lasted 4 1/2 hours, with seven people, and we were able to pack 108 boxes.
Next, decide some more shoebox-related things for your party.
-How will you collect items to fill the shoeboxes with? Likewise, how will you collect shoeboxes?
-Do you want to pack all types of shoeboxes or focus on just one age range/gender category?
The goal of our party was 160 boxes. The number stemmed from the fact that I will be turning 16, so since 16 was much too small for us, we just added a zero. I felt it wasn't an unreasonable number, but something still quite large to reach for.
I decided that all of the party guests could bring items to donate to the shoeboxes. Of course, I picked up as many items as I could. I spread the word about the party amongst my friends and church, and many, many people donated items. Their donations were so vital, and the party could not have been such a success without them.
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| 'GO' Box |
For shoeboxes, a good idea might be to purchase "GO boxes" by Samaritan's Purse (find them here). They are not too expensive, and depending on how many shoeboxes you need, they could be an awesome resource. I went around to a few local shoe stores about a month before the party, and asked if they could donate empty shoeboxes for this project. One store did, and I ended up getting about 60 boxes from that store! :) The rest were donated from family and friends, and we ended up buying some plastic shoebox-sized containers from Target as well.
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| Shoe box labels |
*Girl, 2-4 years
* Girl, 5-9 years
* Girl, 10- 14 years
* Boy, 2-4 years
* Boy, 5-9 years, and
* Boy, 10-14 years.When you have all of this decided, you should start collecting supplies for the party as soon as you can. The more time you have, the better chance you have of reaching your amount of needed items.
2.) Next steps, a few weeks before the party:
- Create and mail invitations for your party. List all the usual party info (Time, Date, Place, Etc.), but also explain what the party is for and what you will be doing. If guests need to bring something, let them know, and be specific! "Bring shoebox packing supplies" may not be helpful. List some ideas of things to bring (You can get ideas from the Samaritan's Purse website), or assign each guest to a specific item or age group. Don't forget to mention what NOT to bring. Think about whether or not you'll want to include letters/photos in your shoeboxes. The kids receiving the boxes really enjoy getting letters inside, and if you include your address, they just might write back! I received a letter last year from Africa. (: If you do want to include letters/photos, you'll want to tell your guests to bring some wallet-sized photos of themselves. Or, you could plan to take pictures at the party.
- Order supplies from Samaritan's Purse. They have so many great resources that were a big help to my party. I ordered a Project Video and Resource DVD and a Party Pack. The party pack included stickers, prayer bookmarks, a hosting guide, and a bunch of other fun supplies. The DVD has 30+ videos and clips you can show at your party (not to mention having a good time watching them all by yourself!).
- Shop. Try to figure out how many items you will need, and plan accordingly. I've found that my average amount of items per shoeboxes is between 15-20 items, depending on the size of the box. If your goal is 100 shoeboxes, that means you'll want to collect at least 1500 items. Don't be afraid to ask for donations! (: Family and friends might be more than willing to help you shop, and local businesses might help too. For example, our dentist was able to donate a bunch of toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste for us to pack.
- Shipping donation. Decide how you will raise money for the $7 shipping donation for your boxes. There are a number of ways you can do this, whether through fundraising, or asking your guests to donate, or coming up with a creative way of your own.
- Drop-off. You'll also need to figure out where and when you will drop off your boxes. We brought ours into our church the following Sunday, since our church was collecting shoeboxes from congregation members and storing them until National Collection Week. During National Collection week, you can find a drop-off location near you, or you can ship your boxes year round to the National Distribution Center.
3. A week before the party:
- Check your guest list. Call people if they haven't RSVP'd. It makes party planning so much easier if you know what size group you are planning for.
- Start figuring out how you will set up your space. I'll explain more about how we did this at my party in a bit. You'll need to decide how you'll set up the items to use, where you'll be packing, and where you'll be storing finished shoeboxes.
- Check to make sure that you have all the materials you will need.
- Determine a schedule for your party. Like I said earlier, you'll probably want to spend a few hours packing boxes. It is really a lot of fun, and the time will fly by! I'll talk a little more about our schedule for the party later.
4. Setting up the Party:
- We decided to go with an assembly line set up, as it seemed the easiest and most efficient. We had it loop through a few rooms in our house (haha) since we needed so much space.
Our first station had all of the empty shoeboxes stacked in piles, and a table for wrapping them. Some people love to wrap their boxes, some don't. Either way is fine. We didn't wrap many of our boxes, because we had a big goal, with not that much time. We still had the option anyways (and yes, a few boxes did get wrapped).
Next, we had two long tables with all of the items stacked and sorted on the tables. We sorted them out into these sections:
*Necessities (socks, clothes, soap, combs/hairbrushes, washcloths, clothes, etc.);
* Toys : Girl (hair ponies, headbands, clips, toy jewelry, plastic princess tiaras, etc.), Boys: (Cars, balls, etc.) and toys that would be good for either gender (jump-ropes, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, Slinky's, stickers, etc.);*School Supplies (pens, pencils with sharpeners, markers, crayons, coloring books, notepads, erasers, etc.); and
*Candy (gum, mints, hard candies, lollipops... no chewy or sticky candy, nothing that can melt or spoil, no chocolates. Also, all candies must be double bagged.)
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| Table #1 |
We also had bags and boxes of items under the tables, since they weren't quite large enough to hold everything. Another idea is to get large bins, boxes or tubs to put your items in, rather than just setting it out on the tables, like we did.
Finally, we had a table with letter writing supplies, boy/girl labels, and rubber bands, for finishing off our boxes. When the boxes were complete, we decided to stack them against the wall in the hallway, so they would be out of the way. We designated a small section of the hallway for each person, so they could each see their stack of shoeboxes they had packed grow.
5. Party Time!
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| Part of Table #2 |
Our party was a lot of fun, and we packed over 100 shoeboxes, although not quite 160. (: Start off by showing your guests where to put the items they brought. Next, we watched two short videos from the Resource DVD I received from Samaritan's Purse. After that, I explained how the assembly line process would work, and we opened up in prayer.
A couple of people at our party were new to making boxes, so I made sure to go over basic filling instructions, like making sure to wrap the box and lid separately, remembering to tape a label to the box when finished, how to decide what should go in your box, etc.
We packed until all of our supplies were gone, and then we gathered around the boxes for group pictures and prayer. One of the most important things you can do is pray over your completed boxes. Pray for the children receiving the boxes, their families, and their communities. (:
As everyone was leaving, I handed out the prayer bookmarks included in the Party Pack, and I also made certificates for everyone that came. You can find certificates to use on Operation Christmas Child's website.
A few more ideas for your party:
- We played Christmas music in the background. It was only mid-October, but it didn't matter. We were packing Christmas gifts, after all.
- Have snacks set out for everyone to munch on while packing. Just be careful to have nothing too messy, you wouldn't want to spill something on a shoebox gift. We had M n' M's and Chex Mix.
- Take lots of pictures! We had such a good time, and now I'm glad that we took pictures of it. Being able to look back on what we did, how we set things up, and so on, gives me new ideas for next time.
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| Just some of our finished shoeboxes! You can see the signs on the wall with each persons name, and their stack of boxes. |
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Operation Christmas Child Packing Party!!
Last weekend, I had a packing party for Operation Christmas Child (OCC). I've had a few requests to write about it, so here you all are.
For those of you who haven't heard of OCC, it's a project put out by Samaritan's Purse where you take a shoebox, fill it with a variety of simple items and ship it to their head distribution center, where it is taken to countries all around the world. The boxes are given to kids ages 2-14 who don't have anything, and many of whom have never received a Christmas gift. All of the children who receive a box have the opportunity to hear the gospel message, and also are able to attend a 12-week discipleship program called The Greatest Journey.
My birthday is in January. I decided to have my birthday party a little early though, so I could have an OCC packing party for my birthday! I had six girls come, and everyone brought stuff to put in the boxes. I got a lot of donations for the boxes too. People at my church, and a lot of our friends gave us items and supplies, and I even got shoeboxes donated from one of our local shoe stores! :) My goal was to pack 160 shoeboxes, because I'll be 16.
We managed to collect 160 boxes and over 20 bags of supplies... almost 3,000 items. :) We had four tables in the front rooms of our house, and set up a sort of assembly line. First, you grab a shoebox, then move to the supplies tables. We had all of the items sorted out into categories like clothes, toys, school supplies, etc. Walking around the two supplies tables, you could pick out what you wanted to put in your shoebox. There were certain items we had that we actually had enough of to put in each shoebox : a washcloth, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a pair of socks, a pencil set, a comb or hairbrush, and we had almost enough bars of soap for every box.
We started our party with watching a couple of video's from OCC's project resource DVD, and then we prayed for the party. Then we got to packing! We packed for about 2 1/2 hours, then we took a break to have cake. After that, we packed for another 2 or so hours, until we ran out of supplies! :( We completed 108 boxes. After we'd finished, I gave everyone a prayer bookmark from OCC, and a certificate with their name and how many boxes they'd packed.
We made sure all the boxes had a picture and a letter in them, then we loaded them all up into our trunk, so they would be ready to take to church the next morning. Our trunk was quite full! (: When we'd finished loading them all into the trunk, we gathered around to pray over the boxes, and pray for the kids that would be receiving them.
The next morning we were able to take all of our boxes to church, and put them up on the steps at the front of the church auditorium. We still have to make some more if I get the opportunity, and I'd love to, given the chance. I'm still not giving up on that 160 goal. ;)
If you've never made a box, I encourage you to give it a try! You can find all the information you need on OCC's website. It is a true blessing for the child who receives it, and it's a blessing for you too. The most important thing you can do is pray for the boxes. Pray for boxes that you make, and pray for all the boxes that others will make. Pray for the children that are receiving these boxes, and that they would come to know Jesus as the Savior.
If you are an experienced box packer, why not try hosting your own OCC packing party? It doesn't have to be for a birthday or any other special occasion, just do it for fun! It's really simple, and a lot of fun for everyone involved. You can find all the information you need, and order party supplies, from their website. (If you want or need more ideas on how to host a packing party, or how I hosted mine, please contact me! Leave a comment or email me : gymnasticslover4444@gmail.com . I may do a post about hosting a packing party later.)
How are you getting involved this Christmas? Are you packing any shoeboxes, or maybe hosting your own party? Leave a comment and let me know. :)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
The Waiting Place: by Eileen Button
I hate waiting. I hate waiting a LOT.
But what if we stopped having such a bad attitude about waiting, and started to embrace it? Yes, actually learn to appreciate the time we spend waiting. Why? Because God can teach us a lot while we're stuck in the waiting place, if we could only learn to sit tight, open our eyes, and listen.
Eileen Button has filled this book with her experiences in the waiting place. Each chapter is a single essay covering one topic, one "waiting place". The essays range from big things to small, the life-changing to the simple, every-day things. Waiting for a sign, waiting for a miracle, waiting for the mail, waiting for a birth, waiting for a death... these are things all of us wait for at some point or another. Eileen Button provides a new perspective on each of these places, in a simple, honest yet humorous manner.
The Waiting Place captivated my attention and opened up my mind to a new idea of the joy, yes, joy of waiting. It challenged me to look beyond the temporary inconvenience that waiting often causes, look past the pain and discomfort, the wondering, the uncertainty, and look for the rainbow. Look for the lesson. We're not going to be stuck in the waiting place forever. But while we are, we might as well take advantage of it.
"I am absolutely convinced that some of the most beautiful things happen if we are willing to quiet our hearts, lean into the waiting place, and listen to what it tells us. When we do, we will often be astonished by what it has to say."
~ Eileen Button, The Waiting Place
In fact, I can't really think of anyone who LOVES to wait. Truth is, we wait all the time. Wait in lines, wait for our food to finish cooking, wait for appointments, wait for good things, wait for bad things.
