A British group - in conjunction with scientists in USA - is going to do an investigation to see if descendants of the Croatoan tribe show DNA likeness to relatives of settlers who came to Roanoke - the Lost Colony - in 1587. Later settlers found the original Lost Colony settlers gone and the only clue was a word, “Croatoan,” carved into a tree.

I’ve always thought this was such an amazing mystery and wished someone would do DNA research on this. It should be relatively easy to tell if the blue-eyed Indians reported on the East Coast were actually descendants of Indians who had married the English settlers. This would be a wonderful finding if they were able to come to conclusive results.

It will probably be some time before we know anything else, but I thought some of you might want to read this if you haven’t heard about the research yet.

Here’s the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/06/bideford-devon-america-lost-colony

Sonya

P.S. I received the following link from someone participating in the research. You can actually follow the progress of the researchers here: http://the-lost-colony.blogspot.com/ There is wonderful information there! I hope you’ll take time to visit and bookmark the site.

Have you ever thought of where your name comes from? I’m not talking about your first name, the one your parents chose for you when you were a baby. There are hundreds of books on the market that explain what your first name “means.” Some names are symbolic of flowers or trees, a certain personality trait, a physical trait, a blessing, a saying, etc. Most people are aware that their first name has a “meaning” and often, they know the meaning. I’m wondering if you’ve thought about where your last name comes from.

When humans first began walking on this earth, they typically had one name, such as “Adam” and “Eve.” With so few people in various communities, it was easy to recognize everyone by one name. Even if someone in another community had the same name, this wasn’t an issue since there was not constant contact. After all, it might take days to reach another community and there was no communication through telephones or e-mail. Even the earliest peoples had names and our earliest recorded writings indicate that throughout history, we gradually developed the use of a second name as our communities grew, the population expanded, and contact between communities became easier and more developed (with the development of roads, the invention of paper, etc.)

Here are some ideas to discuss with your children in regards to the development of last names.

Patronymic Names
Patronymic names are names that come from your father or “pater.” MOST names were created this way. Take the name David Johnson. A few hundred years ago, this person would have been called “David, son of John.” It was shortened to “David, John’s son.” Then it was shortened to “David Johnson.” What about “David Johns”? This is simply a more shortened version of the same name.

If you see a name with “son” at the end of it, the name originated from the idea of “the son of…”. Usually, if you have a name with an “s” at the end, it has the same origin. Someone along the way has shortened the “son” to simply “s.” For example, “Williamson” has been changed to “Williams” in many cases. It still has the same origin – “son of William.”

Take Haskins, for example. I knew that Chris’ family was of Norwegian origin. I only recently discovered that the name Haskins actually originated from the first name “Ásketil.” This was a first name that was converted to “Haskin” in English. So where did the “s” come from? Again, take Chris Haskins. This would have originally been, “Chris, son of Ásketil,” which was converted to “Chris, Ásketil’s son” and then eventually converted to English “Chris, Haskin’s son” and then it changed to “Chris Haskins” over time as the “on” was dropped from “son.”

Since patronymic names are common in every culture, we have borrowed many of these from other cultures. I have given one example above from our own family. Think of these names: “Petersen,” (Peter’s son in German), Williamson (William’s son in German), Rodriguez (son of Rodrigo in Spanish), O’Conner (son of Conner in Scottish or Irish), etc. Each language has its own way of expressing patronymic names, but they all have a way. It’s very fascinating!

Descriptive Last Names
There are also large numbers of last names that developed as a result of description. Descriptive last names would include names that describe an occupation (Baker), where the person lives (Hill), characteristics (Short) or even a personality trait (Doolittle).

Occupation
Smith is one of the most common names for a reason. When people began to assign surnames as populations grew, around the 15th century, almost every community – whether large or small – had a blacksmith, often known as the “smith,” “smithy,” “smither,” etc. All these names originated from the same occupation of blacksmith. As communities grew and became more complex, the names Baker, Carpenter, Miller, Cook and Taylor began to appear.

Sometimes we see names that like “Brewer” and we know this originated from the town brewer. When we see a name such as “Brauer,” however, many people might not realize that this is the SAME name, simply in a different language. Most cultures have last names that equate to the most common English names because those were the occupations and even the descriptions that were the most popular.

What about if there was more than one blacksmith in a town? That’s where we developed such names as “Goodsmith” (the blacksmith who is a good man).

Location
Names that developed as a result of where people live are easy to figure out. If your name is “Field,” “Feld,” or “Fieldman,” this originated from someone who lived near a pasture or open country. If your last name is Lake, you can use the same reasoning.

It was very common in Europe to name families after the family where the fathers were from. Thus, you have names such as “Berlin” or “Moscow.”

Characteristic
What about names such as “Black,” “Longfellow,” or “Lytle.” These people would be (in order) dark-skinned, tall, and short. Names such as this are based on obvious physical characteristics. Some are a little more difficult. Take the name “Redd.” This would have referred to an ancestor with red hair. If this was a unique trait to the community, it would have been an easy way to identify someone.

There are other characteristic names based more on personality. The name “Fox,” for example, would have been assigned to someone who was “sly as a fox.” Others might have been given names that mean “handsome,” “strong,” or “brave” in their language, which have come down to English with foreign names.

Additional Thoughts
Some religious names are taken from our ancestors’ occupations or their heritage. Take Levi, Bishop, Priest, or Abbot as examples.

Some names are more difficult to figure out simply because we don’t know the meaning of the words any more. Cooper, for example, is a common English surname, but many people today do not realize that the word “cooper” means “one who makes barrels.” In medieval society, this was an important occupation.
While many freemen began to take surnames around the 15th or 16th century and those have been passed down through the generations, some cultures didn’t begin to take surnames until later. Africans who were brought to the states and Europe as slaves, for example, lived in a culture where they still used first names or the patronymic names such as “Kamili, son of Ebo” (of course it wouldn’t be said that way in the African language, but this is for your understanding. The two names I’ve given are real, however. “Kamili” means “perfection” and “Ebo” means “born on Tuesday.”) As slaves began to integrate into American society, they began to take on surnames that were usually affiliated with their owners. A slave that belonged to “Davis” took the last name “Davis.” Some slaves or former slaves took on descriptive names such as “Black” or “Brown,” based on their color. Other slaves choose their own name, such as “Booker T. Washington,” who named himself after our nation’s first president. For many descendants of slaves, it is difficult to trace their roots due to the lack of surnames. Some descendants, however, have wonderful oral histories that have given them clues to their background.

