Homeschooling Germany & The Right to Life

I have officially deemed it a "lets scrap everything and go to the park day." My kids love me tons on days like this. Hey, what can I say, everyone needs a little down time. I am finding myself being more attracted to the outdoors this time of year than they seem to be.

So for all of you who are finding yourself itching to get outside, put down those textbooks, grab your sidewalk chalk and do math in the driveway, or take a nature/nurture walk. Spring is a time to refresh and renew. I guarantee you will all feel more thankful for today!

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'Youth Worker' Lies About Homeschool Student

World Net Daily- A youth services social worker apparently has lied to a German television station about a 15-year-old homeschool student ordered into a psychiatric ward because of her "school phobia," and another employee of the same state division shut down a scheduled 1-hour weekly visit with her family when her father showed her the statement.

According to the International Human Rights Group, who has a representative working with the family of Melissa Busekros in Germany, the incident yesterday was reported by Melissa's parents to Richard Guenther, director of European operations for IHRG, and his wife Ingrid.

Nearly two months ago the 15-year-old was taken by police...read the full article here.
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The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Brings ‘Fight for Dear Life’ to Homeschool Families

Johnson City, TN March 27, 2007 -- No one should have the right to choose when to end a person’s life, but on March 31, 2005, Terri Schiavo died after 13 days of agonizing thirst and dehydration, forced upon her when the court ruled in favor of her husband’s demand to remove her feeding tube.

Now, on the second anniversary of Terri’s tragic death, TOS Magazine (www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com) will publish Christine Field’s exclusive interview with the Christian Law Association’s David Gibbs, an attorney who fought to save Terri’s life. As part of a promise...read the full article here.

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Blue Thistle Books publishes Comforts of Home, a bi-monthly newsletter for homeschool families. Bringing you encouragement for your homeschooling journey, educational articles on homeschooling styles, parenting tips and support, teaching suggestions, craft projects and ideas, book reviews and new product news, special discounts on curriculum, and most importantly, humor - because every homeschooling parent needs a good laugh! If you would like to subscribe, you can do so here.

Homeschooling in Germany & Homeschool News

A reader suggested this link for those of you who would like to know more about what you can do to promote human rights and home education reform in Germany. The former leader of our homeschool co-op moved to Germany a year and a half ago and was unable to continue homeschooling. I have not spoken with her recently, but I will try to get an update from her on the situation.

In other news from The Washington Post

Transforming educational culture
March 26, 2007

If I told you that intelligent, mature, socially involved, well-educated teens, just 15 years ago, were being denied entry to college you would not believe me. Unfortunately, it was true. Many of the nation's burgeoning number of home-school graduates had, and on many occasions still have today, a very difficult time navigating the college admission process. Fortunately, in 2007, the situation has dramatically improved, but just 15 years ago homeschoolers faced huge obstacles accessing college. Although a legitimate criticism of colleges is that they were relatively slow to react to the growing numbers of home-school graduates, it is fairly easy to sympathize with their situation. Home-schooling began its resurgence in the 1980s. Consequently, the first wave of home-school graduates was ready to enter college in the early 1990s. For decades, colleges had been focused on traditional high school applicants from both public...read the full article here.
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If you would like to play Two Truths Tuesday with some other homeschool moms, please visit my other blog here.

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Blue Thistle Books publishes Comforts of Home, a bi-monthly newsletter for homeschool families. Bringing you encouragement for your homeschooling journey, educational articles on homeschooling styles, parenting tips and support, teaching suggestions, craft projects and ideas, book reviews and new product news, special discounts on curriculum, and most importantly, humor - because every homeschooling parent needs a good laugh! If you would like to subscribe, you can do so here.

Potty Training Help for the Frustrated Parent

As much as I love this game, I don't think I will be needing it. My little one is making great strides on the potty right now and I hope it will continue. For those of you who are not having such good success there is hope! My Throne Potty Training Game is a hit! I really think this game is a neat idea. Here's how you play. Well, your toddler that is!

Toddlers move their game piece along the magnetic board each they have a success. The bigger the accomplishment the further they will move. They path acts as a loop and your child can go around the path as many times as necessary. along the way they will pass golden stones and will receive a small reward to mark their progress, such as reading a book together or completing a craft project. Rewards are left to the parent's discretion.

When your child has their first dry day, they jump immediately to the dry bridge at the entrance to the castle. Once they have completed three dry days they move onto the Castle and Isle of independence. After three full days, they are crowned majesty of My Throne.

My Throne Potty Training Game will motivate even the most resistant toddler to abandon their diaper and use the potty. This game is a winner! Go here to purchase My Throne.

Kiss Your U.S. Soil

This really puts things in perspective. So often we forget the freedoms we have. We must do all we can to protect our rights to homeschool our children, so we do not end up like the families in Germany.

Posted: March 22, 2007

POLICE STATE, GERMANY5 'well-educated' kids put in state custodyRuling that sent homeschooler to psych ward expanded to 2nd family

Five "well-educated" children have been ordered into state custody by a court that applied to a second family a ruling taking a 15-year-old homeschooler from her family and sending her to a psychiatric ward.

The action fulfills a dire forecast from a human rights group that the government's success in the first case would encourage officials to act against other families in Germany.

