About a year or so ago a dear friend shared a CD with me.  She said that a friend of hers put these CDs together and thought that we would enjoy them.  The children LOVED it so we decided to purchase the rest of the catechism cds and have been enjoying them ever since.

The other day a very well known blogger posted about these very cds.  Challies posted about Songs for Saplings along with other music for children.  Challies wrote:

Songs for Saplings is James and Dana Dirksen from Porland, Oregon. They have recorded four albums, one of which follows an A,B,C format while the other three are questions and answers, much like a catechism. I suppose these albums will largely appeal to younger children. They are quiet and acoustic.

He is correct in his assessment of the cds. They are geared toward younger children. But they are beneficial for the entire family.  The catechism cds do appeal to older children more and more in the second and third cds.  There is a great variety in the style of music on each cd. You can even listen to excerpts on their website.

What I love about them is that the children (and us parents) learn the great truths presented in the Westminster Catechism which is derived directly from scripture. Each question and answer also contains the scripture that teaches the truth. This way your children are not only learning the doctrinal truth but the scriptures that proclaim that truth.

Songs for Saplings is a ministry of the Dirksen family and this is what they state on their website.

We create lively, fun songs that attempt to deliver the deepest of Biblical truth in a format that your children will love to listen to. We want them to understand who God is and what He has done, as well as what He wants your children to do and to be. We hope that you will benefit from these CDs and use them to help teach your children about our God and his great love for us.

With Christmas time approaching, what better gift could you give than the gift of music which teaches and proclaims the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ?!

I am pleased to announce that I can offer you a 20% discount off of your order when you buy CDs from their website. This includes the “12-pack bulk pack” which a lot of people order for gift-giving. This does however exclude the 24 and 48 CD bulk packs, which are already heavily discounted.

All you need to do is enter the following code as you go through the checkout: mamaarcher
It’s really simple.

Hopefully you will find this really helpful as you order CDs this Christmas!

As you seek to grow your little saplings……

into strong oaks of righteousness…

Songs for Saplings can be a musical and fun tool for you and your family to use and enjoy!

that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
(Isaiah 61:3b)

Visit SONGS FOR SAPLINGS and order your CDs today! Order some for your friends and family too! Don’t forget to enter the discount code for your 20% off!

Please leave a comment and let me know if you plan on making a purchase and what you think of their music and ministry!

Regardless of whether you order, please tweet, email, and share on Facebook so that others can take advantage of the discount offer!

Homeschooling can be a challenge and a lot of work but it is filled with rewards for the children, the parents, and society.  It becomes even more challenging when learning disabilities are thrown into the mix.  I have two children (so far) who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities.  We are dealing with a whole array of learning disabilities.  A few of them have a lot of support and suggestions on how to deal with them.  Some do not.

It seems there is always trial and error involved in trying to find out what works best to help these children with extra challenges.  There are also differing schools of thought on how to approach things.  What one school of thought says works another will say is worthless.  The real test, however, is really what works, what brings results.  I am one who believes that the Orton-Gillingham approach seems to have the best results.  S.P.I.R.E. is based on that approach.

One thing that one must take into consideration when dealing with learning disabilities is that there will be what seem like set backs.  One day your child will seem to finally get it and then another day seem as if they haven’t picked up a thing.  Perseverance is the key.  Keep plugging away and do not let yourself grow weary.

Whenever I begin to find myself getting frustrated with my children I put myself in their place and realize how much they are struggling.  Being aware of how difficult the task is for them helps me to keep my frustration in check.

I have recently found a curriculum that seems to be helping my daughter.  It is rather pricey.  But I think it is well worth the price.  It does tend to get on my nerves a little bit only because of the amount of time and repetition involved but that is exactly what my daughter needs.  It takes more time than I would like but then again my daughter takes more time to “get it” than I would like.  It does take about 45 to an hour per lesson.  The lessons may seem redundant but again the repetition is what she needs.  It isn’t simply repetition though.  The program tackles reading from several different angles.  This helps to attack all different areas of possible mis-connects and cement the concepts for the child. Even though there is more involved with the program it is amazingly easy to implement. The teachers guides are very easy to understand and give step by step instruction which is easy to follow.

What program am I referring to?  It is called S.P.I.R.E. and can be purchased from EPS.  S.P.I.R.E. takes a ten step approach to teaching.  Each lesson contains ten steps.

