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Forever Their Parent?

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If you have been following the story of Artyom Savelyev (Justin Hansen), you may have found that you, like me, are filled with sadness at the outcome. How could someone, when given the opportunity to raise, nurture and love a child, decide that the child is too much work and send them back? Can’t they see the trauma this inflicts?

Yet as an article I read in the New York Times portrays , it must be undeniable that each child and each adoption is not a cookie cutter experience; parenting is hard work filled with many unanswered questions. But tragically this particular parent’s decision has resulted in a freeze on all USA adoptions of children from Russia.

Russell Moore’s response to this tragedy (as a father of two sons from Russia) is a call for us to pray. And what better call could there be? Take a minute to read Russell’s thoughts and to hear a refreshing perspective from the heart of a Christian father.

P.S. When I finished reading about Artyom Savelyev, I found I now had more questions. If you likewise find yourself left with many questions about adoption, I would recommend Russell Moore’s book, Adopted for Life. Russell gives a helpful, Christ-centered, life changing perspective on adoption and reading Adopted for Life has given me answers for many of the questions adoption raises.

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Which Is More Tragic?

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A Doctor’s license is lost over an “unsuccessful” abortion where the “wrong twin fetus” was aborted. And as Albert Mohler so wisely points out, “What is the real scandal here — that this doctor was ready to kill a baby with Down syndrome, or merely that he aborted ‘the wrong baby’?”

If your children are mature enough to handle this information, this is an opportune time to work this story through with them, help them decipher where this whole tragedy begins and where it will inevitably lead.

Read Albert Mohler’s Article Here.

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Cousins – What You Ought To Know (By the Brothers Winn)

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Our cousins from near and far were here this weekend, so this clip from the Winn Brothers seems especially timely!
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Laugh while you learn and retain 800% more! This weekend’s laugh by The Brothers Winn is titled, “Cousins.”
Brett and Jedd produce an innovative vodcast,
What You Ought To Know, covering many and varied topics. Check back next Friday for the next informative installment!!

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Language Guide – What You Ought To Know (By the Brothers Winn)

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A couple of us are on our way to Bellingham this afternoon to vend at our first 2010 homeschool conference. I hope they speak our language up there….

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Laugh while you learn and retain 800% more! This Friday’s laugh by The Brothers Winn is titled, “Language Guide.”
Brett and Jedd produce an innovative vodcast, What You Ought To Know, covering many and varied topics. Check back next Friday for the next informative installment!!

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Homeschooling Your Toddler Tornadoes!

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Originally published in Timberdoodle’s 1990-1991 catalog

Don’t you just love toddlers? They are so enthusiastic, loving, curious, confident, and innocent. However, to a home-educating mom, they are also exhausting, impatient, loud, and unpredictable. But how can we incorporate these tornadoes in with the older children in our education program without making them the center of it? Here are some ideas that have worked for us.

1. Pick up a few school supplies for them. Construction toys (Wedgits), beginning thinking skills books, and even Kumon workbooks are all great choices for toddlers and will let them participate in school alongside their older siblings.

2. Most toddlers will be blissful if you let them participate in your art lessons. If you are using expensive supplies that they will destroy, try buying inexpensive sets that are just for them. They won’t know the difference between deluxe and cheap paper, and a set of twenty-four markers for $3.00 will look like more fun to them than the $3.00 per piece art markers! It helps to buy an art bin or caddie to store all their supplies in (markers, glue sticks, scissors, stickers, and so forth). Not only will this encourage orderliness, but toddlers love to sift and sort through their possessions.

3. Involve them in your music or foreign language program, especially if you are studying sign language. Remember that, to them, every language is foreign! When you find their interest is lagging, then that is the moment to give them some individual time, while the older children are being taught by the DVD.

4. Add some inexpensive workbooks to your school supplies. We like to use those with lots of different pictures on each page. For toddlers, we never follow the prescribed instructions; instead, we make up our own very basic directions. For example, we’ll say, “Circle with your red marker everything that has eyes. Cross out, or scribble over, with your blue crayon everything that has wheels. Put a sticker on anything that does not make a noise.” Our toddlers have all loved their workbooks, and following verbal directions is an indispensable skill.

5. Our most obvious suggestion: Keep a box or a shelf of items that can only be used during school time. This can include art supplies, workbooks, puzzles, blocks, and other hands-on materials that are only brought out during this time. This distinction will add to their attractiveness and make the “learning hour” something your toddlers will anticipate every day!

Added in 2011
To our delight, we have been experiencing the delights of toddlers all over again as we babysit two little girls twice a week. Two of our most valuable resources have been the Baby-Toddler (0-24 months) Curriculum Kit and the Preschool Curriculum Kit for 2-3 year olds. We keep most of these items in bins in our dining room where we can pull out Bambino for the 3 year old and Wedgits for the 1 year old at a moment’s notice.

We have also discovered the best toddler workbooks we’ve ever seen, tremendously better than those we had when we were growing up: the I Can series and the even easier I Can Toddler series!

You May Also Like:

Preparing a Toddler for Homeschooling
Preparing a Toddler for Homeschooling
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Teamwork – (By Johnny and Chachi from IgniterMedia)

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Our family is scheduled for a work party this Saturday at Grandma’s house, so this Friday’s humor is especially timely! For those of you who are wondering… yes, they are wearing wigs.
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Laugh while you learn and retain 800% more! This Friday’s laugh is from Johnny and Chachi at IgniterMedia.com

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Bike Pain – What You Ought To Know (By the Brothers Winn)

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This Friday’s humor strikes a little too close to home for Dan F.

Dan, one of our employees, missed his bus earlier this week and found himself biking 13 miles to work!
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Laugh while you learn and retain 800% more! This Friday’s laugh by The Brothers Winn is titled, “Bike Pain.”

Brett and Jedd produce an innovative vodcast, What You Ought To Know, covering many and varied topics. Check back next Friday for the next informative installment!!

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