Exceptions
There are exceptions to the above “rules.” In our culture in particular, you have many names that developed from other languages so the name might have one of several meanings. Take the name “Bell,” for example. This last name could mean “the one who rings the bell in the tower,” “the one who lives beside the bell tower,” “one who makes bells,” or it could even originate from the French, “belle,” which means beautiful.

Another example is the last name “Moreland.” In our language, we might assume that “Moreland” means a person who had more land than other people in the community. The word “more” in English developed from the Anglo-Saxon word “moor,” which was an open, frequently grassy, sometimes wet area of soil that is usually uncultivated. The surname “Moreland” literally means “dweller by the moor-land.”

Discussion Questions

Here are some things to review with your students.

1. If last names were largely created based on occupations, why do we not see last names like “Electrician,” “Podiatrist,” or “Cashier”? These occupations didn’t exist during the centuries when we were developing last names.
2. Why do you think “Smith,” “Farmer,” and “Carter” are common names? (“Carter” means “one who drives “carts.”) These names are all related to work that would have been necessary in every community.
3. Look up the definition of “patronymic.” This is a terrific vocabulary word! Make sure students can spell it, say it, and know what it means.
4. Research the origin of your own surname and discuss this with your family.
5. If you didn’t already have a surname, what would be some names others might assign to your family?

For example, in my family, my son Micah, might be known as:
Micah, son of Chris… Micah, Chris’s son… Micah Chrisson
Micah, son of writer…. Micah, son of author….. Micah, author’s son…. Micah, Authorson

Christopher has the same name as Chris so it would be odd to call him “Chris, Chris’ son.”

He might be known as:
Christopher, the tall one… Christopher Tallone… Christopher Tall
Christopher, the tall fellow… Christopher TallFellow
Christopher, the darker skinned child… Christopher the darker… Christopher Dark

Here are some more ideas:
Daniel, from the homeschool family in Gray … Daniel in Gray… Daniel Gray
Hannah, the youngest child… Hannah, the youngest… Hannah Young

The point here is to see the development of the names. Help your children think of names that would work for your family based on these same ideas.

Since most families are struggling financially these days, many are seeking alternative forms of entertainment that won’t cost a fortune. Additionally, it seems that a lot of people are re-evaluating their priorities and realizing that they would like more family time. While there are lots of great activities for family time – going on hikes, riding bikes, passing ball, etc. – one of the best ways to have great family entertainment, save money, and spend time together is to play games. Some people do Family Game Night.

We play games several times per week and on the weekends, we typically spend several hours playing games. ANY family can and should have terrific fun playing games, but as homeschoolers, we count most of our game time toward mandatory school hours. Many of these games are quite educational.

I’ve divided the games into categories for board games, dice games, card games and action games. I’ve also added the games from my previous “game list” so that you’ll have them all in one place. There are also notes about the difficulty of the games, recommended ages, recommended number of players, which skills are necessary to play the games (reading, counting, etc.), etc.

I hope you’ll find the following list useful as you decide which games to play with your family. There are definitely some great suggestions!

Have fun!
Sonya Haskins, author of Homeschooling for the Rest of Us (Bethany House, 2010)

Dice Games

Yatzhee
Ages 8 and up
For one or more players
Time: time increases depending on how many players. It takes about 10 minutes for one player and add an additional 5 minutes for each player.
Yes, this is the classic we played as kids! It’s still a great game. Younger children can learn to play, but they will need help filling in their score pad. I prefer to wait until the child is a “reader” before letting them play Yatzhee. We do, however, let younger children participate by pairing up with an older player and being the “dice roller.”

Backgammon
Any age, but it’s a complex game – recommended for 8 and up
2 players
This is a strategy game that many people play before transitioning to chess. Daniel (8) says it involves “strategy and luck.” It encourages thinking skills. It’s actually on a “board,” but it’s more of a dice game.

Farkle
Just about any age if player can roll dice and make decisions based on their roll.
Players – two or more (We’ve played with almost a dozen people at a time. You can go up as high as you want.)
Time: depends on the number of players you have.
This is a true dice game. You get scores based on the combination of dice you roll. The tricky part of the game is that you have to make choices (gamble) about whether to KEEP your score or continue rolling and risk losing ALL your points for that round (that’s called a Farkle). This is a very fun game! We especially enjoy it since even the oldest of us enjoy it and even the youngest are able to play it. As a matter of fact, she usually gambles less and ends up beating us!

Card Games

Set
Basically any age could play if they’re able to match cards.
Various numbers of players, most fun with two to three players
This is almost like the old “matching games” for little kids, but it’s a more adult version. The matches are VERY difficult to make. Also, the cards are face UP where you can see them, but you have to match three colors with different shapes, all the same shape and color or all different colors… There are several combinations you can make, but I never play this game well. Our kids almost always find the sets before Chris and I can find them. Christopher (10) says this game is “the funnest game on earth.”

Zigity
Ages 7 and up (need to be able to read)
Best with three to four players
a Cranium game
This is somewhat like Uno, but you have various “activities” to do while you play: Creative Cat, Star Performer, Data Head, and Word Worm. You have to match items on the cards and try to make sets to get rid of all your cards first.

Uno
Ages 7 to adult
2 to 10 players
Time: 15 minutes
I think most everyone has heard of or played Uno at some point in time. This is a classic card game. Younger players can practice identifying numbers and trying to use beginning strategy skills to get rid of all your cards first.

