In This Issue:

1. Teaching During Christmas Without Losing Your Mind
2. Taking the Commercialization out of Christmas
3. Turning our Boys into Men

1 - Teaching During Christmas Without Losing Your Mind

As I look at my calendar for the next few weeks, I see a vast number of family gatherings, Christmas play practice sessions, extra responsibilities, tables full of food that will settle around my middle... and lots of duties that I don't normally have. The Christmas Season is an extremely busy time and can be very stressful as well. So how do we continue teaching our children during this busy time without losing our minds?

One way is to hold classes four days a week. Schools will be taking a bunch of time off in November and December, so we don't have to feel guilty about doing this. In taking off one day a week, that will give us more time to run errands while it isn't so busy at the stores. It will also give us time to get some of that holiday baking done - and let us pace ourselves a bit more so that we can fulfill our responsibilities with a little less stress.

Another way is to completely stop normal studies and use this time to do a special unit study with your children. Or maybe you can take this time to focus on art and music, subjects you may not be able to spend as much time on throughout the year. This will give schoolwork a new excitement and a change of pace during this busy time - and hopefully free up a bit more time for your holiday duties.

Another way would be to completely stop schoolwork throughout the holidays. This is an especially good option if you are all-year-round homeschoolers. Spending those extra lazy days of summer in schoolwork may be a good trade-off which will allow you to stop schoolwork during the busy holiday months. Focus on the season and all of your extra responsibilities - and be sure to have your children involved with you in as many activities as possible. Consider this time of year a good time for some real life training.

No matter how you decide to handle schoolwork during this busy time, remember that as a homeschooler you have lots of flexibility. Decide what will work best for your family and go for it. There is no right way to handle the holidays and schoolwork!

2 - Taking the Commercialization out of Christmas

I don't know about you... but I've been a bit put off that the stores are already starting to decorate for Christmas. Every year it seems like the commercialization of Christmas gets worse... and it's very sad. We're supposed to be celebrating the birth of Jesus - not drooling over a bunch of fancy gifts for ourselves.

I received a catalog in the mail this week that can help us to put the REASON back into the SEASON. It was a World Vision catalog. I get things like this in the mail all of the time - but for some reason, it really struck me this time. Did you realize you can spend as little as $10 and buy chickens and ducks and sheep and other animals for people in third world countries?!? These types of gifts help children to be able to eat as well as to have a residual income selling extra milk and eggs. You can also buy Bibles for people in their native language, which is really cool.

You can check out all of your options by going to World Vision's Website. If you buy gifts for people in your family, pastors, or your children's teachers, they will send out a Christmas card telling the person what you have donated in their name... so you still have something to give to show people how much you appreciate them.

Please forward this part of the newsletter to your family and friends. Let's tell everyone we know about this wonderful opportunity we have been given to impact the world for the better.

3 - Turning our Boys into Men

It may be politically incorrect to raise our sons as knights in shining armor - but it is also very much appreciated by those surrounding us. Everywhere we go, people quickly notice that my sons are different. They are able to walk quietly through a store with minimum squabbles, they share with each other, they can sit in a restaurant and enjoy a meal with the rest of the family... nothing extraordinary. And yet, in today's world my boys stand out from the pack. They are developing good character and it shows.

It is a common occurrance for people to approach us and tell us what good boys we are raising. How have manners and self-control become so lacking in today's society? Schools have thrown out God, they've thrown out prayer, and they've thrown out right and wrong. Children in public schools are being taught to think for themselves - to do what makes them feel good - to determine what they believe - all in the context of a world with no absolute truth. Anything goes!

In our world of moral relativism, homeschoolers can be a beacon of light to a dark world. We have the opportunity to spend as much time as we'd like training our children about truth, developing their character, and helping them to be discerning about what's right and wrong in our world.

Please remember to take time out from your book lessons to teach your sons those real life lessons which will help them to make good decisions throughout their lives. You can not spend too much time developing your son's character! Remember, these lessons are better caught not taught.

Show your sons how to make a meal for a hurting neighbor, how to mow an elderly widow's lawn, how to volunteer at church or at a soup kitchen, and how to treat others with respect. If our sons grow up with the golden rule as their guide, they will grow up to be men of character who are looked up to by their peers... and men who are able to make a difference in our world.

Check out the below resources for more on this topic:

Boyhood and Beyond: Practical Steps to Becoming a Man By Bob Schultz / Great Expectations Co Sow wise seeds of counsel in the still-soft soil of young hearts! Drawing from biblical insight and personal experience, Schultz offers your preteen boys reliable guidance on matters of authority, temptation, education, industry vs. sloth, leadership, overcoming fear, and more. Help future men make the most of boyhood---and begin training them for life. 219 pages, softcover from Great Expectations.

Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men By Bob Schultz / Great Expectations Co The author of Boyhood and Beyond now brings us Created for Work, a collection of tales that give us examples of the work that needs to be done, whether boy or man. All the stories are taken from real life and showcase a different trait (postitive or negative!) such as confidence, plodding, and keeping your word, among many other lessons. Each chapter has study questions at the end, making it perfect for a father-son or group discussion. 181 pages, softcover.

Thanks for reading this month's newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it! See you next month...

Michelle Caskey

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