The Resource Bug is Biting - Part 3

AFTER the CONVENTION:
1. If you've held off your purchases and not bought at the convention, PRAY (and research more if needed) until you feel sure, then ORDER. If you were unable to see something at the convention, but you still feel it may be best, order it. Don't choose what you feel is going to be second best just because you haven't seen what you really wanted to try. Most companies have return policies, on curriculum type things anyhow, and it is better to look and pay a return fee if it isn't going to work, than to keep trying other things, and always wondering if this other would have been better.

2. Realize that mistakes WILL be made! It is part of learning and growing - and learning and growing involve COSTS. Don't throw out an *apparent* mistake at the first sign of difficulty. Pray about how (if) it can be adapted to fit your goals/methods, or if it is indeed what God wants but is going to require you to STRETCH and GROW. Give it some time, and really try to utilize it, especially if it fits into your "guidelines".

3. If you truly make a mistake, repent, spend more time - prayer and research - finding the replacement. Sell the old on a curriclum swap e-list or local used book fair. Chalk it up to experience. But be careful not to get in the rut of always jumping from one thing to another, and never truly implementing ANYTHING, always jumping to the newer, better resource, in looking for THE answer. If this is happening, go back to the beginning and spend more time Renewing Your Mind and getting God's direction.

4. Also realize that as you grow, the *PERFECT RESOURCE* that is perfect this year, may not be *PERFECT* NEXT YEAR or 5 years from now. You will be growing and continually renewing and adapting. Start where you're at and grow from there. Sell, give or throw away, whatever no longer fits into your philosophy and goals and move on. But try to purchase things you won't "outgrow", like the Real Resources/ Living Books things the guidelines below suggest.
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As I said above, Renewing our Mind to God's purposes and plans for our family's education is the primary factor in determining what resources will work for us. Having a well developed personal Philosophy of Education - which is just another way of saying, knowing how God wants you to teach your children - will keep you from making mistakes more than anything else. We have developed a set of guidelines that help us stay within our philosophy. There are so many tempting things out there that sound SOOOOO GOOD, we can easily get distracted and buy things that don't "fit" our family.

We try to follow each of these resource qualifications for every learning resource purchase, although #3 and #4 don't always apply, #1, 2, and 5 are musts! We use almost all Real Resources - Living Books (great literature) as well as Skills Resources for teaching "how to" (whether that be math, sewing, phonics, cooking, writing, car repair, etc.) Only resources that fit these guidelines are worth spending our hard earned, many times hard-to-come-by, dollars on. Other things - such as an occasional "fluff" or extra resource/book "just for fun" must come out of extra money (a rare thing) or from the library. I really don't like spending money on something that isn't worth keeping in our own family library. They aren't worth the money or space they take up, let alone the time wasted on them. We do all really need to be watchful that we Redeem that Time that the Lord has given us, and not waste it on vanity.

Here's the qualifications I think through when deciding what resources to buy. They are a part (the *5th* principle) of the "8 Principles of L.E.D." (which you can receive on tape from us). They should be applicable for anyone following a Lifestyle Education through Discipleship.
5 Qualifications for L.E.D. Resources:

1. Relational & Relative - (individualized vs. canned) It must be something that speaks into OUR lives, not just the "latest, greatest everyone is raving about it" resource. Does it further the goals God has given us for OUR family's education? (not just what someone else says we should be learning.) Is it based on premises we believe in? (Biblical worldview.) Does it follow the way WE believe teaching and learning are best accomplished? (not textbooks/
workbooks.) Does it promote adaptation to individual circumstances? (or is it written to be used in a lock-step way - daily, scripted lessons, etc.?) Does it fit OUR LIFESTYLE?

2. Multi-level - Is it something that can be used by many different ages? (or is it "grade leveled"?) Most Living Books fit into this. A timeless, living book can be enjoyed by EVERYONE in the family, but even Skills Resources should cover all aspects of the topic, not just 1st grade, 2nd grade. We don't use grade levels in our family's education and don't like resources that are written as such. Some resources may contain only "Introductory" level information, etc. but this isn't the same as "grade level" resources.

3. Multi-disciplinary - Is it something that crosses the "subject" lines? (or does it only cover one "subject"?) Many Real Resources are TOPICAL, they only cover one topic, but that doesn't mean they only cover one "school SUBJECT". Obviously all "Living Books" fit into this category. Even resources like dictionaries and such will be used in all of learning. Most non-textbook resources don't have to be pegged into a "subject" hole. But, just as obvious, things like a Math book will only cover Math.

4. Multi-sensory - Does it teach through more than one sense? If it's a Skill-learning Resource or teaching guide, does it give ideas for presenting material in more than one way, to reach learners of various types?

5. Re-usable - Will it be able to be re-used by others, as well as the original student? (or will it be consumed and
thrown away when done with?) Real resources are ones that will be used over and over and are worth saving and using again. Even better yet, they will promote the student producing something worth saving. Recently, I heard a quote, from ages gone by, that any book worth reading once is worth reading 3 times. And, that we need to read them (or listen, if it's a tape - in these modern times) at least 3 times before we really "get" it. I really believe it. I don't think a resource is a good one, if it's something I'm going to turn around and get rid of as soon as we've "gone
through it". It should be worth saving for future reading and reference.

At Jesus' feet,
Lisa

The Resource Bug is Biting - Part 2

Conventions Shopping Tips
Here are my tips for buying resources at a Convention.

BEFORE the Convention:
1. THROUGH PRAYER - make a list of the TYPES of things you think you'll need. i.e. "History resources covering _____ time periods. A hands on way to teach math, covering all levels. A mom's "how-to" guide for teaching _____ in a relaxed way. A few interesting read-alouds on ______. A drawing program for _____. ....." This will help keep you from looking at things that you don't need this year/ yet. If you've already got somewhat of a plan down, through prayer, AND have talked to your children about some interests they'd like to pursue, you'll know things like " there's no use looking at _____ this year, because I KNOW that isn't the direction we're going and we won't get to it. It will sit on the shelf and I'll feel guilty for spending the money and for not using it."

2. Get as many catalogs and visit as many websites as you can, so you will have an idea of what you particularly want to check out. Make a list under those "types of things" needed, of possible resources to fulfill that need. There will be plenty of other things at the convention that you haven't heard of before to choose from, that you may also want to look at, but this pre-looking will at least narrow it down some. You will have, through the catalogs and websites, eliminated many choices. You can walk right past those booths with no condemnation or questioning for ignoring them.

AT the convention:
1. Go only to those booths that have your predetermined resource possibilities. WOULDN'T it be great if we could stop there? NO, DON'T DO THIS! There will be other good things to check out. But DO go to those pre-determined booths FIRST - and do some more eliminating.

2. DON'T buy anything on your first round. Make it a "skimming" tour. Make note of any other resources (or booths) that fit into your "types of things needed" that you'd like to further check out.

3. If something looks REALLY interesting, TALK to the vendor about it. Go to WORKSHOPS by that vendor that cover that resource (if possible) or at least give you an idea of that vendor's philosophy (it determines the philosophy behind the books that vendor carries). This is more true of the smaller specialized vendors than those that carry a little of everything (who usually don't do workshops, and may not even know much about their books. In fact they may just be a local "hired hand" to help "ring up" customers. Small vendors and especially those that have authored the resources are USUALLY the most helpful.

4. Buy ONLY when you have God's Peace about a resource. If you still aren't sure as the convention nears completion, DON'T rush or be pressured into buying ANYTHING. It will well be worth any extra you have to pay in shipping to get the right thing. Spend the time you need praying about it and getting God's direction and peace. Don't let a vendor (or others there) talk you into something that doesn't fit your "litmus test" (see our guidelines below) unless you really sense God leading in that new direction. Perhaps it IS HIM giving clearer revelation, but PERHAPS it's an expensive (in money AND TIME) rabbit trail.

