Q: Okay, this is probably a dumb question, but what exactly is social studies, anyway?

A: Well, first of all, we know that there are no dumb questions, right?

Social studies is a blanket term which includes all branches of social sciences studies. These branches include primarily history, geography, and economics. It can also include, however, anthropology, psychology, sociology or any other discipline that focuses on individual development of persons, or how people interact with their environment or other people (hence the "social" part of the term).

If your high school student needs 3 social studies credits to graduate, he/she might complete classes from a list such as US History, world history, Bible history, Bible geography, old world history, world geography, state history, consumer economics, general psychology, or general sociology.

I recommend that all high school students take US history, world history and a modern geography course. Other social studies classes should be chosen as electives based on student interest.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

Q: We've decided to pull our 2 kids out of traditional school and home school after Christmas. I'm not a teacher, and I have no idea where to start. What do I do first?

A: Here are a few comments that I hope will steer you toward home schooling success:

1. First, realize that you don't have to be a "teacher" to home school. My education and professional experiences have helped me as a home school mom, but I know plenty of home school moms from a variety of backgrounds outside of education who do a fantastic job! My advice is to find one of those moms and ask her to help you get started.
2. Contact the Home School Legal Defense Association (hslda.org) to get the scoop on the laws in your state.
3. Find out from that great home school mom I mentioned earlier what support groups or co-ops are available in your area. Choose ONE that seems best, and get involved.
4. There are so many curriculum options and teaching/learning styles out there that the choices are often dizzying to new home schoolers. My advice is to choose a traditional, complete curriculum as you begin, and after you get your feet wet, feel free to begin to experiment. Do only what your state REQUIRES if you feel overwhelmed; in other words, stick to the basics, and don't worry about foreign language study, keyboarding and under-water basket weaving for now.

Everyone has an opinion about what curriculum is best, but my personal "traditional" favorites are A Beka (which most consider to be advanced), or Alpha Omega Life Pacs (simple to use, especially for those who need help with goal setting). If you're really nervous, you can always look into DVD or correspondence options.

If your children have special needs, the issue of curriculum can get a little stickier; that's where that helpful, experienced home school mom comes in again. It's always wise to learn from someone who's walked a little farther down the road than you have.

I hope this helps! If you have more specific questions regarding getting started, or if you're an experienced home school mom with more advice, please click on comments and share your thoughts.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

Q: Can you share some of your favorite ideas and resources for Christmas?

A: My husband, whom we affectionately call Clark (as in Clark Griswold), starts playing Christmas music in September around here. His theory is that if Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we'd better decorate, sing and celebrate like there's no tomorrow!

Here are a some of my favorite Christmas books:

Christmas in My Heart, A Treasury of Old-Fashioned Christmas Stories, edited by Joe Wheeler, Review and Herald Publishing (I got mine at Focus on the Family bookstore.) There are several volumes available; the short stories are wonderful read alouds, or are great literature assignments for older students. The vocabulary is great.

Just for Fun! Our favorite Christmas poetry book to read for giggles is Bob by Sandra Boynton. It's an oversized board book with whimsical rhymes published by Little Simon, Simon and Schuster.

The Best Thing About Christmas by Christine Tangvald, Standard Publishing; This book is so fun to read aloud with young children! I've used it often with small groups of pre-k children. It's fun to put objects related to each page in a large Christmas gift bag and pull them out as you read about them. The book tells about all the fun things about celebrating Christmas, but repeats the phrase, "but that's not the BEST thing about Christmas..." until the author reveals that the best thing is Jesus!

Bright Star, Bright Star, What Do You See? by Cassandre Maxwell, Augsburg Publishing; This beautiful book is patterned after the popular Brown Bear, Brown Bear book. Each page also features a small picture that represents a name of Christ.

The "J" is for Jesus (a rhyming board book that simplifies the candy cane story) by Alice Davidson, Zonderkidz Publishing; This book is easily memorized for a Christmas pageant or family presentation.

My Birthday, Jesus' Birthday, Holly Davis, Zondervan Publishing; This is a delightful book that compares the circumstances of a modern child's birth with Christ's.

The Pine Tree Parable, by Liz Curtis Higgs, Tommy Nelson Publishing; This is a great book from the seasonal series by Higgs.

What Nick and Holly Found in Grandpa's Attic and Adorenaments Activity Book (book and activities featuring the names of Christ) by Family Life

Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas by Susan Titus Osborn and Christine Tangvald, Standard Publishing (This is out of print, but is the best "around the world" book I've seen for younger children; I just met the author, and she has copies available for purchase. You can contact Susan Osborn at susanosb@aol.com; she'd probably even autograph it for you. I only paid $5 at the conference for the book, but the regular price plus s/h might be more.) Note: A member of our local home school group uses the "around the world" idea and writes to missionaries to collect more info about international Christmas customs. Then they pray and support the missionaries with whom they correspond. Great idea! Thanks for sharing it!

