I often hear, "When I home school, it can take a lot of time. Where do I find the time to develop myself, pursue my interests, and develop my talents, as well as teach my children? " You do not stop being a person with gifts, talents, interests, and life mission, simply because you take on the academic education of your children. In fact, your example of struggling to learn new things can be inspiring to your children. Also as you develop new skills and refine skills and talents you already have, you can set the learning tone in your home. 

To my mother life and learning were dovetailed. When asked where she was going, she would often respond: "Going Crazy, Wanna Come Along?" This video is one strategy for developing your gifts and talents, while home educating your children.

What about the Princess Academies and the resources coming out of our Royal Academe? Have we changed our curriculum to align with the "Common Core Standards" (C.C.S.)? Will we change our curriculum and resources to align with C.C.S? To answer both questions-- Princess Academies' aims are as they always have been and will remain:

"... to provide the highest quality educational resources to better equip mothers in raising and educating their "royal" children; so they are prepared for all the roles and responsibilities that await them in their futures."

Our vision, curriculum and resources encompass so much more than C.C.S. offers. For many families, we provide curriculum and resources for a whole educational experience, to prepare for a whole life. We also offer mentoring and classes. For others, our resources have been used to fill in the gaps not provided in the common school classroom and in canned curriculum of the past decade, thus, enriching children's lives. Now for those who use C.C.S., families can fill in the gaps created by C.C.S and help their children prepare for a whole life. We believe that the family is still relevant in our society and that children must be prepared for a "whole life" of family, community, and career; and not just prepared for a narrow nine-to-five niche of a specialized career. So, here at Princess Academies our vision is much broader and deeper than C.S.S.offers. No, we are not C.C.S. aligned, nor will we change what we offer in order to align our curriculum and resources.

Our curriculum is Bible based, Classical Leadership Education driven, which is developmentally based, rather than grade based. We feel this model more closely fits how children learn and develop. The curriculum and resources are designed to develop heart, might, mind, and hand; and to prepare individuals for a whole life.  In the preschool and early elementary years, our curriculum and resources help parents lay a solid foundation of Biblical values; relationships with God, family, and community; the discipline of godly habitudes and habits; developing a strong work ethic; developing the atmosphere of the home environment; and laying the foundation for academic learning. In the elementary years we strive to help families build on that foundation by working to cultivate a love of learning, exposing children to a breadth of knowledge, and to help children gain both the development of, and facility with the tools of learning. This is a generous curriculum of: Bible studies; classic literature; language arts; living math and science; world and U.S. geography and history; foreign languages (intro to Hebrew, intro to Greek/ Greek Roots, Latin Roots, and intro to a modern language); fine arts; domestic arts; Georgics, and refinement. In the secondary years we focus on developing a breadth and depth of knowledge, as well as, a refinement character and skills for a whole life.

The big buzz lately is talking about the C.C.S. Too often the discussions are based on other authorities, on both sides of the issues. Here at Princess Academies we encourage looking to original sources. Earlier this month I was asked to research the C.C.S. for another homeschool curriculum provider. I did research C.C.S. from original sources. I went to the C.C.S. site and to the various sites of those involved the development committee created at the National Governors Association, to do my research. I am not going to lay out here what I found. I feel it would be worthwhile for the reader to invest the personal time and effort in researching this out for themselves, whether for common core or not. I would encourage you not just rely on the C.C.S. promotional materials, nor to rely on the interpretation of C.C.S. by others. Are the claims from C.C.S. about the standards they promote, true and verifiable, or are they advertising hype? Are the claims made by others who are for and those against C.C.S. valid?  Are the claims backed up? Why not find out for yourself from original sources? Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions! I think any reasonable person would say they believe in standards. However, who sets those standards, and what goes into those standards is a matter of debate and should be. We need to look into the hype and packaging of these "common core standards." We need to look at the C.C.S. seriously and understand where the standards are coming from, as well as, what they are and what they are not. We encourage you to learn for yourself about these issues, so you can make informed decisions and support good measures in you community.

Overwhelmed with trying to teach children in different ages?

Tired of spending time preparing, when you would rather spend the time with your children?