In a Pickle
Ages 10 and up
2 to 6 players
Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Gamewright

Maya Madness
Ages 10 and up
2 to 4 players
Time: about 20 minutes
Gamewright
This is a card game that encourages math skills. My two youngest boys especially enjoy it. Players have to add and subtract the right combination of cards to claim the secret number token. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up in the world of “negative numbers.” You collect tokens to win. (My only caution about this game is that the game is based around “the ancient world of Maya numerology.” This isn’t

Mille Borne
Ages 6 and up (Players need to be able to read.)
2 to 5 players
Time: approx. 15 to 20 minutes
This is a very fun game that involves a lot of luck, but also strategy. Basically, the premise of the game is that you’re “traveling” and the cards tell you what to do. For example, if you have a flat tire or other thing that would stop you, you have to wait for a gasoline card, a “go” card, and a mileage card. The objective of the game is to get to “mille borne” – a “thousand miles.” For families interested in bringing in an educational component, many of the cards use French words and the very basis of the game is centered around stone mile markers used every thousand miles on French roads. Chris and I have had this game since before we had children. We enjoyed playing it alone and then taught the children to play as soon as they could read. It’s a great game.

Ruckus
Ages 7 to adult
2 to 4 players
Time: “less than 4 minutes per hand”
This is a game that involves taking other players’ cards and trying to take matches, but then other players can take those cards back if they have another card to play on the set. It’s a fast paced game that involves luck and paying attention. There are also beginning strategy skills and patience since you have to learn to wait before you take cards.

Rook
Ages 8 and up
2 to 6 players
Time: 15 minutes
This is a great game to practice “strategy” skills. You have to be careful not to bid to high or too low so you have to pay attention to the cards and learn to play it safe.

Dutch Blitz
Ages 8 and up
Two to four players
Time: approx. 5 to 10 minutes per round, but you’ll play several rounds to a pre-set winning point based on how many points each player receives.
Some friends of ours introduced us to this card game a few years ago. It’s a terrific game, although I’ve come away from many games with scrapes and scratches across my hands. It’s a difficult game to describe in writing, but basically your goal is to get as many cards as possible before everyone else gets them. The game is multi-tasking to the extreme and teens/preteens seem to particularly enjoy it.

Hoopla
Adults and teens
Two or more players (more fun with more players than two)
Time: 20 minutes

Board Games

Sorry
Ages 6 to adult
2 to 4 players
Time: 30 minutes
Hasbro
This is another classic from when we were young. This is another game that younger children can play as long as they have a little help reading the cards (which aren’t very difficult). This is a great game to reinforce counting skills in younger children.

Go to the Head of the Class
Ages 7 to adult
2 to 5 players
Time: approx. 45 minutes
Hasbro
This is an older classic and you’d probably have to find it at yard sales or on e-bay. My children love to play this game. This is the kind of thing we would do in lieu of schoolwork. The premise of the game is that you start at “kindergarten” and work your way through each grade level to the head of the class. There are three different levels of

Cadoo
Ages 7 and up
2 or more players
Cranium Game

Blockus
Ages 5 and up
2 to 4 players
Time: 15 minutes
Mattel
I love this game! It’s a strategy game where you try to put down pieces in such an arrangement to block your opponents, but allow yourself an “escape route” so that you can go to other areas of the board. It’s a lot of fun and requires you to think. I enjoy brain games best.

Mancala
Ages 6 and up (Younger could play if they could count well enough.)
Two players
Time: 25 minutes
This is an old game that Chris and I started playing when we were dating. It’s an African stone counting game and it will really test your math skills. Even though it’s a very simple game, it requires strategy and counting.

Apples to Apples, Jr.
Ages 9 and up
Four to ten people
Time: less than 30 minutes
Mattel Games
You play cards with vocabulary words or “concepts” on them and then each player tries to play other cards that are similar to the other card. For example, if one person plays “cloud,” another player might play “storm” or “puddle” for a comparison card. It helps kids learn vocabulary and have fun at the same time.

Apples to Apples
Ages 12 and up
Four to ten players
Time: less than 30 minutes
Mattel Games
This is an “adult” version of the kids Apples to Apples game. I do like the premise of this game – have fun with vocabulary words, but I prefer the younger kids’ version. This edition, even though it’s supposed to be for ages 12 and up, has material that we would consider inappropriate for a 12-yr-old. For example, some vocabulary cards have “sexy,” “sultry,” “AIDS,” etc. That’s just not something we want exposure to when we’re playing a GAME. Even my oldest children prefer the Junior version.

Othello
Ages 8 and up
Two players
Time: 10 or 15 minutes
Chris plays Othello with our children all the time and they love it. I do know it is a strategy game and also encourages math skills. It reminds me of a precursor to chess or something like that, but my children just love it.

Monopoly
Ages 8 to adult
2 to 8 players
Time: 2 days (according to my son! LOL)
Parker Brothers
I’m sure everyone has heard of this family favorite. Monopoly is a terrific game for teaching math skills, taking turns, dealing with stocks and money, buying and selling, and money-related terminology such as stocks, bonds, bank, bankrupt, and mortgage. We love to play Monopoly when time isn’t a factor and we can just sit around for hours and have fun.

Stay Alive
Ages 8 to adult
2 to 4 players
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
I used to play this game when I was a child. It’s a great game. You have to put marbles on a game board that has holes under it. As you pull the sticks on the game board back and forth, marbles MIGHT stay on the board or they might fall through the holes, depending on the placement of your marbles. It is a relatively quick game, but requires a lot of strategy. It’s great fun!

Life
Recommended for ages 8 and up (We play with children as young as five and just read for them.)
2 to 6 players (more fun with more players)
Time: 60 minutes
I remember playing Life when I was a young girl. I LOVED getting as many children as I could. I would fill up my car and then if anyone else didn’t want their children, I would pile their kids in my car as well. The cars seat 6 people - 2 adults and 4 children. I would always put the mom in the driver seat, dad in the passenger seat, then I’d end up with about 8 children in the back. They don’t have seatbelts for Life so inevitably my little plastic children would fall across the board each time I moved my vehicle.

Anyway, this is another great game to practice using math skills. You also have the opportunity to bring up discussions about goals, family, occupations, and how choices affect your real life. Like many of these great board games, let even your youngest family members roll their own dice or (in the case of Life), spin the spinner themselves, count their spaces, etc.

Cranium for Kids
Ages 4 and up
2 to 4 players
Time: 20 minutes
Cranium Games
This is a cooperative game (meaning everyone is playing against the game to open the “treasure chest”). Children pull cards, which then allow them to open doors and you might or might not get a ball behind the doors. Once all six balls are found, you win the game.

Clue
Ages 8 and up
3 to 6 players
Time: 45 minutes
Parker Brothers
Children learn to use skills of discernment while trying to figure out who murdered whom with what weapon. Reading and writing skills are also used in Clue. This was another one of my favorite games when I was a child and my own children enjoy it now. For some reason, this hasn’t received good online ratings in recent years. I wonder if people just don’t have the patience any more to play a game that requires much more mental skill and less physical activity (other than drawing cards and rolling dice). Anyway, we really enjoy it!

Risk
Ages 10 and up
2 to 6 players
Time: 2 hours
This is a very complex game. It’s a war game that involves cards, dice and placing your pieces on the board strategically. Our boys sometimes just play with the board (that’s like a huge map) and the pieces (little soldiers) and make up their own game.

Whoonu
Ages 8 to adult
3 to 6 players
Time: 30 minutes – more if you have a lot of people
The point of this game is to try to guess things about the other people playing the game and win little token chips. You’ll be surprised what you find out about those you think you know best, thus the name “Whoono.” You use cards to identify what you think the other person (who is “it” for that round) likes. For example, when I play, someone might give me a card for books and reading, but someone might also give me a card for “shopping.” That person wouldn’t get any tokens, though, because I would put “shopping” at the BOTTOM of my list! This is a wonderful ice breaker game or a good game to play with people when you just need to renew relationships and learn how to have fun together again.

Scrabble
Ages 10 and up
2 to 4 players
Time: 90 minutes
Even my youngest children enjoy playing Scrabble! Everyone knows you can learn vocabulary by playing this game, but did you know that you can also change the rules and allow dictionary use to encourage spelling skills, vocabulary skills, and reference skills? We also allow foreign words when we play so that also reinforces any foreign language vocabulary that your child may be learning.

Upwards
Ages 6 and up (Players need to know how to read and have the ability to spell.)
2 to 4 players
Time: approx. 30 minutes
This is a very fun spin-off of Scrabble. You put words on the board, just like you do in Scrabble, but then the fun starts. You can CHANGE the words that are already on the board by building UP. For example, if the word “box” is on the board and you have the letters f, e, s, t, q, b, you could change the “b” to an “f” and end up with “fox,” then add the “e” and “s” and end up with “foxes.” Then you could play your “b” in the next round and you’d have “boxes.” It’s a lot of fun. We always keep a dictionary handy so that we can verify spellings. When we play as a family, we also allow foreign words.

Scattegories
Two to four players
Ages 8 and up
Time: 45 minutes
I just love this game. You are given a category (let’s say “kitchen gadgets”) and a letter (S for this example). Then you have to list words in that category, preferably with the given letter (you get points for words that start with other letters, but not as many points. Also, you don’t get ANY points if someone else guesses the same word as you. So I would guess spatula for this example and if no one else got that, then I’d get points.

Cranium
Ages 13 and up (Our younger children play this with no problem. Public votes give recommendations of ages 10 and up.)
4 to 16 players (You can play on teams.)
Time: 60 minutes
This is a hands-on, fun-filled, intellectually stimulating game for older children and adults. It’s meant for ages 12 and up, but we’ve played it with our middle children as well. It’s loads of fun and requires you to use many different skills to create clay sculptures, decide whether a statement is true or false, answer a trivia question, act out a clue, sketch a clue, imitate a famous person, etc.

Cranium Family Fun
Ages 8 to adult
Recommended 4 players teams
Cranium game
This is much like the regular Cranium games, where families build, sketch, sculpt, guess, etc. to get the correct answers.

Trivial Pursuit
Ages 8 and up
Two to four players or teams
Can be very long games – from one to two hours
Hasbro
There are a whole bunch of varieties of this game – including versions for particular years, versions for younger children, games that cover particular topics (like music, art, specific television shows, etc.), and other specialized games. We play the general Trivial Pursuit game, which includes questions on various categories. Players can play individually or break into teams. You try to get all the little wedges for each category before the other players / teams. When you get all the wedges, you win. This is a great game to test facts and knowledge.

Settlers of Catan
Ages 10 and up
3 to 4 players
Time: 50-60 minutes
You collect resource cards and try to “settle” on the board with roads, buildings, settlements, etc. You earn victory points when you make settlements or do some other good thing. If you have larger armies or develop your area better, you get special cards and more points. When you have ten victory points, you win.

Pandemic
Two to four players (We play this as an entire family. You can play with individual players or you can even have some groups. One “team” can have one player while another team has two players. It really doesn’t matter since everyone is fighting against the board.)
Ages 10 plus
Time: 45 minutes
Z-Man Games
Everyone playing the game is trying to keep diseases from rampaging the earth. This is a VERY difficult game and if you don’t like to lose, you shouldn’t play it. Christopher (10) says it’s “the hardest game on earth.” We’ve played numerous times and we’ve only beat the game one time so far! And you can play repeatedly because you have different diseases attacking different areas at different times so it’s always a new challenge.

Ticket to Ride
Ages 8 and up
2 to 5 players
Time: 30 to 60 minutes
You are supposed to get points by building train routes. We haven’t been incredibly impressed with this game.

Checkers
2 players
Even young children can play

Chinese Checkers
This is a lot like regular checkers, except that you have a board with holes and you play with marbles.