And, here's a Christmas reading project Idea: Have children record the story of the nativity from Luke, or a favorite Christmas book, onto an audio tape. Children can ring a jingle bell to indicate page turns, and older kids might enjoy adding extra sound effects. This makes a great, inexpensive gift for nursing home patients, grandparents or younger siblings or cousins!

I'll add more ideas throughout the advent season.

Have a great weekend, and take a break! We're decorating the tree today, and spending our time baking and drinking hot cocoa and enjoying each other's company. If you think of it, please pray for "Clark." Electricity can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

Q: What are your favorite home school web sites?

A: UPDATED 11/21/06: There is no shortage of info out there, that's for sure. Here is my short list of favorites. Of course, things change rapidly on the net, so I can't guarantee the quality of the websites listed, however, I've only listed websites that I've personally used. If you have a favorite that isn't listed, I'd love to hear about it.

General:

focusonyourchild.com
From Focus on the Family
This is a comprehensive site for all families, and includes information relevant to home school families. It's a great one to visit when you have time to browse and take it all in.

www.donnayoung.org
This is one of my all-time favorite sites! It has everything home school! If you had to choose one site to visit as a new home school parent, choose this one. In addition to valuable info, there are a lot of free printable forms.

www.hslda.org
Home School Legal Defense Organization
This is the place to go if you need legal advice, or if you need to know the home school laws for a particular state.

Sites with great free printables:

www.abcteach.com
This site has tons of stuff, and I especially like the reading comprehension samples. Be sure to check the daycare/babysitting area for fun stuff, too. Don't miss the "Home School is Fun" memory book printable!

www.homeschooling.about.com
Again, this site has tons of stuff. My favorites include the memory books and Kindergarten Portfolio.

www.oklahomahomeschool.com
This is a site for everyone; I especially appreciate the high school resources such as the transcript samples and career preparation unit.

www.theschoolbell.com
This site has FREE alphabetized theme units for younger children, as well as Dolch word activities.

www.teacher.scholastic.com
This is the Instructor Magazine site.
Find customizable teaching tools including assessments, graphic organizers and checklists here.

www.dltk.com
This site has lots of fun printables including cards, incentive charts, crafts and more.

www.chasesc.com
This is a website for home schoolers in South Carolina, but great stuff for everyone can be found here.
This site includes lots of forms for book reports and for evaluating writing, p.e., and lots more. Some fun iron-ons are here, too!

www.storyit.com
This site is great for language arts and writing helps.

www.superkids.com
I like to use this site to find items for gifted students, but others would enjoy it, too.

Bible Sites:

www.focusonyourchild.
Again, Focus on the Family offers a lot. Give it a try.

www.calvarychapel.org/children/site
This site offers a comprehensive set of free printable Old Testament and New Testament stories and activites for both primary and intermediate students.

www.akidsheart.com
This site features lots of cutesy Bible stuff, plus online puzzles and games.

www.wonderzone.com
Child Evangelism Fellowship
This site offers daily devotionals, games and more. You can also subscribe to the Mailbox Club which sends weekly Bible activities to your snail mail.

www.lifeway.com
This is the Lifeway Christian Resources site of the Southern Baptist Convention.
This site offers a home school help section, as well as a copy of the Bible online.

Happy Home Schooling!
Mrs. Sherry

Q: Are book reports really that important?

A: For students who are college prep, I'd say that book reports are definitely important. Many of the assignments given in college require students to respond to literature. Students should begin writing formal book reports at their level of ability by fourth grade.

Students should be able to respond to literature by summarizing it, by giving their opinion of it, by comparing or contrasting it with another work, by analyzing the literary elements of the piece (theme, conflict, word choice, etc.), by analyzing a character, and by examining the effects of history, geography or the author's background on the piece.

I would encourage you to require your student to respond to literature in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, a traditional essay format. Other ways to respond to literature include oral presentations, power point presentations, artistic presentations (book covers, posters), book chats (informal discussion), and daily reflection journals.

Also, always require your student to keep a title/author log of books read, even if you don't require a report. This can become an important record to include with a college admissions packet, if an institution asks for curriculum details.

Another Note: Even if your child has no plans to attend college, I usually recommend a college prep program. As a parent, it will be important for you to keep all doors open for the future success of your child. Sometimes circumstances change, and a college degree becomes important later. Plus, kids have been known to change their minds, you know.

Be creative, and enjoy the process.

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry