The Homeschooler's 23rd Psalm

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." -John 10:11

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me to live on less sleep,

He leads me through the noise of many voices,

He restores my soul.

He leads me to teach the right lessons each day, for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of undone laundry and kitchen messes, 

I will fear no evil, for You are with me, 

my teacher's guides and answer keys, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of critical family members.

You anoint my head with heavenly wisdom; 

my cup runs over.

Surely educated and godly children shall follow after me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell again one day in a clean house with the Lord forevermore.

Praise God, we do have a good Shepherd who leads us through every homeschooling problem and provides for our every need. Best of all, our Shepherd knows us adn promises never to desert us when the wolf comes seeking to destroy (see John 10:11-13). As we listen to the Shepherd's voice and follow him, we are sure to receie a great reward as we reach the peaceful green pastures of Christlike, educated children. "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away" (1 Peter 5:4)

-From the Homeschool Mom's Bible; devotions by Janet Tatman; p. 647

Wanted: Homeschool Teacher

"Summon your power, God, show us your strength, our God, as you have done before." -Psalm 68:28

Have you ever thought about how an advertisement would read for a homeschool teacher? If truthfully stated, the ad would probably go something like this:

Now accepting applications. Family seeking fun-loving, godly homeschool teacher. Applicant will be responsible for providing total educational development and daily personal care for children of multiple ages. Applicant will assume the following roles: cook, housemaid, nurse, taxi driver, administrative assistant, accountant, athletic coach, social director, computer technician, household and automotive repairman, gardener, course instructor in multiple subject areas and grade levels and various other responsibilities. This is a full-time position - approximately 120 hours or more per week.

Qualified candidates must be able to work well under pressure, multi-task and prioritize workloads while maintaining a friendly, enthusiastic attitude. Quick thinking, good memory and extensive knowledge of varied subject matter are a must. Promising candidates will be resourceful, able to adjust easily to distractions and display creative, hard-working leadership abilities. Organizational and problem-solving skills are a plus. Previous teaching experience and college degree preferred but not required. If you're interested in working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, this is the position for you! For more information on this exciting opportunity to earn fulfilling, one-of-a-kind rewards, please apply in person today.

After reading these qualifications, no wonder many parents walk away from this employment opportunity. Who can measure up to these standards? Praise God, you can! As you step out in faith and yield your weaknesses to God's strength, you'll not only get the job, you'll also successfully homeschool and discover the fantastic benefits of teaching your children at home. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10).

Lord, homeschooling seems overwhelming, and there's so much to learn. Like the new person on the job, teach me what I need to know to successfully homeschool with your wisdom, strength and power. In Jesus' name, amen.

-From the Homeschool Mom's Bible; devotions by Janet Tatman; p. 635

Foolish Dreams

"Be content with what you have." -Hebrews 13:5

Author Janet Tatman says that for years she looked forward to uninterrupted nights, a house that stayed clean and a quieter noise level. As much as she loved her four children and homeschooling them, she still longed for these things. After 25 years, the things she longerd for became hers. But the empty nights seemed uninteresting, the house had no reason to be cleaned, and it sat empty all day making the quiet seem very loud. She saw that her foolish dreams of yesterday had come true, but she chastised herself for trading productive meoments with her family for grumbling and complaining.

She writes: "God gives us so much to be thankful for each day, but we choose to look past the blessings. Focusing our thoughts on illusive mirages of happiness, we think we know what will satisfy us best. We disregard God's provision and constant care and trade His blessings for future "If onlys." Patiently, He waits for us to discover two important facts: He has already given us everything we need, and only he can satisfy the longings of the soul."

Photo Credit

"Do you ever long for the "good old days" before the demands of homeschooling? Dear one, please don't waste one more moment longing for "if onlys." The homeschool blessing of today are far greater than any sacrifice you've laid at the Master's feet. "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn" (Psalm 37:4-6)."

-From the Homeschool Mom's Bible; devotions by Janet Tatman; p. 629

California History Lesson 13 (European Explorers)

California History

Explorers

Lesson 13

Ferdinand Magellan

He believed he could find a passageway for ships through South America. He was sent out by the king of Spain. He searched the coast of South America until he came to its tip. Here he found a dangerous, narrow waterway that he named the Strait of Magellan. It was three hundred sixty miles long and full of rocky islands. There were many storms through the strait. When Magellan came out of the strait, the ocean was so peaceful and quiet that Magellan named it the Pacific Ocean. Pacific means peaceful. Magellan kept going until he reached the Philippine Islands which are not far from China. He had made it to Asia by traveling west. He died there; but another captain, Juan Sebastian de Elcano, continued sailing west. After making it to the Spice Islands, he continued on and made it back to Spain. Later, the Panama Canal was built at the Strait. No one followed Magellan for many years, but when a few finally did risk the trip, they visited the Philippines as it was an important place to obtain trading ships like the Manila Galleons.

