Introducing Your Children to Classical Music

Classroom Help, Encouragement

 

By Marcia Washburn

Music is one of those subjects we all feel guilty about.

“I really ought to expose my children to great music,” we tell ourselves. We know that music gives us opportunities to express our emotions and draws us together socially. And we remember the Scriptural commands to make music.1 Martin Luther wrote, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.”2

Music touches us in every area of our lives—body, soul, mind, and spirit. Nothing has quite the same power over us, other than the Holy Spirit Himself. It is a gift that we can take to Heaven with us.

But that niggling little voice inside reminds us, “But you don’t know anything about music,” or “We just don’t have the money to buy a bunch of CDs,” or “My kids won’t like classical music anyway, so why bother?” And of course there is the time objection: “I have so many other subjects to teach—how can I fit in music, too?”

What if you could use the Internet to teach music? No expensive CDs or concert tickets to buy—just your trusty computer and the world of classical music is opened to you. Below is a sample lesson for you and your family to enjoy.      (more…)

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It’s Time to Wake Up!

Burn Out, Encouragement

 

By Deborah Wuehler

I was taking a nap when I heard some noise in the hallway, so I got up to investigate. My eyes were blurry, my head heavy with sleep, but I kept looking around trying to find that noise. I suddenly realized it had been my own snoring I was hearing and that I was not awake but still asleep! I dreamt that I went back to bed until I heard the children talking. I pushed the covers aside and got up and talked to the children until I heard that familiar snore. Once again, I was not truly awake.

This happened several more times in my dream until my daughter came into the room to (truly) wake me. I was exuberant to discover that I was actually and fully awake! Not that my dream was terrible, but the feeling of never being actually awake or asleep was a heavy, horrible feeling. I have had that feeling in real life too, especially on days like today.

I am going through the everyday motions of homeschooling (thank God for a schedule that keeps us all on task) but feel groggy in my teaching, sleepy in the presentation, and just plain wiped out. Some days, like today, I feel like I will never wake up to the reality of full-life living and learning. I keep trying to wake up but keep going back to bed hoping that next time, maybe tomorrow, I will wake up where reality is better than this dream-like state.

It is a season of plain old tiredness that comes because of a lack of sleep, an over-committed schedule, a change of seasons, or a change of hormones. Whatever the reason, we sometimes need help—we need someone’s hand upon us to wake us.      (more…)

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Homeschooling: America’s Future

Classroom Help, Encouragement, History

By Carrie Stoelting and Stacie Stoelting

The “unsinkable” Titanic represented the finest that modern man could accomplish. People relished in Titanic’s luxury and hailed her as the unsinkable carrier of free society. Yet it only took an iceberg to sink her.

Indeed, it only takes a leak to sink a ship. Right now, our freedoms are slowly drowning. Government is creeping into our private lives more and more and stripping away our personal freedoms.

Consider the court case involving the Romeike family, Common Core, and UNCRPD as only the tip of the iceberg for our beloved country. Yes, persecution against Christians and homeschoolers is truly on the rise in the U.S. Only with Christ-centered families can we stay afloat.    (more…)

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