S.P.I.R.E. is a comprehensive and multisensory reading intervention program. It is designed to prevent reading failure and to build reading success through an intensive, structured, and spiraling curriculum. It integrates phonological awareness, phonics, handwriting, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension in a 10-Step lesson plan that is specifically designed for the way struggling readers learn. via website

S.P.I.R.E. has eight levels and each level follows the ten step lesson plan. With each concept taught there is an introductory lesson with one or more reinforcement lesson. With my daughter I have found that she needs each and every reinforcement lesson but that may not be so for your child. The ten step lesson plan is as follows. I share this to give you an idea of how they attack each new concept from several angles.

1. Phonograms Cards
2. Phonological Awareness
3. Word Building
4. Decoding & Sentence Reading
5. Prereading
6. Reading
7. Sound Dictation
8. Prespelling (orally)
9. Spelling
10. Sentence Dictation

There is also independent work and additional readers to reinforce what has been taught.  For more on the ten step program, GO HERE.

If you have a struggling reader I would highly recommend the S.P.I.R.E. program.  It is a bit time consuming (about an hour a day) and it is a bit pricey. I think I spent about $2200 for all eight levels and the preschool program for one child.  If you purchase it one level at a time though it isn’t so hard on the budget.

The thing that I love the most is the fact that it tackles the same concepts from all different angles and helps you see where your child is struggling the most enabling the parent to better address the issue.

You can learn more on their website.  They even have a sample video lesson demonstrating the ten step program.  You can also look at the scope and sequence for each level.

Do you have children who struggle with learning disabilities?  Have you found something that seems to work?  Have you ever tried or even heard of S.P.I.R.E.?  After looking it over, is this a program that you think you might try? Please leave me a comment and share your thoughts with me.

This school year we are trying something new.  I saw this at the curriculum fair this year and I just couldn’t resist.  For my younger children we will be using this three days a week.  It is a basic handwriting (manuscript) program combined with a drawing (art) program.  It is colorful and fun.  There are also book lists and thematic study suggestions if you want to expand you study.

I bought the entire boxed set but you can purchase each book individually.  I also purchased the workbooks to go along with it.  It is just easier for me to keep everything organized that way.

We have not begun yet but I have all three of my little girls asking when, when, when we can start on it.  I think it may be a highlight this year!

If you are interested take a moment to visit their website, HERE.  They also have sample lessons so you have a first hand look at the curriculum.  You could even try it out with your children before purchasing.

Have any of you used this curriculum before?  If so, what do you think?  Did your children enjoy it?  Did it improve their drawing skills?  I would love your input!

I am not one for yard sales but I do love a great deal!  This past week the Lord provided overly abundantly for us!    I went into Anchorage to go to the homeschool bookstore.  This is a great little bookstore and it is run by a wonderful lady.  I make several trips there.  I usually go to see if there is anything I need that they have on the shelves USED.  I have turned in several things that we no longer need for her to resell.  She is pretty picky about what to resell so you can always be sure that even if it is used it is a current item and in good condition.  For any item that she can resell she will give us a small percentage of the original price as credit to put toward the purchase of other USED items.  So I had a substantial amount of credit piling up and I occasionally go in and see it there is an item I am in need of in used condition.

The other day when before I ventured in I began praying in the car for a particular item to be there in used condition.  I had checked several trips before and there has never been any used.  Still, I prayed for that item to be there.  I walked into the store and went straight to the science shelves.  Guess what I found???  Exactly what I was looking for and praying for and it was a used copy!!

Apologia’s Marine Biology SET!  This sells for $85 new!  With a little bit of a lower price and  my in-store credit I paid a whopping $1.50 out of pocket!  I told the lady that I ALMOST felt too guilty to leave having only paid $1.50!  Almost being the key word!  So, there you have it, the Lord’s great and abundant provision!  Thank you Lord!

As I mentioned a couple of days ago my two eldest daughters are attending TeenPact this year.  If you missed that post then scroll down or go here.  The two girls have been coming home each evening very excited but last night tipped the scale.  They were bursting at the seams with excitement.