Date - 1519

Sent by - Spain

Sent to - find a shorter passageway through South America

Found - the Strait of Magellan, the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines by traveling west.

Link

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Francisco de Ulloa

Ulloa was under the command of Hernando Cortes in New Spain (Mexico). Cortes sent Ulloa to explore the island that he had found. Ulloa sailed up the coast of Mexico and found that Cortes’ island was really a peninsula. There was a story written by a Spanish author about an imaginary,  beautiful island called California where only women lived. This island was ruled by a queen named Califia. Soon after Ulloa’s visit, people began calling the peninsula California.

Date - 1539

Sent from - Spain

Sent to - explore Cortes’ island

Found - it was a peninsula connected to more land

Link

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Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo

Cabrillo was a Portuguese seaman who was sent by Spain to find a shorter passageway from Mexico to Asia and to look for treasure. The Spanish believed there was a waterway through North America. They called this the Strait of Anian. Cabrillo was the first white man to visit California. Cabrillo spent 7 ½ months traveling up the coast of California. Cabrillo first landed in present-day San Diego where he explored for several days. He came near to what is now Los Angeles harbor. It was very smoky from the Indian fires and they called it the Bay of Smokes. When coming around Point Conception, Cabrillo was forced out to sea and landed on San Miguel Island. Cabrillo broke his arm and later died of his injury due to infection. But his men set out and made it to Monterey Bay and then as far as San Francisco Bay. They had to turn back because so many were sick. This was an important expedition as it was the first time Europeans had visited California.

Date - 1542

Sent from - Spain

Sent to - find a shorter passageway from Mexico to Asia and to look for treasure

Found - and explored California’s coast

Link

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Activities

1) Make a foldable timeline with picture, map and info about each explorer

2) Make a Compass Rose

Link

California History Lesson 12 (European Explorers)

California History

Explorers

Lesson 12

At one time, the Europeans believed the world was flat and that if they traveled far enough, they would fall off the edge of the world. Isaiah 40:22 says, “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, . . “ Maybe if the Europeans had studied their Bible more, they would have realized what the shape of the earth really was. There were many European explorers who helped bring people to California. These included:

Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Hernando Cortés, Ferdinand Magellan, Francisco de Ulloa, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, Francis Drake, and Sebastian Vizcaino

Christopher Columbus

During Christopher Columbus’ time, men from Europe had to make long, difficult trips to trade with Asia for things like spices, silk and jade. They had to sail all the way around Africa or travel overland on camels. Christopher Columbus believed he could find a shorter route to Asia by sailing west. He was born in Italy, but the king there would not give him money for an expedition. He then asked the king and queen of Spain who said yes. He left on August 3, 1492 from Barcelona, Spain with three ships. On October 11, the group sighted land and the next day they landed on an island in the Caribbean. Because they thought they were in India, they mistakenly called the people there Indians. Today we call these islands the West Indies. Although Columbus did not find North America or California, he pioneered the way for others.

Date - 1492

Sent from - Spain

Sent to - find a shorter route to Asia

Found - the Caribbean islands

Link

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Amerigo Vespucci

The king of Portugal wanted Vespucci to explore the lands Columbus had found. He found the eastern coast of South America and explored it with his men. He realized this was not Asia, but a new land. He wrote letters to friends back home that were published. Europeans began calling this new land “America” after Vespucci.

Date - 1501

Sent from - Portugal

Sent to - explore the lands found by Columbus

Found - a new land; South America

Link

Link

Hernando Cortes

Cortes was sent from Spain. He went from Cuba to the Gulf of Mexico to southern Mexico. He met the Aztecs who lived in beautiful cities and who had much silver and gold. Cortes conquered these people and claimed the land for Spain. He then moved on to the west coast of Mexico and sailed north to a group of islands about 100 miles off the coast. There were no riches there, so he returned to Mexico. While passing Lower California, he thought he’d found another island. But it is a peninsula that today we call Baja California which means lower California in Spanish. On May 3, 1535, Cortes entered Lower California bay and took possession of it for Spain. This led to the later exploration of Alta, or upper, California.

Date - 1518

Sent from - Spain

Sent to - explore the New World

Found - Lower California

Link

Link

Activities

1) Make a foldable timeline with picture, map and info about each explorer

2) Zentangle Explorer Ship

Link

Link

Filler

1) Who Discovered America?, Explorer Word Search, p. 32

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Books related to this topic:
Columbus by Ingri D'Aulaire, Edgar Parin D'Aulaire