Action Games

Hullabaloo
Ages 4 and up
2 to 6 players, but it can be played with ONLY ONE
Time: 10 minutes
This fun action game is meant for younger players. Our children have most enjoyed this game between ages four and ten, but older children enjoy playing sometimes, too. Players have to wiggle, dance, hop, step, etc. to a colored pad. Players can share pads and while they are learning to share, there is also an element of cooperative play. Colors, shapes, and names of animals, foods, and musical instruments are reinforced during this action-filled game. I like the fact that children can play this game with friends, siblings or even alone!

Twister
Ages 6 and up
2 to 4 players (more fun with three or four!)
Time: ten minutes
This is an easy game most of you are probably familiar with. There is a mat on the floor with various colored dots. You choose a person to be in charge of the spinner – who does not play the game – and they will tell you where to put your hands and feet. As you try to find a place to put your hands and feet, you become tangled with the other players. It’s a great game for families.

I’ve had some requests for teaching ideas for the Winter Olympics. I wrote down a lot of the resources we’re using in my family and also some of the things we’re doing as part of our studies over the next two weeks. (For those of you who have asked about where to watch online, where to read history of the games or events, etc., all this is included in the information I’ve listed!)

There are SOOO many fun things you can do when you integrate “real life” with homeschooling. Take the opportunity to STUDY what’s going on around you - or in the world. For example, if the Olympics are happening, then study the Olympics. If it’s a heavy hurricane season, investigate hurricanes, chart their courses, and learn about weather patterns… Anyway, hopefully the links and suggestions in this article will give you some ideas - at least for having fun with your children during the Olympics!

(I won’t post this particular article here because it’s too long. You can find the ideas at my website here.)

In His Service,
Sonya Haskins, author of Homeschooling for the Rest of Us (available through your local Christian retailer!)

We LOVE books and we’re very particular about what our children read. One thing I haven’t shared quite as much is the fact that when we read a book, we don’t only read the BOOK, but we encourage the children to read the “about the author,” “acknowledgements,” etc. It’s just a form of respect for the person who gave us the book. Oftentimes, we’ll find out many interesting facts about the authors. Many times we’ll even learn that they’re believers.

Before we hand books over to the children, though, I research about the authors myself. When I’m sure that the author would have appropriate material, then I share the information with Chris (who reads aloud to them) and the children. (Or, if it’s something they’re going to read by themselves, I usually have Sarah read the books first. She’s a great filter because she has very strict standards about the material in the books she reads.) Anyway, researching the author is a great way to learn the CONTEXT of what you’re reading. When you know a little bit about the author and the time period the book was written, it truly helps you understand the book better. The other advantage to this is that if the author seems not appropriate, I’ll tell Chris not to read the book out loud or, obviously, not pass it along to the children to read themselves.

I know homeschool parents who read every single book before their children are allowed to read the books. I think this is a fabulous and honorable idea, but I just do not have time to do this. My children read about four hours per day and there is no way I could keep up with their voracious reading habits. This is the compromise we’ve come up with. I don’t need to read every single piece of material if I know about the authors they are reading. It works for us and thus far we’ve had very few bad books filter through. If they do, then Sarah catches them or Chris will catch it as he reads aloud and we get rid of the book.

If any of you are interested in monitoring the books through the authors, I recommend that you read the “about the author” on the book (which can tell you a LOT), the acknowledgements (do they mention God, a publishing goddess, girlfriend/boyfriend, spouse, children etc.??), look up an obituary on the Internet (gives you lots of good information about when they lived, what else they did in their life, etc.), read a review of that particular book online, find a biography about the author (I do this a lot and I can tell you it’s a lot faster than reading all their books), Google the author’s name, etc. There are many ways you can find information about the authors of the books your children read. I just think it’s important that parents take this step. We learned long ago that people’s recommendations aren’t always appropriate for us. (This is why, when I recommend books, I always try to mention things that I even think parents might find objectionable, such as a bad word here and there or the mention of magic.)

I hope some of you who don’t do it already will take the time to do this. Not only is it a wonderful habit to filter out much of the bad material, but it’s a great way to learn about the authors you read and help your child discover how much more enjoyable a book is when you understand the context in which the book was written and also more about the person behind the words.

Enjoy your reading!
Sonya Haskins

author of Homeschooling for the Rest of Us (Bethany House, 2010), available through your local Christian bookstore

Many parents figure out pretty quickly that their children don’t want to sit at a desk all day and do worksheets. Yet, how are you supposed to teach beginning counting and reading skills without using a worksheet or textbook? One of the best ways is to use educational toys and games.

In my last article, I talked about great toys that encourage imagination, learning, fine motor skills and fun. Today I wanted to mention some of the best educational games on the market. You can learn as much – sometimes MORE – from games as you can from any formal preschool or kindergarten curriculum.

Educational games encourage early reading skills, math skills (numbers, counting, skipping, etc.), and other skills. Children often learn or reinforce colors, shape and sequencing skills. They also encourage children to practice teamwork, taking turns, and learning to lose (and win) graciously.

Here are some great games for preschool / kindergarten age children:

- Hullabaloo (One neat thing about this game is that it can be played alone. This game makes a great gift and a wonderful game for ALL families.)

- Memory Match

- Candy Land

- Hungry Hungry Hippos

- Mr. Potato Head

- Hot Potato

- Cariboo

- Let’s Go Fishing (I even like this one!)

- Sorry

- Chutes and Ladders

- Two by Two Matching Game (Christian resource / game)

- In a Manger Matching Game (Christian resource / game)

- Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks

- Dominoes (You don’t have to play the game!! Just play with the Dominoes. J Children can learn to count the dots (math), match squares that are alike (math), make Domino trains (fine motor skills), etc.)

- Wooden Puzzles

- Puzzles in general

- Wooden maps of the United States and the World (My youngest son was always fascinated with the United States map and could completely put together a US wooden map in about three minutes when he was four years old.)

- Pattern blocks

- Bean Bag Toss

If your child likes to write, I would also encourage maze books. There are some really good ones from the following publishers:

- KUMON books (These are fabulous - our favorite by far! They have maze books on all sorts of topics.)