Need a curriculum that is easy to use?

Struggling with establishing consistency in structuring your learning time in home school?

Do you need something that is portable and hyperlinked that you can take with you on your kindle or ipad?

Have you considered the Power of an Hour? 

What can educationally be experienced in a single hour a day, added up week to week, for nine months a year, for four years? More than one might imagine!

Robert Schuller once said "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.”  Just as the seeds of an apple when planted can produce more apples than one can imagine, the Power of an Hour is bite sized learning that can really add up over time!

Power of an Hour (POAH) can be great for home educators who would like to increase the consistency of their homeschool and also boost their children's cultural literacy, also known as, the breadth and depth of learning. POAH works well to help parents create a portfolio of work at the end of the school year for their children. This is a simple system, it all adds up! This also saves the parent hundreds of hours compiling lists of people, art works, music, other resources and links for further study.

POAH has a yearly theme based on a cycle or era of time:

• Ancient (4000 BC- 1 AD)
• Medieval (1 AD- 1500 AD)
• Renaissance (1500 AD- 1800 AD)
• Modern (1800 AD - the present).

This makes it easy to select Bible episodes, literature, artists, musicians, mathematicians/ scientists, statesmen, and poets throughout history to learn about.

Power of an hour has three elements:

• A Bible episode.
• A read aloud from a classic literature.
• A daily enrichment.

This is simple and flexible enough to use from child to adult age, but can be expanded and taken as deep as one wants to go. This can be a supplement to what you are already doing or it can become a whole curriculum map. So, what is included and how is it used?  What can one explore in one hour, in a single day? A week? A month? Nine Months? Four Years? Let's take a look...

For Young Children in Core Phase (about 4-6) and those wanting something simple to expand what they are already doing. We call these Family Scholars because much of their learning takes place as a family.

If children are mid-core phase this can be really simple. Read the Bible story from the Bible, let them become use to the beautiful language. Then read a few pages to a chapter from a classic. The enrichment can be as simple as sharing at the dinner table, "Guess what I learned today..." Children this age can also learn by what they hear taught to the older children. Think of how well "Little Sister" in  Laddie: A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton Porter, gained most of her knowledge before going off to school. She listened as her older brothers and sisters learned. Mrs. Stanton, the mother in the story was not formally educated and learned right along with her children!

We created a portfolio for core phase called the Family Scholar Portfolio. This is designed to track where these young family learners have been on their educational journey of discovery and the development of the discipline of the learning habit. This is not a planner, though it can may have a few planning pages, this is more a portfolio. The Family Scholar Portfolio leads into the Aspiring Scholar Portfolio and helps prepare them for the Personal Scholar Portfolio when the become a young scholar.

Older Children in Transition to Love of Learning (about 6-8) If children are approaching transition into love of learning you can actually just share the ideas and do the activities suggested. This would include reading the scriptures and a classic aloud each day. For a fuller curriculum begin keeping a Family Scholar Notebook, Book of Centuries, Book of Nations, Nature Notebook and:

Sunday- Read and discuss an excerpt from the classics and learn about a Noble Person of Faith. A great day for family councils and personal interviews too!

Monday- Learn about an artist (the first week) Study one of his works each week. Miniature biography, links and art work provided. Do a Charlotte Mason style picture study where you show your children the picture for a few minutes. Turn the picture towards you and have them describe the picture they remember. This helps build memory, descriptive capability, and is a pre-composition activity. Then teach them the spelling rule; they are short and take only a minute or two!

Tuesday-- learn of a famous musician the first week. Study one of his works each week. Miniature biography, picture, links to musical work provided. Listen to a musical piece by this composer (links provided). Let the children dance or move to the music. Teach them the grammar rule, it only takes a few minutes.

Wednesday- Learn about a famous mathematician or scientist each week. Do a living math or living science activity each week. Miniature biography, pictures, and links to activities provided.

Thursday- Learn about a statesman each week. Learn about a nation of the world each week. Learn a Hebrew letter, word or phrase each week (second year is Greek, third year is Latin Roots, fourth year is a modern language). Miniature biography, links to statesman, nation info, and Hebrew letter (including audio link) provided to pronounce the letter.