The newest ruling comes from a court in Saxony and affects five members of the Brause family, according to officials with the International Human Rights Group.
Its president, Joel Thornton, earlier had told WND that, "There is an increased fear among homeschoolers about whether their children are next," after Melissa Busekros, 15, was removed from her home and ordered first to a psychiatric ward, then a foster home, because of her "school phobia." (Excerpt)read the full article here...

Kiss your U.S. Soil and hold your children close and pray that this never happens here.

Featured Book for Toddlers & Homeschool Unit Studies

The featured book for this week is You Are My I Love You by Maryann Cusimano

"I am your parent; you are my child. I am your quiet place; you are my wild". . . . A day in the life of parent and child-full of smiles and giggles, messes and meals, boundless energy and well-earned naps.

This is one of my favorites! Your little one will ask for this book over and over! A super bedtime choice. 32 pgs. · Hardcover.

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Comforts of Home is a bi-monthly newsletter for homeschool families. Bringing you encouragement for your homeschooling journey, educational articles on homeschooling styles, parenting tips and support, teaching sugestions, craft projects and ideas, book reviews, special discounts on curriculum, and most importantly, humor - because every homeschooling parent needs a good laugh! You can subscribe here.

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Organizing Your Home School - Were you born organized, or do you lead a helter-- skelter existence? Are you tired of losing your keys and not finding the papers, books, etc. that you need? Are you living underneath a cloud of chaos? If you are a home school parent this can be doubly troublesome. It’s one thing to leave for work each day, being able to leave it all behind, it’s quite another when you have to live it 24/7. And home schooling in and of itself causes...read the full article here.

10 Secrets of a Successful Homeschool

1. Have fun. Attitude is everything with home learning. Enjoy learning and your kids will enjoy it. Make it drudgery and they will respond as well. Try to make even boring tasks, pleasant at least. This is not to say that everything must be a 3-ring circus, but if you have a fresh, upbeat attitude even with times tables and spelling tests, this will reflect well on your children's enjoyment and learning potential.
2. Limit interruptions. My biggest interruption is the phone. Get a good answering machine and use it during regularly scheduled learning time. Or use voice mail. Record a message that states from this time to that time we are home educating and will get back to you after we are finished. Tell friends and relatives that this is the case, and eventually they will learn to respect this. This also means well meaning drop in visits and babysitting for friends, etc. Keep your children's learning time sacred and your family will benefit from this.
3. Dedicate your time to their learning. If you are doing 101 things while your children are trying to do bookwork, how can you expect them to concentrate and....Read full article here

Blue Thistle Books bi-monthly newsletter, Comforts of Home, is just about ready to be sent. Packed full of homeschool related articles, parenting tips, recipes, craft projects, and humor, because every homeschooling parent needs a good laugh! If you would like to subscribe you can do so here. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Here is a portion of my last article. You can read it in its entirety here.

Raising Obedient Children - Part 1: The Basics

Despite popular opinion, our children do come with a manual, God’s Word. The Bible provides very clear answers to our questions about discipline. Here are some very important scriptures and useful suggestions on raising obedient children. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1. Authority – God has given us authority over our children. When parents fail to establish authority in their children’s lives there can be serious consequences. A young child will only be encouraged to rebel, as he grows older, if there is no clear authority figure in his life. In 1 Samuel 2:22-25; 3:12-13 we see that Eli’s sons were abusing their authority and acting in wicked ways. Eli eventually reprimanded his sons, but they would not listen. Eli had tolerated sin in his children and ignored it. Maybe like some of us, he didn’t want the confrontation! He knew what his sons were doing, but did little about it. The consequences for Eli’s household were God’s rejection of his household and the death of Eli’s sons. 1 Samuel 3:13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

2. Start early – Bad habits that have been formed are very hard to undo. Training will vary from child to child, but most children are very well aware of what no means before the age of one. Teaching babies to obey the word no should be the first step, then following with other age appropriate training. Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

3. Define your boundaries – Clearly communicate to your child expectations and consequences before discipline...

I have had to take a short blogging break due to my mother having emergency surgery, therefore I'm more than a week late with the feature book. Better late than never.

This weeks feature book is Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Listen, my children, and you shall hear-Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere ..." So begins one of the most stirring poems in American literature. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote "Paul Revere's Ride" in 1861, nearly 100 years after the actual midnight ride that began on April 18, in 1775.

The poem creates a suspenseful story as American colonist Paul Revere decides with his friend Robert Newman and others to avert a British attack on Concord, Massachusetts. The British had come from Boston in search of the colonists' arms supply. What Revere and his friends didn't know was whether the Redcoats would come by land (around the mouth of the Charles River) or by sea (across the river). Newman spotted the British "by sea" and signaled from the Old North Church tower to Revere, who was "Ready to ride and spread the alarm-Through every Middlesex village and farm,-For the country folk to be up and to arm." And, by morning, the country folk were ready, indeed. "Chasing the red-coats down the lane,-Then crossing the fields to emerge again-Under the trees at the turn of the road,-And only pausing to fire and load. " This battle, the first of the American Revolution, drove the British back to Boston. Softcover · pgs. 48 · Ages 4-8. You can purchase here.