5. This is personal opinion - as in what *I* do, and therefore carries emotional sentiment and may not fit as "good advise" :- ) IF you have been hs-ing a long time and you know the direction you're going, and you already have all your basic resources - buy what you find that will fill-in for the future, even if you may not use it THIS year. I really don't NEED anything for "THIS YEAR" anymore, but I do know what I plan for the future AND I ENJOY filling in and buying when I find a resource that is just right for what I know is upcoming, when it is something I really feel God's Peace about.

There have been years that I haven't been able to go to convention OR order any resources and I have been grateful for God's advance promptings that have led me to purchase ahead and provide for future (at the time, but now current) needs. It's a good feeling when Mark says, "Sorry I don't see how we can squeeze anything out right now," and I can reply, "We're OK. We already have all we need for now." This is especially true because we use "Real Resources" such as timeless Living Books.

We may not be studying Early America this year, BUT I know it's coming up and I know we want to read Charles Coffin's "Sweet Land of Liberty" and William Bradford's "Plymouth Plantation" when we get there. I know they are living resources that won't be not applicable/ out of our philosophy when I get there. OR, perhaps we are collecting G.A. Henty books, or those character classics reprinted by "Lamplighter", we have the ones we're going to read this year, but I find others to add to our collection. These are timeless resources that I'd like to have, just to have in our library and read ANYTIME!, not just the year we "study" their topic. If I find them at the convention, and I have the money to buy them, after getting anything I need for this year, I get them.

This could get me on a whole other rabbit trail of building a good and timeless library. I want to have books on our shelves that tempt our kids to "read ahead", meaning they see these books as being valuable to our family, and are intrigued to just pull them off and start reading at anytime, not just because they were "assigned". That is part of creating a Love for Learning. And, I will save the rest of this rabbit trail for the Environment of Excellence article in our forthcoming "Lifesytle Curriculum" book.

6. Another good question to add for us book junkies that are deviating from "this year's needs" list is: Do I already have something that teaches/covers this in a way that is do-able for us? Does this NEW resource do that much BETTER of a job, and fit our QUALIFICATIONS that much better, that I am willing to REPLACE the other one? It's easy for me to duplicate things, because there's MORE than ONE good thing out there. BUT since we already have a library of thousands of books, we don't need to keep adding, just for the sake of adding. A verse that "speaks" to me is "Of the making of books, there is no end." from Ecclesiastes. AND I DON'T NEED TO OWN *ALL* OF THEM!!!!!


Continued in Part 3

The Resource Bug is Biting

Greetings from Me and My House,

This is the time of year when Home Education Conventions, Conferences, Retreats, Seminars, Workshops and Curriculum Fairs begin. Everyone is beginning to focus on what we "need" for "next year". Even if you believe, as we do, that learning is a lifestyle that continues year-round, if you have any state requirements for academics, those probably "come due" at the beginning of the government (so-called, public) school year, and it is time to start planning and ordering.

Making choices as to what resources to buy isn't near as limited as it was when we began teaching our children at home 15 years ago, and only knew of the traditional curriculum/ subjects viewpoint we had grown up with. As those choices expand yearly - DAILY! - it can get easy to be tossed about by every wind of new and great things out there that EVERYBODY'S using.

Although Home Education Conventions/Curriculum Fairs are REALLY TEMPTING places, and CAN BE VERY OVERWHELMING, I DON'T believe we should stay away from them. They are where we can best get the information we need to make right resource choices, as well as help deepen our philosophy of education. In fact, I think every mom (and dad too, if possible) needs to go EVERY YEAR to some type of hs mom's (parent's) retreat, convention, etc. for her (their) own renewal and refreshment. We all need encouragement and support. Sometimes we can seem so isolated in our own world of home educating. We need to get out and see the "big picture" just for a better perspective. God has given us such great mentors to help us along, we need to utilize the resources He's provided for us. No homeschool home is an island. Don't try to make yours one.

IF you already have a solid "philosophy", the specialized retreats/conferences can be the best place for you to go, for it encourages you in YOUR way. But general conventions are good too, as they open the doors for greater thought, and different perspectives. I'd love to encourage you all to attend/ host an L.E.D. seminar, but our baby's due next week, so we aren't planning on doing any this year. :- ( I love to do them and miss them greatly when I'm not able, but this list will have to suffice for this year for those of you who aren't local. I do still plan to do some things locally this year. But there are many things L.E.D. can glean from other philosophies. If you've attended our workshop or listened to the tape "Introduction to Lifestyle Education through Discipleship", you know how our philosophy compares with some of those others. Your own personal philosophy may glean more or less from each of the others. If your philosophy is quite similar to Charlotte Mason's then a CM Conference would be great for you to go to. If you are more enthralled by the Principal Approach, go there. If Sally Clarkson's "Wholehearted Child", or Cindy Rushton's "Easy Way" really interests you, go to one of their mom's retreats. Many of us don't have that many options near us, and a general "state convention" is our only choice. Perhaps, we have the blessing of at least MORE THAN ONE to choose from. For these, search out the vendors and workshops that are closest to YOUR "philosophy" and pick and choose that convention - or those workshops and booths at your only choice.

If you are new to looking at education through any perspective other than the world's view that we grew up with, DO - DO -DO, AT LEAST go through (or at least begin) your season of Renewing Your Mind BEFORE going to a Convention. The more we have developed our personal Philosophy of Education (found God's direction for our family's education) - the easier it becomes to make those choices in a place where endless resources are calling "Buy Me!" When we sit at the Lord's feet and get His direction for our family we will find that many things "out there" just don't fit US. This makes them much easier to pass up when they (and all your friends) are calling "NEW, GREAT, THE BEST, WOW, JUST WHAT YOU NEED!" It is SOOOO TRUE that we should NOT BUY until AFTER we've gotten direction from the Lord.

IF you don't take (have) time before the convention to Renew Your Mind, and you're only "looking into this", determine to NOT BUY at the convention. Just soak up information, that will help you make your decision later. But I warn you, it may be confusing. There are many conflicting voices out there calling for our attention. If you've read our website and this L.E.D. e-list's posts, and you know that your philosophy is akin to ours, I recommend that you order our "Introduction to Lifestyle Education through Discipleship" tape and syllabus to see how L.E.D. compares to other philosophies so you will know which ones may be compatible with your thoughts, and not just add contrary confusing advise.

Truth vs. Reason

Greetings from Me and My House,

This article continues my thoughts (and probably overlaps some) on Thinking Skills.

Truth vs. Reason

What do we mean when we say we want our children to have/develop "thinking skills"? For most Christians, I would think we mean we want our children to be able to discern right from wrong, and be able to apply that and communicate it persuasively. That is, to be able to figure out, on their own (after being trained), what is the right answer or conclusion and then act on that, whether that means making a personal life decision, or coming to a correct solution to a math problem. This is what the Bible calls having Understanding and Wisdom.

I would venture to say that is not necessarily what the world we are living in means by "thinking skills." In general definition, probably; in application, doubtful. As the Word tells us, "The wisdom of man is foolishness to God." Man's wisdom is based upon the reasoning of the mind. And we know that the mind can very easily be deceived.

In a recent conversation with our college-attending daughter, she told me that there is a class on "Critical Thinking" at the college (local community college, not Christian). There are no right or wrong answers. The professor only grades the student's papers based on how their answers were thought out. Did they follow a "logical" thought process to come to this conclusion? If so, they get a good grade, regardless of their conclusion. This is not to say that there aren't some secular materials out there that really want people to learn to come to the right conclusion. But our world has embraced a humanistic, evolutionist philosophy that "right" is situational and individual.

This class seems to me the ultimate in situational relativism, and the epitome of "There is a way that seems right to man, but the end there of is death." The saddist part of all is that this isn't just natural, uneducated man arriving at his own conclusions, but that this is being taught as "higher learning." This is college level thinking skills.