Friday- Learn about a poet the first week. Study one of his poems each week. Learn about a state each week. Miniature biography, links for poet, state and poem provided.

Saturday- Scripture episode and classic.

Children in Love of Learning Phase (about 8-12) Power of an Hour Plus... Families can do all of the above and more, using the Power of an Hour as a springboard for broader and deeper study. A child should have the three reads each day: be read to, read aloud, and read to ones self. Bible study can usually satisfy this. Add in a daily walk. We created an Aspiring Scholar Portfolio for children in the love of learning phase. As children are ready, they can begin to develop their writing through: year one- keep their own personal journal/ correspondence; year two is Biography through personal history; year three is research through family history; year four is digital publishing and blogging.  Also, Aspiring Scholars and Scholar keeping their own Book of Centuries, keeping their own Book of Nations, keeping their own Commonplace book (for copywork) of quotes from what they and their families are reading; and Aspiring Scholar Portfolio for themselves. The parent can share the extra links provided, or go to the library on Friday to pick up books on the subjects covered the next week. In addition the child can:

Sunday- work on writing letters, memorizing Bible verses and more. Also, this is a good night for family counsel, personal interviews, and a family recital of poems memorized, music learned, or anything else they want to share.

Monday- add the artist and the art work studied to their Book of Centuries. They might also want to work on learning to draw or keep a nature notebook. Look for the spelling rule expressed in the scripture or classic.

Tuesday- add the musician and thoughts about his music to their Book of Centuries. They may want to choose to learn to read music or learn to sing or play an instrument. Also, they can look for an example of the grammar rule in the readings of the day or write their own example of a sentence using the rule.

Wednesday- add the mathematician or scientist to their Book of Centuries. They may also want to experiment further with the living math or living science activity.

Thursday- add the statesman to their Book of Centuries. They may also want to practice writing the Hebrew, create a map of the country studied, learn more about the nation, and add the nation to the Book of Nations.

Friday- add the poet to their Book of Centuries. They may also want to memorize the poem, create a map of the state studied, learn more about the state, and add the state to the Book of Nations.

Saturday- Family activity or service project. One can just keep it simple or one can move this to a full curriculum.

Notice, this is not about the parent taking hours to prepare, the preparation has already been done. This is based on the leadership education principles of exposure, experiment, and embrace. What the child researches and records for their self, they are more likely to recall than when the parent doing all the preparation and the child just receiving it.

The Power of an Hour is $2.99 a week or save by purchasing it by the month at $9.99. The next post will be on using the Power of an Hour as a blended approach, along side going to a public or private school.

Power of an Hour  

Portfolios and Binder Packets 

• Family Scholar Portfolio- $9.99 
• Aspiring Scholar Portfolio- $9.99
• Personal Scholar Portfolio- $9.99
• Book of Centuries- $6.99 
• Book of Nations- $6.99

What can one explore in one hour, in a single day? A week? A month? Nine Months? Four Years? Let's take a look...

What can a child be exposed to in a single day?

* A Bible story.
* A read aloud from a classic.
* Enrichment through the Power of an Hour, thus adding cultural breadth to ones educational experience.

* Cycle I– Old Testament/ Ancient Times: Creation to 1 AD/ Introduction to Beginning Hebrew. Available Now!  

* Cycle II– New Testament/ Birth of Christianity, Dark Ages, and Medieval Times: 1 AD to 1500 AD/ Introduction to Beginning Greek and Greek Roots.  Coming Summer 2013!  

* Cycle III– Old Testament/ Age of Exploration , Discovery, Migrations, the Foundations of Liberty, and the Reformation: 1500 to 1820/ Introduction to Latin Roots.   Coming Summer 2013!

* Cycle IV– New Testament/ Modern Times: 1820 to the present/ Melting Pot Approach to Foreign Language. Coming Summer 2013!

Professional Education

Professional education of today grew out of the medieval guilds, associations, and the cathedral schools that Charlemagne proposed. Charlemagne saw the need for educated clergy and local government officials.  He wanted to make the education available to any boy who was smart enough and wanted to.  He asked that priests running cathedrals and monasteries create schools.  Priests and nuns taught in these schools. Only a few cathedrals and monasteries created schools before Charlemagne died. 