But what if we stopped having such a bad attitude about waiting, and started to embrace it? Yes, actually learn to appreciate the time we spend waiting. Why? Because God can teach us a lot while we're stuck in the waiting place, if we could only learn to sit tight, open our eyes, and listen.
Eileen Button has filled this book with her experiences in the waiting place. Each chapter is a single essay covering one topic, one "waiting place". The essays range from big things to small, the life-changing to the simple, every-day things. Waiting for a sign, waiting for a miracle, waiting for the mail, waiting for a birth, waiting for a death... these are things all of us wait for at some point or another. Eileen Button provides a new perspective on each of these places, in a simple, honest yet humorous manner.
The Waiting Place captivated my attention and opened up my mind to a new idea of the joy, yes, joy of waiting. It challenged me to look beyond the temporary inconvenience that waiting often causes, look past the pain and discomfort, the wondering, the uncertainty, and look for the rainbow. Look for the lesson. We're not going to be stuck in the waiting place forever. But while we are, we might as well take advantage of it.
"I am absolutely convinced that some of the most beautiful things happen if we are willing to quiet our hearts, lean into the waiting place, and listen to what it tells us. When we do, we will often be astonished by what it has to say."
~ Eileen Button, The Waiting Place
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Photo Journal....
So I decided to try this, and see how it turns out. I just tried to capture a day in the life of... me in pictures. :) I'm not sure how many pictures I have, but I just wanted to try out the idea of a photo journal. I'll put up all the pictures tonight, just the pictures. Tomorrow (Sunday) I will add captions on them, in white, so come back then, and you can see what each picture is supposed to be. I'm adding the captions in white, that way, people can look at it first without captions, and then go through and look at the captions. And let me know what you think!! :)
**EDIT** Captions are added. Just click and drag underneath each picture to see them. (:
**EDIT** Captions are added. Just click and drag underneath each picture to see them. (:
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| My alarm clock... the time I woke up today. |
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| What I see when I first open my eyes, laying in bed. |
| What I looked like when I first woke up. |
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| Breakfast, part 1. |
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| Breakfast, part 2 |
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| The sunrise, as seen from our front window. |
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| The time on our microwave clock, after I'd finished breakfast. |
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| My bed :) |
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| Before school... I'm usually listening to something good on YouTube! (: |
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| Or checkin' Facebook. |
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| Time to start doing some schoolwork. |
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| What I wore today. (Sorry it's sideways!) |
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| Bible... |
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| History.... |
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| English... |
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| Math... |
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| Lots of reading to do.... |
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| Science... |
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| Some of my schoolbooks... |
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| Part of my lunch. Apples with peanut butter! :D |
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| More reading... |
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| Latin... |
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| Driving to gym... |
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| More driving... |
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| It was HOT today... (and this in F*, not C*, for my international readers) ;) |
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| Gymnastics! |
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| The sunset! |
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| I actually did not take these cool sunset pictures, my mom took them on the way to pick me up from gym. |
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| A couple of my teammates at gym. (: |
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| Me at gym... |
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| After gym... listening to Air1 radio (: |
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| Working on some more schoolwork. (: |
So there you have it. I will add captions either tonight (Sunday night) or Monday morning. :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Recipe: Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
I love getting the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade at Panera Bread when we go there, so a few days ago, I decided to try and find a recipe to make it myself. I found this one, and it was soo yummy!
Ingredients:
2 cups ice, cubed
1 cup water
1 six ounce can of frozen lemonade concentrate
5 large strawberries, hulled
Directions:
Put the ice cubes, water and frozen concentrate into the container of a blender.
We substituted the lemonade concentrate with pink lemonade concentrate. We found that regular lemonade made the slushie drink a bit too tart. The pink lemonade tasted great with it, though! Also, the juice concentrate we used came in a 12-ounce can, so we only needed half of the can.
Process until ice is finely blended. Add strawberries, and puree until well blended.
We ended up adding 8-10 strawberries instead of 5. It's a simple recipe though, and can easily be adjusted. Taste, and experiment until you figure out how you like it!
The finished product! Serves four. I got my recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Frozen-Strawberry-Lemonade/detail.aspx
If you try it, let me know what you think!
Ingredients:
2 cups ice, cubed
1 cup water
1 six ounce can of frozen lemonade concentrate
5 large strawberries, hulled
Directions:
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| Minute Maid Pink Lemonade Frozen Concentrate |
We substituted the lemonade concentrate with pink lemonade concentrate. We found that regular lemonade made the slushie drink a bit too tart. The pink lemonade tasted great with it, though! Also, the juice concentrate we used came in a 12-ounce can, so we only needed half of the can.
Process until ice is finely blended. Add strawberries, and puree until well blended.
We ended up adding 8-10 strawberries instead of 5. It's a simple recipe though, and can easily be adjusted. Taste, and experiment until you figure out how you like it!
If you try it, let me know what you think!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Homeschooling Q&A's, Part 5
This should be the final installment of my Homeschooling Q&A's. I'm curious to know what you guys thought, because I'm thinking of other Q&A topics that I could do if you guys have been enjoying this. If you could just check the 'Like' or 'Dislike' buttons at the bottom of this post when you've finished reading it, or leave a comment, that would be helping in knowing if I should do more series like this or not. :)
About School
1. Do you like your teacher?
This question always makes me laugh. Yes, I do like my teacher. A lot of people think that it would be weird to have your mom as your teacher, but I don't think it's weird at all. My mom is a great teacher, and it's nice to be able to work one-on-one with her when I don't understand something, rather than being in a big classroom.
2. Do you actually have to do schoolwork?
Of course! That's why it's called homeSCHOOLing. :) I wish that people wouldn't just assume that homeschoolers get to lounge around and do nothing all day. We do work, just like you do.
3. Where do you find your schoolbooks?
There are tons of companies out there that sell schoolbooks, and there are a bunch of companies that makes schoolbooks specifically for homeschoolers. For example, we could buy the exact same books that they use in the public schools and use those. We don't, though. We buy our books through a variety of different companies.
4. What schoolbooks do you use?
5. How long does it take you each day?
It depends on the day. On average, it takes me about 6-7 hours to do my schoolwork.
6. Do you have any "real" classes?
ALL of my classes are "real" classes. Just because I'm not learning in a classroom with a group of 20-30 other students, doesn't mean my classes aren't "real". Just because I do my work at home, doesn't mean that it's not real schoolwork. Do you consider your homework "real" work for school? Even though I'm working at home, it's still is a perfectly "real" class.
(If you meant did I take any classes at a local public/private school, no, I do not. But I could if I wanted to. :] )
7. Do you get homework?
I suppose it depends. Some people will say "Well all of your work is homework!". The way it works for me is that I do as much work as I can before about 2:45-3:00 in the afternoon. At 3pm, we have to leave for my gymnastics practice. Sometimes, I don't finish all of my work by 3:00, and have to finish it after gym. That could be considered homework. :) So, if you want to look at it that way, then yes, I do have homework.
8. Do you have to do your subjects in a certain order?
No, I don't HAVE to, but I do. I like having a routine, and it helps me if I work on things in the same order each day. So I always do my subjects in the same order.
9. How many subjects do you have? What do you study?
I have 7 subjects this year. I'm taking World History, English, Algebra 2, Chemistry, Latin 2, Bible and Reading.
10. So, are you like, super smart?
This made me laugh. :D I don't think I am "super smart". Homeschooling is not like a magical potion where we read a special book for 2 hours a day and then become genius's. Homeschooling is pretty much just like a regular public/private school, except we just do all of our schoolwork at home. We're not always "super smart" but we're not dumb either. :) [Although, it is shown that many homeschoolers do better on national tests such as the SAT/ACT. I talked about that here. , on #8.]
11. Do you go to a co-op?
For anyone that doesn't know, a co-op is where a few families will get together and do a class, or a couple of classes together. A co-op can be big or small, and usually a parent will teach. Sometimes, when a couple of classes are being done in one co-op, different parents will teach different things. I have done co-ops before, and I usually do a co-op every year for science. :)
12. Do you know what grade you're in?
Of course! I'm in 10th grade. :)
13. Do you get to do school whenever you want?
No. We have to start school by 8am each morning, and I try to get all of my work done before I have to leave for gymnastics at 3pm. I don't always finish by then, so I have to finish after gym sometimes. I talked about my schedule a bit more in Part 1.
14. Is there such a thing as honors and regulars in homeschooling?
Yes, I suppose so. Some of the books we buy are listed as "Honors" textbooks, so yes, I guess there is. :)
I've finished answering all of your guys questions about homeschooling. :) I hope you've enjoyed reading about it, and as always, if you have any more questions, you can always put them in the comments.
[I got my pictures from here, here and here.]
About School
1. Do you like your teacher?
This question always makes me laugh. Yes, I do like my teacher. A lot of people think that it would be weird to have your mom as your teacher, but I don't think it's weird at all. My mom is a great teacher, and it's nice to be able to work one-on-one with her when I don't understand something, rather than being in a big classroom.
2. Do you actually have to do schoolwork?
Of course! That's why it's called homeSCHOOLing. :) I wish that people wouldn't just assume that homeschoolers get to lounge around and do nothing all day. We do work, just like you do.
3. Where do you find your schoolbooks?
There are tons of companies out there that sell schoolbooks, and there are a bunch of companies that makes schoolbooks specifically for homeschoolers. For example, we could buy the exact same books that they use in the public schools and use those. We don't, though. We buy our books through a variety of different companies.
4. What schoolbooks do you use?
We use books from a couple of different places. We use books from Sonlight, Apologia, Math-U-See, and a few other places as well sometimes.
It depends on the day. On average, it takes me about 6-7 hours to do my schoolwork.
6. Do you have any "real" classes?
ALL of my classes are "real" classes. Just because I'm not learning in a classroom with a group of 20-30 other students, doesn't mean my classes aren't "real". Just because I do my work at home, doesn't mean that it's not real schoolwork. Do you consider your homework "real" work for school? Even though I'm working at home, it's still is a perfectly "real" class.
(If you meant did I take any classes at a local public/private school, no, I do not. But I could if I wanted to. :] )
7. Do you get homework?
I suppose it depends. Some people will say "Well all of your work is homework!". The way it works for me is that I do as much work as I can before about 2:45-3:00 in the afternoon. At 3pm, we have to leave for my gymnastics practice. Sometimes, I don't finish all of my work by 3:00, and have to finish it after gym. That could be considered homework. :) So, if you want to look at it that way, then yes, I do have homework.
8. Do you have to do your subjects in a certain order?
No, I don't HAVE to, but I do. I like having a routine, and it helps me if I work on things in the same order each day. So I always do my subjects in the same order.
9. How many subjects do you have? What do you study?
I have 7 subjects this year. I'm taking World History, English, Algebra 2, Chemistry, Latin 2, Bible and Reading.
10. So, are you like, super smart?
This made me laugh. :D I don't think I am "super smart". Homeschooling is not like a magical potion where we read a special book for 2 hours a day and then become genius's. Homeschooling is pretty much just like a regular public/private school, except we just do all of our schoolwork at home. We're not always "super smart" but we're not dumb either. :) [Although, it is shown that many homeschoolers do better on national tests such as the SAT/ACT. I talked about that here. , on #8.]
11. Do you go to a co-op?
For anyone that doesn't know, a co-op is where a few families will get together and do a class, or a couple of classes together. A co-op can be big or small, and usually a parent will teach. Sometimes, when a couple of classes are being done in one co-op, different parents will teach different things. I have done co-ops before, and I usually do a co-op every year for science. :)
12. Do you know what grade you're in?
13. Do you get to do school whenever you want?
No. We have to start school by 8am each morning, and I try to get all of my work done before I have to leave for gymnastics at 3pm. I don't always finish by then, so I have to finish after gym sometimes. I talked about my schedule a bit more in Part 1.
14. Is there such a thing as honors and regulars in homeschooling?
Yes, I suppose so. Some of the books we buy are listed as "Honors" textbooks, so yes, I guess there is. :)
I've finished answering all of your guys questions about homeschooling. :) I hope you've enjoyed reading about it, and as always, if you have any more questions, you can always put them in the comments.
[I got my pictures from here, here and here.]
Sunday, July 24, 2011
I am home, safe and sound, I just haven't posted anything yet to this blog. :) I've been super busy with stuff still from my Ecuador trip, and I'll be sure to update you guys soon. I hope you've been checking my blog for my trip as I put a bunch of stories up, and I'll try to add some more, as well as some more pictures as well.
I'll be making a real post on here today or tomorrow, so be expecting it. Thanks for sticking with me even though I haven't been posting much!
I'll be making a real post on here today or tomorrow, so be expecting it. Thanks for sticking with me even though I haven't been posting much!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Some updates. :)
I have to apologize in being pretty scattered with my posting. I haven't really posted any book reviews for awhile, and have been off and on with everything else. :O
I'm leaving for Ecuador in two days. I'm going on a missions trip with Susie Magazine and Big World Ventures as many of you may know. Because of that, I haven't been posting very much here. I've been busy getting ready for the trip. :)
I won't be posting here again until I come back from Ecuador. Until then, check out my blog for my trip to find updates, prayer requests and such. :)
♥
I'm leaving for Ecuador in two days. I'm going on a missions trip with Susie Magazine and Big World Ventures as many of you may know. Because of that, I haven't been posting very much here. I've been busy getting ready for the trip. :)
I won't be posting here again until I come back from Ecuador. Until then, check out my blog for my trip to find updates, prayer requests and such. :)
♥
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Homeschooling Q&A's, Part 4
I'm back with part 4!! If you haven't checked out Part 1 , 2, and 3, it would be a good idea to do so now. :) Same as with the others, if you have any questions, go ahead and leave them in the comments. :)
Extra Activities
1. Do you get to do any extra-curricular activities?
Yes, of course! I can sign up and participate in any kind of activities I'd like to try. There are homeschoolers in our group that take music lessons, ballet, gymnastics, horse-riding, soccer, swimming, tennis, bowling, art classes, karate, basketball, Awana, choir, musical theater, etc.
2. Could you do sports, music, etc. from a nearby school if you wanted to?
Again, this depends on where you live, but typically, yes. There are schools that offer classes, clubs, bands and sports teams to homeschoolers. Also, many towns have specialized homeschool bands, clubs, etc. In addition, there are tons of activities that homeschoolers participate in that are not usually offered at/through a school, such as pottery classes, Girl/Boy Scouts, choir, music lessons, etc.
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3. Do you get to go to prom, etc. ?
Our homeschool group has a "Formal" at the end of the year, which is pretty much like a prom. :) Everyone gets all dressed up, it's usually themed, they serve dinner, and play games, dance, etc. I've never gone because I haven't really been interested in going before, or I had something else scheduled that day, but the option is available for anyone who wants to go. For towns that don't have homeschool groups, some public/private schools will allow homeschoolers to come with a friend. :)
4. Why would you want to miss out on the whole highschool experience?
What? You mean, driving back and forth to a big school building every day, sitting in a classroom, wasting time on "busy-work" papers, forcing myself to eat cafeteria food, etc? Or... something else? I feel like I'm getting a good highschool experience. I may not see my friends every single day, but I do talk to them, and see them often. I do schoolwork during the day, and I have extra things I do in the afternoons and evenings. I don't understand what I'm missing. ;)
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About Socialization/ Friends
1. Do you have any friends?
Yes, of course!
2. Do you get any socialization?
Okay. Whenever someone asks me this question, I always want to say, "Well, if I'm talking to you, this is considered socializing. So YES!" :) But yes, I do get to socialize.
3. How do you meet people?
I meet people in the same way any other teenager would. I meet people at classes for our homeschool group. I meet people at church. I meet people at gymnastics. I meet people at other activities and clubs. I meet people at camps.
4. How do you get socialized?
Well, I socialize at all the places that I've met people. If I'm at gym, I talk to my friends at gym. If I'm taking a class, I'll talk to the other kids in that class. And so on.
5. Do you ever leave your house?
Do I? To many homeschoolers, it seems like we're away from home more than we're at home (which isn't really true of course, it can just seem that way at times). Between co-ops (classes with other homeschoolers), ballet lessons, gymnastics practice, horse-riding, movie nights, art classes, etc. we get out of the house plenty. :)
6. How do you stand being around your parents/siblings all day?
How do I stand it? Well... I like it! :) I love my family, and I'm glad for the opportunity to be around them during the day. I know that if I went to public school, we probably wouldn't be as close as we are right now.
7. Do you ever get to see any other kids?
Of course! As mentioned, I see kids at all of my activities, at church, at co-ops, etc. I see kids my age every day. :)
8. Do you actually have a life?
Yes! I wonder what people are thinking of homeschoolers in general when I hear/see these questions. Just because we do our schoolwork at home, doesn't mean we're a different species! :) We do all the same kinds of activities that a public/private schooled teen might do. We have sleepovers, go to the mall, do sports, go to church, etc.
9. Isn't it boring not being able to see your friends everyday?
I don't think so. Even though I don't see my friends every day, I do get to see them at least a couple times a week, and I see different people on different days. On days when I have gymnastics practice, I get to see my friends from there, on days I have co-ops (classes with other homeschoolers), I see my homeschooled friends, and so on.
10. Do you ever wish you went to a public school?
Nope. I don't really see anything that I'm missing from not going to one, and I love being homeschooled, so no. I'm quite content. :]
[I found my pictures on Google Search, here, here and here. ]
Extra Activities
1. Do you get to do any extra-curricular activities?
Yes, of course! I can sign up and participate in any kind of activities I'd like to try. There are homeschoolers in our group that take music lessons, ballet, gymnastics, horse-riding, soccer, swimming, tennis, bowling, art classes, karate, basketball, Awana, choir, musical theater, etc.
2. Could you do sports, music, etc. from a nearby school if you wanted to?
Again, this depends on where you live, but typically, yes. There are schools that offer classes, clubs, bands and sports teams to homeschoolers. Also, many towns have specialized homeschool bands, clubs, etc. In addition, there are tons of activities that homeschoolers participate in that are not usually offered at/through a school, such as pottery classes, Girl/Boy Scouts, choir, music lessons, etc.
Our homeschool group has a "Formal" at the end of the year, which is pretty much like a prom. :) Everyone gets all dressed up, it's usually themed, they serve dinner, and play games, dance, etc. I've never gone because I haven't really been interested in going before, or I had something else scheduled that day, but the option is available for anyone who wants to go. For towns that don't have homeschool groups, some public/private schools will allow homeschoolers to come with a friend. :)
4. Why would you want to miss out on the whole highschool experience?
What? You mean, driving back and forth to a big school building every day, sitting in a classroom, wasting time on "busy-work" papers, forcing myself to eat cafeteria food, etc? Or... something else? I feel like I'm getting a good highschool experience. I may not see my friends every single day, but I do talk to them, and see them often. I do schoolwork during the day, and I have extra things I do in the afternoons and evenings. I don't understand what I'm missing. ;)
About Socialization/ Friends Yes, of course!
2. Do you get any socialization?
Okay. Whenever someone asks me this question, I always want to say, "Well, if I'm talking to you, this is considered socializing. So YES!" :) But yes, I do get to socialize.
3. How do you meet people?
I meet people in the same way any other teenager would. I meet people at classes for our homeschool group. I meet people at church. I meet people at gymnastics. I meet people at other activities and clubs. I meet people at camps.
4. How do you get socialized?
Well, I socialize at all the places that I've met people. If I'm at gym, I talk to my friends at gym. If I'm taking a class, I'll talk to the other kids in that class. And so on.
 |
| I'm not trapped in my house all the time, like many seem to think. :) |
Do I? To many homeschoolers, it seems like we're away from home more than we're at home (which isn't really true of course, it can just seem that way at times). Between co-ops (classes with other homeschoolers), ballet lessons, gymnastics practice, horse-riding, movie nights, art classes, etc. we get out of the house plenty. :)
6. How do you stand being around your parents/siblings all day?
How do I stand it? Well... I like it! :) I love my family, and I'm glad for the opportunity to be around them during the day. I know that if I went to public school, we probably wouldn't be as close as we are right now.
7. Do you ever get to see any other kids?
Of course! As mentioned, I see kids at all of my activities, at church, at co-ops, etc. I see kids my age every day. :)
8. Do you actually have a life?
Yes! I wonder what people are thinking of homeschoolers in general when I hear/see these questions. Just because we do our schoolwork at home, doesn't mean we're a different species! :) We do all the same kinds of activities that a public/private schooled teen might do. We have sleepovers, go to the mall, do sports, go to church, etc.
9. Isn't it boring not being able to see your friends everyday?
I don't think so. Even though I don't see my friends every day, I do get to see them at least a couple times a week, and I see different people on different days. On days when I have gymnastics practice, I get to see my friends from there, on days I have co-ops (classes with other homeschoolers), I see my homeschooled friends, and so on.
10. Do you ever wish you went to a public school?
Nope. I don't really see anything that I'm missing from not going to one, and I love being homeschooled, so no. I'm quite content. :]
[I found my pictures on Google Search, here, here and here. ]
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Homeschooling Q&A's, Part 3
Well, here we go, time for our 3rd set of questions. If you haven't read my first two posts, please do. :) You can find them here and here . As always, feel free to leave your questions in the comment box. :)
How Does it Work? Part 2.
1. Are you in the same room as your siblings? Are you all in the same grade?
Nope, and nope! :) Sometimes my sister and I will work in the same room, but not always. I usually work at the desk in my bedroom, or the desk in the office. She usually just stays in her bedroom. :) And no, we're not in the same grade. My older sister is already in college, my younger sister in in Jr. High, and I'm in High School. We're all in the same grade we would be in if we were in public school. :)
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2. Do you get to listen to music/watch TV/etc. while doing school?
We are allowed to have our music on quietly as long as we're not being distracted by it, and we're doing our work. We are definitely not allowed to be watching TV while doing school. We pretty much just focus on school when we're doing school. Just because we're at home, doesn't mean we get to goof off. :)
3. Can your parents give you a bad grade?
Yup. We get whatever grade we earned. If that's an A, we get an A. If it's a F, we'll get an F. (Although, thankfully, I've never gotten an F!)
4. Do you get days off (Presidents Day, Columbus Day,etc.) ?
We usually won't take off those kinds of holidays. Unless we have something planned with our whole family that we are going to go do, we typically just do our schoolwork as usual. Although, I do know some homeschool families who always take off all the typical days the schools around us do. It depends on each family.
5. Do you have minimum days?
We don't. There's not really any point to them, for us. When we were little, sometimes we would take minimum days and then go to the Zoo or something, but now, we usually don't.
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6. Do you have to take tests?
Yes. -_- We have to take tests in each of our subjects, just the same as you. Chapter tests, quizzes, finals... :) We take the bigger tests as well, like the SAT and ACT.
7. I've heard there are so many laws that make homeschooling hard. Is this true?
It depends a bit on where you live. Some states are pretty easy to homeschool in, and don't have that many laws for it. Some states actually have benefits for homeschooling! Other states have a TON of laws for homeschoolers, where you have to do a lot of extra tests, or turn in a ton of papers, or whatever extras they might make you do. It also depends on whether you file your own affidavit (stating that you are your own independent school), or whether you go through a charter/umbrella school. In some states, it is easier to go through a charter school. I have heard stories of people who have had troubles with colleges not wanting to accept their transcripts, or wondering if the grades were accurate. Usually a quick interview, or a more thorough list of classes, books,etc. will do the job. In short, it depends a lot on where you're homeschooling at, but there usually isn't too much trouble. :)
8. How does your mom know everything that she is supposed to teach you?
Well, first off, she taught me how to walk, talk, feed myself, write my name, etc. So moms make pretty great teachers, it's an instinct. :) But to answer the question, sometimes my mom is not always the main teacher for a subject. Sometimes another parent from our church or homeschool group will teach a class. Some families have Dad step in for a subject that he is good at. Some things, like math, for example, we have all the lessons on a DVD taught by a regular math teacher. I am sitting in on his class. I will watch the lesson, and then do the assignments for each day. My mom will use the teacher guide to check them, and when I get something wrong, there are explanations in her teacher guide that we can use. So even if I'm doing something that Mom may not know, I can still learn it from someone else. :)
9. How can you get into a good college?
The same way someone from a public school can. My mom will create a transcript, like a public/private school would, listing all my classes, grades, credits, etc. Also, we take the SAT tests, and we can also take the ACT test, which give colleges a standard to compare students to. Some colleges have different admission procedures for homeschoolers. A transcript may be not needed at all, or optional. They may want certain test scores, or an interview. Some want letters of recommendation. Most colleges don't give homeschoolers a hard time, in fact, some colleges actually prefer homeschooled students! *
*I got my information and stats in this section from this article: http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000017.asp
Mostly from the section titled: "A Positive College Experience"
[I got my pictures from here and here. Again, I found them both in a Google Search.]
How Does it Work? Part 2.
1. Are you in the same room as your siblings? Are you all in the same grade?
Nope, and nope! :) Sometimes my sister and I will work in the same room, but not always. I usually work at the desk in my bedroom, or the desk in the office. She usually just stays in her bedroom. :) And no, we're not in the same grade. My older sister is already in college, my younger sister in in Jr. High, and I'm in High School. We're all in the same grade we would be in if we were in public school. :)
We are allowed to have our music on quietly as long as we're not being distracted by it, and we're doing our work. We are definitely not allowed to be watching TV while doing school. We pretty much just focus on school when we're doing school. Just because we're at home, doesn't mean we get to goof off. :)
3. Can your parents give you a bad grade?
Yup. We get whatever grade we earned. If that's an A, we get an A. If it's a F, we'll get an F. (Although, thankfully, I've never gotten an F!)
4. Do you get days off (Presidents Day, Columbus Day,etc.) ?
We usually won't take off those kinds of holidays. Unless we have something planned with our whole family that we are going to go do, we typically just do our schoolwork as usual. Although, I do know some homeschool families who always take off all the typical days the schools around us do. It depends on each family.
5. Do you have minimum days?
We don't. There's not really any point to them, for us. When we were little, sometimes we would take minimum days and then go to the Zoo or something, but now, we usually don't.
Yes. -_- We have to take tests in each of our subjects, just the same as you. Chapter tests, quizzes, finals... :) We take the bigger tests as well, like the SAT and ACT.
7. I've heard there are so many laws that make homeschooling hard. Is this true?
It depends a bit on where you live. Some states are pretty easy to homeschool in, and don't have that many laws for it. Some states actually have benefits for homeschooling! Other states have a TON of laws for homeschoolers, where you have to do a lot of extra tests, or turn in a ton of papers, or whatever extras they might make you do. It also depends on whether you file your own affidavit (stating that you are your own independent school), or whether you go through a charter/umbrella school. In some states, it is easier to go through a charter school. I have heard stories of people who have had troubles with colleges not wanting to accept their transcripts, or wondering if the grades were accurate. Usually a quick interview, or a more thorough list of classes, books,etc. will do the job. In short, it depends a lot on where you're homeschooling at, but there usually isn't too much trouble. :)
8. How does your mom know everything that she is supposed to teach you?
Well, first off, she taught me how to walk, talk, feed myself, write my name, etc. So moms make pretty great teachers, it's an instinct. :) But to answer the question, sometimes my mom is not always the main teacher for a subject. Sometimes another parent from our church or homeschool group will teach a class. Some families have Dad step in for a subject that he is good at. Some things, like math, for example, we have all the lessons on a DVD taught by a regular math teacher. I am sitting in on his class. I will watch the lesson, and then do the assignments for each day. My mom will use the teacher guide to check them, and when I get something wrong, there are explanations in her teacher guide that we can use. So even if I'm doing something that Mom may not know, I can still learn it from someone else. :)
9. How can you get into a good college?
The same way someone from a public school can. My mom will create a transcript, like a public/private school would, listing all my classes, grades, credits, etc. Also, we take the SAT tests, and we can also take the ACT test, which give colleges a standard to compare students to. Some colleges have different admission procedures for homeschoolers. A transcript may be not needed at all, or optional. They may want certain test scores, or an interview. Some want letters of recommendation. Most colleges don't give homeschoolers a hard time, in fact, some colleges actually prefer homeschooled students! *
*I got my information and stats in this section from this article: http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000017.asp
Mostly from the section titled: "A Positive College Experience"
[I got my pictures from here and here. Again, I found them both in a Google Search.]
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Homeschooling Q&A's, Part 2.
Well, hopefully you've read the first post and gotten through the basics. If not, go there now. :] This is my second set of questions. Again, if you have any more questions, just leave them in the comment box. :)
I don't think I explained the purpose of this series very well, so I will now. A lot of homeschoolers, at one point in time or another, get asked some pretty humorous questions about homeschooling. Sometimes we get asked the same questions over and over, so I'm making these for people who are genuinely curious about homeschooling. And of course, for homeschoolers, who I assume will just enjoy reading it. ;) And just as a disclaimer, I do not, obviously, speak for all homeschoolers! I speak based on my own experiences with my own family. :) If something is different for you, or if you had an opposite experience you'd like to share, feel free to leave it in the comment box.
How Does Homeschooling Work?