- Carson-Dellosa Publishing

- Dover Publications (They have little maze books that are VERY simple for even the youngest child.)

I’d also recommend the I Spy books to help young children develop visual acuity. These aren’t really games, but they’re kind of like game books.

Also, I don’t normally recommend electronic materials for young children, but if you really want to introduce electronic games to your preschool / kindergarten age child, you can’t go wrong with Leap Frog and Leap Pad products, including Leapsters. These are quite educational, but like with any electronic materials, it’s probably best to use them as rewards for good behavior.

Finally, remember that even if something is “educational,” it can be used as a reward for children. It’s all perspective. Young children in particular don’t need to know that most children are forced to do educational activities. If you train your child that games, books, and even electronic toys are rewards, then that’s what they will think. Soon, they’ll be asking to “play” math every day!

Sonya Haskins

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Homeschooling Defined

Homeschool: (noun) an educational environment that consists of a parent (or other legal guardian such as a grandparent) who teaches one or more students in the home; (transitive or intransitive verb) to teach or be taught at home

Other forms of the word:

Homeschools, homeschooled, homeschooling, homeschooler

Examples:

- In our state, we must recertify our homeschool each year.

- My mom homeschools my brothers and me.

- We are homeschooled, but we learn a lot outside our home!

- Look at those polite children. Perhaps they are homeschoolers.

Example of misuse of word:

- Homeschool tutor abuses teenage boy.

This is taken from a headline of a major news story in 2007. The “homeschool tutor” was a mother whose children were in public school. She was tutoring a homeschool teenager. Since she was not homeschooling her own children or being homeschooled herself, she could not be referred to as a “homeschool tutor.” The headline should have read:

- Tutor abuses homeschooled teenage boy.

It’s important to make sure that adjectives are in the correct place and if you’re not sure if it’s proper usage, ask. I can help you avoid errors and possible lawsuits over inaccurate terminology. Just e-mail.

Home School: This is simply another form of the more commonly used “homeschool” variation. The two word phrase was more popular until recent years, when the compound word became more widely accepted and preferred among families who homeschool.

Home Education: (noun) refers to education that takes place in the home, typically referring to the parent as a teacher and the child as student; normally used interchangeably with “homeschool”

Example:

- The homeschool environment is the same as a home education environment, although there are many different methods you can use to teach a child at home.

Homebound: This refers to students who, for whatever reason, are receiving their lessons at home, normally from regular school teachers or tutors who specialize in homebound services. These students are NOT to be considered homeschoolers since the definition of a homeschooler is one of a student who is taught by his or her parents in the home.

Example:

- Since my daughter has been on homebound studies, her science teacher comes by twice each week and brings her assignments. If she has questions about her studies, I try to help her.

Truant: refers to a student who stays out of school without permission

Now here is where I’d like to make a specific distinction between students who are homeschooling and students who are simply not going to school. Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, but there are varying degrees of regulation. In other words, the requirements for families vary. In all cases, however, whether a family “unschools” (student-led, informal homeschooling) or follows a traditional school model with strict scheduling, learning is taking place in the home.

When a parent decides that it’s simply too much trouble to wake up their teenager and argue with them about getting on the bus or when the parent doesn’t like the teachers and decides to keep her elementary age son at home, but there is no education taking place, then that child is truant. There are many situations that contribute to truancy and many times the parents participate in the child’s absence from school, but this is not homeschooling.

If a parent does not follow the laws of homeschooling in his or her state and register the child, if required by law, or spend any time teaching the child or at least providing the child with educational materials, then that’s truancy.

If you have any questions about the correct usage of homeschool terminology, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail at sonya@sonyahaskins.com . As a homeschool advocate, I am happy to answer any questions and work toward a better understanding of issues related to home education.

Sincerely,
Sonya Haskins

When it comes to teaching foreign languages, parents have the ability to teach their children so much more than vocabularies and grammar. They have the amazing opportunity to instill in their children a respect for foreign countries, a concern for people of every language, and a desire to use language as a way to tear down barriers and even share the gospel.

Why Teach Foreign Language

Many people don’t give foreign languages much thought before their student is required to take it during the high school years. Of course it’s great if you can introduce foreign languages before then, but don’t fret if your children are all taller than you are and you’ve just now gotten around to it.

For most people, the most obvious reason to teach foreign languages is because it’s required. Most states require at least two foreign language credits in the same language for high school graduation.

Aside from that obvious fact, you might want to consider the following:

- Students seem to have a more global perspective on the world when they study foreign languages (in other words, they aren’t the center of the universe)

- Fluency (or even a moderate level of proficiency) in a second language can translate to better jobs and more job opportunities

- The ability to speak with someone in their own language can sometimes mean the difference between a positive relationship and a negative one

- If you ever move to or visit a foreign country, you’ll be a step ahead in learning the language (even if you learn a different second language while you’re young, it makes learning other languages easier)

- Foreign travel is more fun when you can communicate with natives of the country.

- Study of foreign language helps students with English vocabulary.

- Students who study foreign languages seem to have a greater grasp of other subjects and can even study original sources in the original language.

Many people in the United States see no point in learning a foreign language. As a matter of fact, many have the attitude that everyone in the world should learn English. However, practically every other country teaches their children more than one language and most other developed countries require fluency in one, two, or even three foreign languages before they can graduate.

Not only is our lack of foreign language aptitude embarrassing, but with our foundations as a Christian nation, I also find it sad. We cannot GO into the world, as Jesus told us to do, and share the gospel if we can’t even communicate with the people of the world, but I can tell you that other religious groups like Muslims ARE learning other languages and they are teaching foreign languages to their children from very young ages so those people sure will be able to share their “gospel” with anyone who is willing to listen.

Choosing a Language

If a student attends public or private school, unless he plans to study foreign languages at home, he is pretty much limited by which languages the school offers. Many schools offer a great variety of languages, though, so check with yours to see what the options are. Some offer the traditional languages and even a few eccentric ones! There are some amazing schools across the United States that actually focus on foreign languages through immersion programs. Some of these are public government schools and they even teach languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean!

If you teach your child at home, you can pretty much any language with the only limitation being the ability to locate materials and your ability to teach the language. Since you can pretty much choose any language, here are some general guidelines.

Obviously, it makes sense to study Spanish if you live in an area with a large Hispanic population, Arabic if you live near an Arabic population, etc. If you live in a bilingual neighborhood, take advantage of that fact and allow your child to learn the foreign language through natural conversation from other local children. I always recommend that parents learn languages along with their children, but in the case of bilingual neighborhoods, it’s even that much more important that you study the language with your child so that you’ll know what he is saying! Develop the ability to communicate with your neighbor.

If you move frequently or if you know you’ll be moving in the next few years, find out what language is spoken in the place you might move to. If you will be living near the Canadian border, learn French. If your company has headquarters in Brazil and there is a possibility that you could travel – or live – there, learn Portuguese. If you’re trying to adopt a child from Thailand, learn Thai.

Here are some other ideas:

Language	Field(s)	Language is helpful in following ways…
Latin	Sciences, medical, journalism	Vocabulary, terminology, body parts, grammar
Chinese	Travel, communication, business	Spoken by more humans than any other language
German	Business, technology, banking, science	English is Germanic; great stepping stone to learn other Germanic languages such as Dutch, Swedish
Spanish	Medical, fast foods, service industries	So you can talk with increasing Spanish-speaking population
French	Poetry, research, travel, science	Considered world’s second most influential language; good for international communication
Arabic	International issues, religion	Quickly becoming a dominant language simply because of the spread of Islam

Another idea is to study a less common language simply because it is less common. If you teach your child a language that very few people in the United States speaks and he becomes fluent in that language, his skills could be in high demand as he grows older. Of course the difficulty with that plan is that you’ll need to provide opportunities for him to practice the language to learn proper pronunciation and colloquialisms and continue to keep his skills in practice over the years. If no one in your area speaks the language, this might be difficult.

The above factors are important when considering which language to study, but I believe there is one final factor that outweighs all the others. As a Christian, I believe God knit each of us in our mothers’ wombs and knew us before we were even born. He loved us enough to send his son to die on the cross to atone for our sins. When considering which language to study, I believe it’s important to pray about the decision of language study.

Look at your child’s unique talents and gifts. Pray for that child. Pray for guidance. Rather than casually selecting a language to teach your child based on what you studied in high school or what was on sale at the last curriculum fair, thoughtfully choose a language based on the leading of the Holy Spirit following prayer and consideration. God knows what that child’s future holds and with proper guidance, you can prepare your child now for something that he/she will use for God’s glory later in life.

Teaching a Foreign Language

Of course there are many ways to teach a foreign language. You can travel to a foreign country and immerse yourself in the language. You can purchase books, DVDs, audio materials, computer programs, and more. You could hire a tutor, enroll in a co-op class, or study at home alone or as a family. There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to the method of learning a foreign language. You have to do what works for your family!

There are some things suggestions that might make a difference in how well your child retains the language.

First, realize that when you teach a foreign language, you have the ability to make language REAL for your child. It’s not just more schoolwork. When you introduce foreign languages to your children, you don’t even have to start with the language. Once you have picked a language, start with the people. Bring the language alive for your children by showing them pictures of the people who speak the language. Locate countries on the map or a globe where the language is spoken. What’s the economy like? Do the people have fresh water? What type of government do they have? Religion? Education? Does everyone go to school? Are they allowed to homeschool? Make it personal for your child.

Once you have created an interest in the people, then introduce the language with whichever method you choose. Meanwhile, remember to have fun! It will be easier if you learn the language as a family. If your child is learning Chinese, learn it with her! Practice using vocabulary words together. Make vocabulary cards and tape them to the objects. Count as you go up and down the stairs. Practice giving orders and saying words like “please” and “thank you” in the language.

Recommended Foreign Language Programs

Here are some ideas as far as the different programs available…

Rosetta Stone is terrific for visual/auditory and hands-on learners, but is incredibly expensive. This is a computer based program so that’s another thing to keep in mind if you don’t have a one. Another drawback with Rosetta Stone is that it is great for teaching conversational language, but I do not recommend it if you also want to learn grammar because the program itself doesn’t really teach grammar. This is a downside that I do not think is acceptable for college-bound students. If you do use Rosetta Stone, which I think is a wonderful program for teaching vocabulary and conversational language, I think the parents should also add in a grammatical component with another book. There is almost any language imaginable available.

Auralog’s Tell Me More is similar to Rosetta Stone, but adds in a little more grammar training. I’ve had a little difficulty with the software working properly sometimes, but it’s still a good program and much cheaper than Rosetta Stone.

Personally, my favorite language program is Living Language (published by Random House), which is funny because I started using it in high school for fun. The Living Language programs are great and they have a terrific combination of spoken language AND grammar. I don’t think it’s enough to “speak” the language, but it’s also good to understand what you’re doing. This program is good for auditory learners since it’s on CD. In the book, you follow along with what the CD is saying so that reinforces what you’re learning. This is a fabulous program and they actually have a new version specifically for children ages 4-8. It comes with stickers (in Spanish to identify objects), three books (Spanish for the kitchen, the car, and everywhere else), and audio CDs with songs, etc. The younger programs come in the most popular languages, but materials for older students come in many different languages.

I also love any of the Berlitz language books, but they also have a lot of audio and software products. I use the books quite frequently when I need to look up something and I’m not familiar with a language. They are designed so well that you don’t have to read the entire book just to find a simple answer to a grammatical or vocabulary question. I recently started the Berlitz program for German and the boys really like this. It comes with audio CDs and thus far we’ve really enjoyed the whole program.

For Latin, we’re using Latin’s Not So Tough. It’s a very good program and it’s easy to use even if you don’t know Latin. There is a DVD that comes with it and you can use it as video school for each lesson because it actually teaches the grammar, goes over pronunciation of vocabulary, etc. It is lively and entertaining.