They have been listening to different representatives speak this week and putting questions to them.  But yesterday……

One daughter was able to meet the Representative Stoltz.  This was a neat experience.  This was the representative that she wrote to before TeenPact began.  She introduced herself and he paused and said, ” You live in “town name” on “our street name” and you have a sister named “sister’s name.”  She was stunned.  She told him yes sir.  He thanked her for her letter and told her that he had just sent her a letter in return.  She came home to find it on the table waiting for her.  There are approximately 90 students at TeenPact this year and she felt honored that he recognized her name and knew who she was.

The other daughter was taken with her class into a conference room.  They were trying to determine which chair was the Governor’s chair.  One girl (not my daughter) sat in it with permission.  They told her it was fine because he would not be in attendance.  A few minutes later the Governor walked in the room.  Went over to the chair and told the girl she had the best seat in the room, the Governor’s chair.  He was gracious and let her remain there.  I think that probably made her day.  So, my daughter was able to meet Governor Parnell.  That made her day!

So there was great excitement!  There is talk of wanting to be a page, volunteer to help staff TeenPact in the future, and to go for political science majors!  There are having a great time, learning so much, and learning how they can make difference!  I am sure they are planning on attending again next year.

My two oldest girls are walking around looking much older than I like this morning.  They are dressed nicely in business attire (skirts and blazers).  They look rather professional.  They are attending a special class in downtown Anchorage this week.  They have been working on homework for weeks now.  They have been busy reading, writing, and analyzing bills, writing to their state representatives, as well as several other things.  Here is their homework list to be completed before the start of classes. Attending this class is for their government credit.  If you have never heard of TeenPact it truly is something to check into.  It is a great opportunity for your children.

Let me share a bit about the class with excerpts directly from their website.

TeenPact trains young people to be leaders who will impact the nation and world for Jesus Christ. This is a comprehensive leadership experience that challenges students to grow both personally and spiritually. During the week, students will enjoy meeting and interacting with other Christian young people and leaders from across their state. Students will come away from TeenPact with a realization of their spiritual capacity as young people and a desire to change America for Christ.

Here is a bit more…

TeenPact is a comprehensive leadership experience that brings kids closer to Jesus Christ, makes them better leaders, and positions them to impact public policy in their state. During the week, students meet important officials, interact with other like-minded students, and have more fun at the capitol than they could have ever imagined. Students leave inspired and challenged with an intensive desire to change America for Christ.

TeenPact offers a program for both teens and children at your state capitol. Students enjoy times of praise, worship and devotions, meet important officials, interview lobbyists, view campaign disclosures, improve their public speaking skills, write their own bills, and conduct their own TeenPact legislature. Students analyze public policy from a Biblical Worldview and learn to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Other activities include:

* Reading actual bills that are being worked through the Legislature
* Researching how political candidates spend their campaign money
* Analyzing media content with an emphasis on worldview
* Participate in student elections
* Learning about the structure and content of our nation’s Constitution

I know that here in Alaska there are even a few additional scheduled events. One being an ultimate frisbee game. That may sound strange but if you have a teen and are in the Alaska homeschooling community you would understand that life does not happen without ultimate frisbee. )  TeenPact even has their own ultimate frisbee discs for purchase! I hope my daughters don’t see this.  I think I will be buying MORE frisbees!

They are also having a dinner and a square dance. They have parent meetings for those interested in attending.

TeenPact is designed for highschoolers but they also offer a one day class for children ages 8-12 years.

The TeenPact One Day Class is an abbreviated version of the Four Day, designed specifically for ages 8-12. This class focuses on

• The biblical responsibility to pray for our leaders
• The principle of “higher authority”
• The “bill-to-law” legislative process
• Public speaking for young students

I would encourage you to check out TeenPact for your children.  They offer classes in 38 states and are still expanding. Children may also attend year after year if they would like.  There is a lot going on.  Get in on the fun!  There is a lot of information on the website.  They have listings of classes as well as sample class schedules.  This is a great way to aid you in teaching and training your children about the role and functioning of government from a godly perspective.

Be sure to check into it and come back here and let me know your thoughts.

Do you have a child who has already attended?  What are your thoughts on the experience?

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When teaching penmanship, basic grammar, spelling, literature, accuracy, punctuation, vocabulary, sentence structure, attention to detail, and memory skills copywork and handwriting books are a great resource.  There are many different curricula available for such things but you want to make sure they are books of substance?  We do not want to just have busy work. When trying to instill godly character in our children it is important to use a curriculum that addresses those needs as well.  I have several listed here that you may want to look into.  We have used several ourselves!