There were also ancient influences on the development of professional training and universities, such as Greek academies, museums, and ancient libraries. However, the predominant shaping force of university professional training was developed in medieval Europe. Small cathedral schools provided the higher education mostly for clergy through the ensuing two centuries. Under Pope Gregory VII there was a renewed push for the cathedral schools to train priests.

As Europe moved from the Dark Ages into the Renaissance schools began offering training in other fields, such as law, mathematics, and medicine. The universities that emerged from the educational incubator became their own kind of conveyor belt.  Courses became systematized and degrees awarded. The quality of many of these schools waned as they lowered standards to attract more students. Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral Degrees were awarded and this was like a stamp of approval showing that the person had received the training and that no further inquiry into their abilities was needed.  This tended to lead to mediocrity and people placing more value on the degree than on mastery. As universities emerged, training for fields other than clergy developed. The education these schools provided, created a professional class, or an expanded middle class, between the common man and the ruling elite.

Today, professional training is available at both state run and private universities. Competition for some of the elite schools begins in preschool, where parents are putting their children on waiting list while the mother is yet pregnant.  Promoters tell parents that if their child gets into a certain preschool, they will be able to get into a certain grade school, then junior high, high school, and finally into a certain university.  University students take on enormous debt to get degrees from elite schools.  The tuition at some of the elite preschools (http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/18/education-preschool-kindergarden-biz-cx_lm_0919preschool.html) can exceed the cost of a good college education at a non -Ivy League school. Private primary and secondary education at schools such as Punahou in Hawaii where President Obama attended can be pricy. Currently Punahou charges $19,500 per year, K- 12. Even back in the 1970s tuition at Punahou could purchase a new car. It is not uncommon for students to graduate from elite and big name universities with a degree and a several hundred thousand dollar debt.  Those choosing this path for their professional degrees feel it is worth it to have a branded school on their degree. 

The aim of professional training is to teach people what to thing at a very specialized and higher level. We want well trained doctors, dentists, and lawyers helping our loved ones!  As degree training is becoming more narrowly focused, is this really education or is this high level conveyor belt training? Consider pre-1930s Germany. They were a very highly trained society.  They had been taught what to think instead of how to think. Their specialties had grown narrow. The preparation for professional careers, do not have to be this way. Children can be taught not only what to think, but how to think. That is the aim of leadership education—to teach children how to think. Next week we will begin our exploration of Leadership Education, specifically Thomas Jefferson Education and the principles it is built upon. 

To learn more on the Three Models of Education and specifically about Thomas Jefferson Education: http://www.tjed.org/resources/

Public School: A Conveyor Belt

This may surprise many, but when our Founding Fathers created this nation, they made no provision for public schools. Publicly funded compulsory attendance schools began in the mid-1800s, long after the founding period. This was the case, though government funded and government administered compulsory education had been around since before Babylon. Public schools were created in some countries for the purpose of educating new slaves (captives of conquered peoples) into a new culture and lifestyle. In other countries since, public school was created to educate the working poor, the employees. How is that sitting with you? The silver lining is that in societies where public education was offered the poor were blessed and their quality of life improved.

There was a high level of literacy in the American colonies during the founding period, despite the lack of public schools! For example, in Boston, 90% of all children attended either privately funded schools or common schools. Common schools were funded by churches, philanthropy, or communities. The other 10% of Boston’s children were either privately tutored, home schooled, or learned a practical education in the context of working on farm or in the shops. Those schools built character as well as academics. At the time, we were a nation of farmers and shopkeepers.

Thomas Jefferson and some of the founders did make a case for public education. However, it is not what you think. Jefferson was not promoting a system through adulthood for all. He felt America would be served by making sure everyone had access to three years of school. What did he want taught? He wanted the children to learn the basics of reading, writing, common arithmetic, and general geography. He felt that he cream of the class, no matter what social class they were from would then be supported in getting a higher education.