As Christians, we know that what is right is not based upon our own individual thought processes and conclusions. What our minds think and what seems to be reasonable and logical to us, no matter how much thought and "logical reasoning" goes into it, is not right unless it aligns with God's absolute Truth. There is no Truth apart from God. He tells us that the "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy brings discernment." It is through knowing and having respectful fear of Him and His absolute and unchanging ways that we learn to discern what is right and what is wrong. Yes, Virginia, there is a right and wrong, and you don't determine what that is. You can only learn to discern what it is.

Understanding, that the Bible speaks of as "discernment", comes from "exercising our senses" by meditating on God's Word (Joshua 1:8) to give us knowledge of the Holy (Pro. 9:10). It is the ability to arrive at and communicate Truth. What the world considers "logical thinking", yet coming up with its own individual answers, is not what I think any of us desire for our children. Rather, we would have them desire Truth, seek for Truth, know how to find Truth, recognize Truth, and communicate Truth.

For an education of Freedom and Simplicity, I believe our focus needs to be on teaching our children how to discern Truth, by teaching them the fear of the Lord and how to meditate on His Word to "know the Holy", rather than on trusting his mind to be the valid source of reason because he learned some "thinking skills". It is when he knows the Truth that he will be set Free, and when he is able to convey the Truth to others that they can be set Free. The logic and reason of man will never bring Freedom to man, but the Truth always will.

At Jesus' feet,
Lisa

On Writing Topical Studies

Greetings from Me and My House,

I just replied on another list to a question about writing Unit Studies. As most of you probably know, we don't write "Unit Studies" per se, but we do base our planning on Topical Studies. My answer includes some of the differences (as I see them) - mostly having to do with the amount of structure and mom burn-out, and includes how we believe Topical Studies can be written within the context of the Freedom and Simplicity of education LED by the Spirit, through Lifestyle Education through Discipleship. It obviously is not as thorough as our publications on this, but it gives a simple overview. I feel the post is appropriate to send to this list, and hope you can glean more about L.E.D. through it. God is ever impressing me to mentor other moms/parents in MORE than just the philosophy of L.E.D. and pass on, in a practical way, what I have learned.

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Dear -----,

Writing a unit study is a trade-off like anything else. Which do you have more of - free time or money? Is your only motivation to save money, or do you have other philosophical reasons for writing your own study? How structured do you want your family's education to be? How old are your children and how many do you have? How in-depth do you want to go? Are you looking at writing a complete - several years, covers everything - curriculum or one unit on a topic of interest?

Trying to write a completely integrated (all subjects), full curriculum (one year or several, to cover everything, for all children) is a LOT of work and probably not worth it, if you don't have philosophical reasons and it's not a love and burning desire for you to do it. Burn out is a common result for mom's who try to do this. IOW, $70 is a small price to pay for such a thing.

OTOH, pulling together topical studies for the whole family (even for their ENTIRE curriculum), in a family that has a "relaxed" approach needn't be a big deal. It all depends on whether MOM is up to doing a whole lot of studying and writing and planning herself (the previous paragraph's way) or if she's going to facilitate the children doing the learning, yet provide some direction (this paragraph's way).

For philosophical reasons, I write our own Topical Studies. Because I have teens, I base our whole family's studies on them, and utilize a cycle approach to make sure that everything (that *I* deem necessary for high school) is covered within that cycle. Our younger children's approach to this is much more relaxed, and I probably wouldn't have even the stucture that I do in it if I had ONLY little ones. Since this list is about Hi-School, I'll try to keep things geared toward it (and try not to veer from [list name's book] principles :- ), but the principles apply for the whole family - using [list name's book] or not. I think, [list name's book] is a good way to pull it all together for documentation, credits, etc. [note to l.e.d. list = I DO NOT feel this book is NECESSARY for this in a L.E.D. education.]