A Reason for Writing has been around for a long time.   They offer curriculum for grades K-6th.  All of the lessons are based on scripture verses.  Along with learning good penmanship children are memorizing and sharing the Word of God.

Memoria Press has a little bit of a different approach.  Their books not only contain scripture but also classic poetry, literature selections, Latin sayings, and hymns.  They also have a great explanation on their website of the benefits of copywork.  They offer a primary set consisting of three books, a cursive book, as well as a composition and sketch book.

Veritas Press has a handwriting series entitled Classically Cursive.  There are four books in this series.  These reproducible books originated by the folks at Logos School are all you need to teach cursive handwriting.  These books use scripture and the catechism.  The four books are entitled, “Bible Primer, Ten Commandments, Shorter Catechism, and The Attributes of God.”

Last but not least are the Journibles.  These are actually designed for older teens and adults.  Yes, we adults can benefit too!  I am very excited about these and am looking forward to investing in some for myself.  Here is a description from the website on these books.

Each book is organized so that you can write out your very own copy of Scripture. You will be writing the Bible text only on the right hand page of the book. This should make for easier writing and also allows ample space on the left page to write your own notes and comments. From time to time a question or word will be lightly printed on the left page; these questions are to aid in further study, but should not interfere with your own notes and comments.

So there you go!  Several great resources for meeting the needs of handwriting and copywork but also attending to our spiritual needs.  Do you have any other great resources for this?  Have you used any of these?  Which are your favorite?  I would love for you to share!

I cannot believe that I have hit the one thousand mark. To celebrate this milestone I am having a giveaway because what other way is there to celebrate, right? I will only be running the giveaway for 5 days and the opportunity for entering will end at midnight (Monday) December 7th, ALASKA time. The winner will be announced on December 8th. The giveaway includes 5 different titles. They are listed below with photos of exactly what you will receive.

Full package includes:

• Considering God’s Creation Set

• Children Just Like Me

• Missionary Stories with the Millers

• Heaven’s Heroes

• Marvels of Creation – Magnificent Mammals

Now the rules: There are several ways to enter.  You can have just one entry or up to four.

1. Leave a comment here mentioning what you like most about this blog (1 entry) if you do any of the following for additional entries please let me know in your comment.
2. Subscribe and become a follower of this blog (1 entry).
3. Blog about this contest and link our blog on it – and don’t forget to give us the link below in the comments! (1 entries)
4. Add a badge (found on the link buttons page) to your blog and post a link in the comments below (1 entries).
5. Existing followers and those who already display a badge count as entries, as long as you post a comment (with link if applicable) to let me know!

Not for additional entries but I would be thrilled if you would consider tweeting this giveaway and any other blog entries by using the tweet buttons at the bottom of each blog post!  Thank you and good luck on the giveaway!

CurrClick.com has hundreds of homeschool downloads available for free today. Go here to check out the list of all their Black Friday Freebies.

I have mentioned on several occasions that we begin our school days with a daily devotional.  This has changed forms over the years.  One year we went through the Proverbs cycling through one a day each day of the month.  One year we went through the Psalms.  One year we went straight through memorizing the catechism.  We would alternate year after year.  This past year I found something new and am loving it!   Rather than just memorizing the catechism (as important as that is) and just reading through the scriptures (as primary in importance as that is) we are now doing both at the same time.

Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade is an excellent resource that I would recommend to any and every family.  Catechism is one of the best methods of teaching what we believe our children. The devotions are based on the Westminster Catechism and provides a great way of studying sound Christian doctrine.  This book provides approximately two years worth of daily study.  It covers each of the 107 catechism questions.  A new question is covered each week which provides plenty of time for memorization and plenty of time for study.  There are six daily devotions per question, all with Scripture readings pertinent to the question so you can explore how God’s Word answers that question.  This tool can be used for all ages.  The devotionals only take minutes if you have very young children or you can dig deeper and expound upon them. There is great opportunity for discussion.

This is a very practical tool which will guide you through the scriptures to answer, teach, and explain the doctrines of the Christian faith to your children using the form and questions of the catechism.