Greek-N-Stuff produces a wonderful curriculum for learning Greek called Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! You can buy vocabulary cards, audio CDs, and other materials to supplement the books.

Bob Jones also has the mainstream languages - Spanish, French, etc. - and they come in a whole set with CDs, books, workbooks, etc. These are nicely done and would work for any homeschool family wanting to give their child a good base in any of the traditional foreign languages before they go to college. These are DEFINITELY meant for high school age kids (possibly junior high) and the work is intense, but like any Bob Jones material, it is very good.

If you child feels led to study something exotic, then try to make that possible. Living Language covers dozens of languages, as does Rosetta Stone and Berlitz. You should have no difficulty finding the language your child wants to study. If you need help, let me know and I’ll help you find a good program.

The Learnables, published by the International Linguistics Corporation, is a simple, economical foreign language curriculum. The principle behind The Learnables is that if you hear the foreign vocabulary word and associate it with pictures, you will learn the language. Linguistically, children think in “pictures” until about puberty, at which time they switch over to translation mode. The Learnables forces students who have already passed the age of puberty to think pictorially again and it is much easier to learn foreign vocabulary when you are not also trying to translate. One drawback of the program is that you have to be looking at the book to learn, but even very young children can use this program independently to learn vocabulary and sentences. There is an extensive evaluation of The Learnables here.

If you want to introduce very young children to Latin, I would use Song School Latin. It’s terrific and it is especially designed to appeal to early elementary age children. You can read a full review here.

For the family that prefers a bit more structure and less activity, you might prefer Latina Christiana by Cheryl Lowe. This is a good elementary age Latin program and it goes more in depth than the Song School Latin, but it is not as “activity” oriented. So it’s just a matter of what teaching style you prefer and the learning style of your children.

I love languages and I’ve used many programs over the years so I hope this can be helpful to you. I still enjoy using these and introducing languages to my children. If you have any questions about a particular curriculum or a particular language’s difficulty, etc., I would be happy to help you. Just e-mail!

Sonya Haskins

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

When we had five children ages seven and under, as well as a variety of foster teens and babies in our home, we discovered one of the most helpful tools for being prepared on outings. We packed “supply tubs” and kept these in our vehicle so that when we were out running errands, traveling, visiting friends, or whatever, we had extra things that we most commonly needed.

We stocked the tub with supplies at the beginning of spring and we restocked items as cold weather came. We replaced perishable items if we ever had to use what was in the tubs. These emergency supply tubs helped us through many stressful moments and unforeseen circumstances, including times when someone would forget their shoes, get car sick and need an extra outfit, or when we ran out of diapers.

Whether your family has one child or ten, you may want to consider creating an individualized tub for your family. Below are some specific suggestions to help you decide which items to put in your own tubs. Remember, these don’t have to be huge containers! Just use a small plastic or cardboard box or even something like a large beach bag would work.

Emergency Supply Tub Items for Cool Weather:

- A pair of gloves and a hat for each child (You can purchase gloves and hats for about $1.00 right after Christmas so stock up then. Remember, these don’t have to be fancy – just an extra pair that will be functional in an emergency!)

- One pair of socks for each child (In case your child’s socks are soaked while you’re out running errands, taking a field trip, or visiting friends, you’ll have an extra pair of fresh, clean, dry socks. Don’t forget to replace these once you’ve washed them.)

- For younger children, keep an extra change of clothes appropriate for the season. This is especially important for babies and toddlers or any child that is not fully potty trained. It is also a good idea to keep an extra outfit for any child prone to motion sickness!

Emergency Supply Tub for Warm Weather:

- Flip flops or water shoes for each child (These don’t need to be expensive. Just keep these handy in case you have an unexpected opportunity to wade in a creek or explore some other area where shoes would get wet.)

- Extra change of clothing

Emergency Supply Tub Items to Keep Stocked All Year:

- Unopened bottles of water (We refill bottles of water to save money. Do NOT put refilled bottles of water in your emergency supply tub. Pack the tub with unopened water only to avoid contamination if the water sits for a long period before you use it.)

- A hand towel or a couple of wash rags (to clean up diaper leaks, food spills, or to cover with cool water and place on a child’s forehead during a bout of motion sickness)

- If you have a child still in diapers, stock extra diapers in your tub. You only need three or four in there. Since these are for emergencies only (if you forget your diaper bag, for example), make sure you remember to switch these diapers to a larger size if your child grows into a larger diaper during the year.

- Small pack of diaper wipes if you use them

- Sample size toiletries (Just in case we had an unexpected invitation to stay overnight somewhere or if we decided to stay out of town after a long day of field trips, we kept a few toiletries – soap, a toothbrush for everyone, toothpaste, shampoo – in our emergency supply tub. These things didn’t take up much room, but it was great to have them handy when we needed them!)

- Non-perishable snacks like crackers, small cereal boxes, cookies, juice boxes, peanuts (for those without allergies), trail mix, etc. These snacks were very helpful when there was an accident and we were stuck in traffic or if we were in the middle of nowhere and didn’t plan ahead for food.

- A small flashlight and batteries, if necessary (To avoid corrosion, remember not to store the batteries with the flashlight, not in the flashlight.)

- A copy of proof of homeschool registration (This may sound silly to some people, but I just think it’s a good idea. If anything ever came up where you wanted to apply for a teacher discount or participate in a special teachers’ only event, you would have proof of registration with you. Some places provide registration cards for your wallet, but if you have a registration letter, stick a copy in your supply tub.)

- Small toys that the child can play with if waiting in traffic, visiting someone unexpectedly, etc.

First Aid Kit

- Lots of Band-Aids

- Antibiotic ointment

- Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen

- Anti-nausea medicine

- Gauze

- Small pair of scissors

- Tweezers (for splinters, etc.)

- Alcohol pads or antiseptic

- Small bottle of sterile water

- Antacids

Roadside Emergency Kit

- Jumper cables

- Flashlight

- Flares

- Folding reflective triangle

- Multi-tool with screwdriver, etc.

- Rain poncho

- Reflective vest

- Shop rags