What I have learned over the years in writing Topical Studies, to prevent stress and burn out is:

1) I don't try to force every subject to integrate into each study. If they fit in naturally, they are included. If it'd cause me to have to spend much time and stress trying to figure out how to get a certain subject to "fit in", I don't force it. I believe many published unit studies REALLY STRETCH to try to create a relationship between things, just because they "have to" cover all the subjects, and all areas of each subject, throughout the curriculum, and they want it to all be integrated. LIFE is integrated and not fragmented into "subjects", but it is also RELATIONAL not forced.

EXAMPLE: Learning about a certain composer and his music during the time period he lived is relational. Learning how to cook the meals that our family eats can be learned quickly on its own without "integrating" it into a History or whatever unit, although if a child WANTS to cook some time-period/ethnic food that relates to the study, they are free to do it.

2) I don't stress out trying to rack my brain for a list of endless activities for my children to do related to the study. IF there is something that comes to me as important and relative that I want them to do, I include it. If not, they think of their own activities, if any. They are usually required to do certain TYPES of projects within the study, but not certain ACTIVITIES themselves - especially, to use a C. Mason term, "twaddly" ones. Again, most published unit studies have long overwhelming lists of activities, but many are irrelevant to learning the material and time wasters. IOW, an activity must produce something worthwhile (not a project to be trashed when done, because it has no future relavence) OR it must be something that the child just WANTS to do, because it is relevant to him from this study.

EXAMPLE: They are not required to "write a fictional journal of a girl that came to America on the Mayflower". They ARE to write various narrations, summaries, essays, etc. and to keep a Book of Time (timeline) .... They ARE required to demonstrate certain science principles, but not to do SPECIFIC experiments. Communication skills (language arts/English) is NATURALLY integrated into EVERY Topical Study, through Notebooking, and other natural methods.

3) I don't spend weeks/months? covering a topic with the above activities and rehashing things over and over and reading EVERYTHING we can find on the topic, when it can be done in a short amount of time through a few EXCELLENT books, resources and projects. NEVER drag anything out. IF our children are interested in learning more and deeper things about the topic we continue as long as interest AND new, deeper learning is taking place - but we don't continue just because I planned for it to last a certain amount of time. IF interest has waned and we've used some EXCELLENT resources to learn the important things, we move on. Our children don't have to know EVERYTHING about EVERY topic.

4) I don't think that EVERYTHING that our highschoolers "need" or want to know can be learned through "integrated unit studies" - at least through ones that all the subjects aren't forced into irrelevant places. They will undoubtable have outside (the topical studies) interests (and perhaps even "needs") that they pursue.

5 - ?) I'm sure I haven't remembered everything.

Here's one way to plan a complete curriculum based on Topical Studies:
Working from the "Big Picture" perspective - i.e. you have a list (loose or detailed) of what you want your child to "cover" in high school and the credits you want them to earn. You begin with the "Big Picture" and work your way down to the details, in your planning.

BIG PICTURE PLANNING (based on Pro. 24:3-4):
1) Determine what courses you require and how many credits in each for their total high school requirements. (Other, teen chosen, courses can be electives.) EXAMPLE: History/Social Studies - 1 credit US, 1 credit World, 1/2 credit Government/Civics.

2) Break each course down into Topics (usually 3-7 main areas or so). EXAMPLE: Divide World History into 5-7 time period Topics. Divide Life Science/Biology into Plant and Animal and Human Topics.

TO PLAN THE TOPICAL STUDIES THEMSELVES:
1) Write a "Learning Map" (outline) for each Topic of what points you think are important for high-school "coverage". Some teens can do this for themselves and can just be given a list of "topics" and your "required" book/resource list. Others want more structure and like having this guide. Some could even be just given a list of required courses and could design their own Topical Studies and Learning Maps and Resource Lists, BUT in our home we believe it is OUR job to teach and train our children and have some guidelines and requirements, even through high school. This is guided preparation for their own future self-directed studies and home educating their own children.