1. Do you get a Summer break?
Yes! My mom needs it just as much as we do. ;) But we're pretty much on the same schedule as most of the schools in our area. I do know a few homeschoolers that school year-round, but they take a lot of breaks during the typical school year, so it evens out.
2. Does a parent have to homeschool you or can it be a family friend?
It could be a family friend, if that was what worked best for your family. It's just most often that a parent does the job. :)
3. Do you get distracted with computers and TVs around?
It can be easy to get distracted, especially by the computer (for me), but you have to be able to limit and control yourself. It's something that you learn. Sometimes it can very tempting to use it if it's sitting right next to you, so what I do is just move rooms. Out of sight, out of mind. :)
4. Do you just get to eat and do stuff whenever you want?
Not really. This is a bit vague, but I'll do my best. :) I don't get to eat whenever I want, per se. I have to ask before getting a snack or something like that, but usually, if I ask to get a quick snack, I'm allowed to. The key word with that is quick... we can't just lounge around in the kitchen, munching away. Get something small, eat it, and be done. And if you just had something 10 minutes ago, don't ask again. It's not gonna happen. :) As for doing stuff whenever, that's mostly a no. There are many, many times when I'd love to just stop working for a while and go take a walk, read a book, take a nap, go online... those kinds of things. It doesn't happen.
5. Do you get grades?
Yes, of course. Our mom (or whoever is teaching us) gives us grades just like a teacher in a public/private school would, evaluating the work, checking the answers in the answer key, adding up totals, etc.
6. Are you going to be homeschooled in college too?
Another question that makes me smile. No, I'm not going to be homeschooled in college. :) I've wondered if it was even possible before, but no, I'll be attending a regular college. :)
7. Do you get a diploma?
Yes! There are actually places where homeschoolers can buy diplomas from. Also, if you use a charter/umbrella school, many of those will provide a diploma.
8. Does your mom teach you and your siblings at the same time?
Yes and no. She teaches us at the same time of day (from 8-3, approximately), but not the same subjects, or at the exact same moment. For example, if I'm doing math, she might be doing spelling with my sister. If I'm doing science with mom, my sister might be doing her reading.
9. When you're sick, do you get a day off?
Depends on how sick we are! :) Usually, we at least try to get some schoolwork done. If we're sick with a fever and stuck in bed, we won't do much, maybe some reading, if that. If we're well enough to move around and think (haha), we just do as much as we can, and rest in between.
10. Do you still have snow days?
Well, it doesn't snow around here, so I asked my mom, "If it snowed here, would you give us snow days?" and she said that she wouldn't. Since we wouldn't have to go anywhere to do our schoolwork, we would be perfectly capable of staying at home and doing it. So no. :)
(I got my pictures here and here. I found them both in a Google search.)
I don't think I explained the purpose of this series very well, so I will now. A lot of homeschoolers, at one point in time or another, get asked some pretty humorous questions about homeschooling. Sometimes we get asked the same questions over and over, so I'm making these for people who are genuinely curious about homeschooling. And of course, for homeschoolers, who I assume will just enjoy reading it. ;) And just as a disclaimer, I do not, obviously, speak for all homeschoolers! I speak based on my own experiences with my own family. :) If something is different for you, or if you had an opposite experience you'd like to share, feel free to leave it in the comment box.
How Does Homeschooling Work?
Yes! My mom needs it just as much as we do. ;) But we're pretty much on the same schedule as most of the schools in our area. I do know a few homeschoolers that school year-round, but they take a lot of breaks during the typical school year, so it evens out.
2. Does a parent have to homeschool you or can it be a family friend?
It could be a family friend, if that was what worked best for your family. It's just most often that a parent does the job. :)
3. Do you get distracted with computers and TVs around?
It can be easy to get distracted, especially by the computer (for me), but you have to be able to limit and control yourself. It's something that you learn. Sometimes it can very tempting to use it if it's sitting right next to you, so what I do is just move rooms. Out of sight, out of mind. :)
4. Do you just get to eat and do stuff whenever you want?
Not really. This is a bit vague, but I'll do my best. :) I don't get to eat whenever I want, per se. I have to ask before getting a snack or something like that, but usually, if I ask to get a quick snack, I'm allowed to. The key word with that is quick... we can't just lounge around in the kitchen, munching away. Get something small, eat it, and be done. And if you just had something 10 minutes ago, don't ask again. It's not gonna happen. :) As for doing stuff whenever, that's mostly a no. There are many, many times when I'd love to just stop working for a while and go take a walk, read a book, take a nap, go online... those kinds of things. It doesn't happen.
Yes, of course. Our mom (or whoever is teaching us) gives us grades just like a teacher in a public/private school would, evaluating the work, checking the answers in the answer key, adding up totals, etc.
6. Are you going to be homeschooled in college too?
Another question that makes me smile. No, I'm not going to be homeschooled in college. :) I've wondered if it was even possible before, but no, I'll be attending a regular college. :)
7. Do you get a diploma?
Yes! There are actually places where homeschoolers can buy diplomas from. Also, if you use a charter/umbrella school, many of those will provide a diploma.
8. Does your mom teach you and your siblings at the same time?
Yes and no. She teaches us at the same time of day (from 8-3, approximately), but not the same subjects, or at the exact same moment. For example, if I'm doing math, she might be doing spelling with my sister. If I'm doing science with mom, my sister might be doing her reading.
9. When you're sick, do you get a day off?
Depends on how sick we are! :) Usually, we at least try to get some schoolwork done. If we're sick with a fever and stuck in bed, we won't do much, maybe some reading, if that. If we're well enough to move around and think (haha), we just do as much as we can, and rest in between.
10. Do you still have snow days?
Well, it doesn't snow around here, so I asked my mom, "If it snowed here, would you give us snow days?" and she said that she wouldn't. Since we wouldn't have to go anywhere to do our schoolwork, we would be perfectly capable of staying at home and doing it. So no. :)
(I got my pictures here and here. I found them both in a Google search.)
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