2) Search out EXCELLENT Living Literature/Real Resources (books, places, people, and experiences) that present the Topic in an interesting, godly (Biblical WorldView) way. (Every resource may not have a Biblical Worldview, but the foundation for the topic must be presented through it in a Christian education. i.e. a field trip may not be to a place with a "Christian Worldview" but it is not the foundational source of their study.) We usually have some *required* resources, some *optional* resources, and of course, they are free to add other resources (within our guidelines - such as not ungodly, not "twaddly"/dumbed down).

3) Find enough of these resources to cover the topic as thoroughly as you think it needs to be covered, (or require them to find other resources.)

4) As the Topic is covered, you will branch out across "subject" lines. Document each part of the Topical Study under the proper "Course". Don't get too stressed out about this; they can be moved around later, if need be.

5) As Topics naturally integrate you may find that you don't have to "do" a certain Topic because you have already covered it through its natural relationships with other Topics. That how "credits" add up in [list name's book] [AND L.E.D.].

Having said all that, I do believe that there are good published unit studies - complete curriculum - for even high school. I have only used one of them (several years ago), but I've seen others that look good. All that I've seen have had some of the drawbacks I've mentioned, but IF you are looking for a complete, stuctured integrated curriculum [rather than creating a Lifestyle Education through Discipleship]- and you are not a HIGHLY CREATIVE WRITER with a BURNING DESIRE, and MUCH TIME to do this, I think they are worth the money.

If you are comfortable with the relaxed approach [of L.E.D.] and want more info on writing your own - from MY perspective anyhow - (I'm sure I haven't covered this thoroughly) I invite you to check out our website: [website updated] and ed blogs here and there or join our elist [elist changed and blog sites added]. You are invited to ask questions.

At Jesus' feet,
Lisa

Reasoning, or "Right Thinking"

Greetings from Me and My House,

This kind of goes along with the Biblical Worldview article that I sent recently. I went to a Homeschool Convention this weekend and to a workshop by one of the speakers. It was on Real/Right Thinking (Reasoning). His primary point was that Real Thinking comes through the 3 Rs - and primarily spoke on Reading and 'Riting. Reading EXCELLENT literature and learning to write properly. He talked a lot about writing essay type journaling. He focused on the forgotten art of Meditation (as described in Joshua 1:8 - as I closed with in the Worldview article). And also brought out that Pro. 9:10 literally says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy is *discernment* (understanding). That's what we are really talking about in "reasoning", having good understanding or discernment, as I mentioned in quoting Heb. 5:14. We exercise our senses by *meditating* on His Word and His ways, to gain knowledge of what is Holy.

He talked much about NOT learning about the world through the world's ways and that we are to be innocent concerning evil, yet not naive. (We are to know that evil is out there and how to discern it, but not details about it.) How to choose EXCELLENT literature - it always portrays evil as evil, never downplays or disregards it, and never gives gory details - just as God portrays it in the Bible. He pointed out (as I have in another article) that satan is the one who wanted Adam and Eve to have knowledge of good AND evil; that was never God's intent. He only wanted them to partake of the Tree of Life. I.e. God doesn't believe that "real life" consists of having "knowledge of good and evil."

As I'm sure you can tell, I really enjoyed this workshop. It so fit in with L.E.D. It seems, that according to this speaker anyhow, we are on the right track for teaching our children "thinking skills" through developing a Biblical Worldview, and reading Excellent, Living Literature and learning to write well.

His recommendation for those wanting a "formal" logic course is "Logic" by Issac Watts (the hymn writer from centuries ago). He said it is the only one that he's found truly based on the Biblical Worldview, and he (the speaker, Vic Storkle) has written a study guide to go with it. Watt's also has a second book, and Storkle a second study guide to go with it, for even deeper study. Another person's review that I have read on Watt's "Logic" feels it is more philosophy than logic and is best used as an adult's study of the history of logic. Having never studied the book, I can't say - but for those wanting to pursue a formal logic course for their highschool students (or themselves), I'd recommend checking it out.

At Jesus' feet,
Lisa