The government run public schools that came to America were fashioned after the school system in Prussia, which was designed like the conveyor- belt factory, of the Industrial revolution. Children are moved from grade to grade and special workers are assigned to help them catch up when behind. All the while, the system is heedless of the developmental needs and level of each child. This system was created by Otto Von Bismarck to create compliant citizens and good soldiers. Thus, teaching children what to think, not how to think. This education system would leave Germany vulnerable. They became a highly schooled but poorly educated. This resulted in the people being easily led astray by the NAZIs.

By the time public schools became compulsory in the United States, the industrial revolutions was in full swing. Many of this nation’s shop keepers and farmers moved to town and were working in the factories. However, many farmers’ families stayed on working their farms. When we think about those on the farm many think that farmers were ignorant and unlearned. Not so! Perhaps in dress or social graces they were awkward… but not in the business of farming, the math, science, and engineering principles.

A side note: Remember that the greatest technology we have today, jets and cell phones had their humble beginnings not in the common schools, nor the private schools, but often on the farm! Edison gave us the light bulb and the Wright Brothers built the first plane. Both were farm boys who were home schooled.

Our public schools today have now become a conveyor belt of propaganda for special interests. Our schools not only test for knowledge of facts, but also test for the right attitudes. Today, public schools are taking on many forms. There are traditional brick and mortar schools. There are online versions of classes. Many states have locally controlled charter schools. These models are all forms of the conveyor belt, teaching and testing what to think, instead of how to think.

Next week I will talk about the origins of private schools and professional training. If you would like to know more about A Thomas Jefferson Education click here. http://www.tjed.org/purchase/books/tjed/

Three Models of Education

Throughout history there has been a few competing models for education of children.  Conquering civilizations used schools to train captives to think as the ruling elite deemed. Mass education was an education for the poor.  True, in cultures that used mass public education, the level of standard of living increased to a point. In most societies there was a professional class, as well. From time to time private tutors and private schools were created with an eye to prepare young scholars for a profession in law, medicine, or the clergy. Other private guilds and associations were created to train artisans.  Many parents from the beginning would pass their knowledge from parent to child.  All of these methods have been around for a long time.

Pre-Babylonian Israelites were surrounded by cultures that had schools, yet the Israelites chose to have no schools for their children.  The Israelites were not anti-education, far from it.  They took education very seriously. Their method of education goes back to God’s commands through Moses found in Deuteronomy 6: 7

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” 

Education to them went far beyond the secular memorization of facts. It was not simply a nine to five career education, but an education for a whole life. They believed that God had charged them to teach their children moment to moment about Him and His ways.  If they outsourced the education of their children to others, they could not keep the commandments.  

When Babylon took the Israelites into captivity, they put all the children of the captives in mass public schools. They did this to produce a citizenry that was integrated into their culture and to make them citizens, compliant to Babylonian rule.  After this schooling, when the Israelites went home to Israel, Sabbath schools were introduced into Hebrew culture. Those schools were generally for boys only and met once a week.  They were usually found in larger towns. Nazareth was a small town. It is unlikely that Jesus ever attended a Sabbath School. Yet, no doubt he was well educated, as we see when he spoke with the scholars in the temple when he was twelve years-old.

During inter-testament times, about 356 BC forward, wealthy merchant class Jews wanted their children to be accepted by their non-Jewish neighbors. These parents sent their sons into the city Gymnasium (like high School) to attend school with their gentile neighbors. Mingle their children did, and they embraced the Gentile culture, and turned away towards evil.

From 1 Maccabees

“In those days certain renegades came out from Israel and misled many, saying, ‘Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us.’ This proposal pleased them, and some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom, and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.”

All this added more to the undermining of the Jewish faith.  The pre-Diaspora Israelites had been right in keeping the commandment to teach their own children. In educating their children in the home, they passed down their faith, their culture of faith, parenting skills, work ethic, literacy, numeracy, entrepreneurship, and more. All this was passed on from generation to generation without textbooks, classrooms, tests, and a professional teaching class. Once that mindset was set aside, other agendas followed.

This month I am writing a series that will discuss these three basic models of education- public schools, private education, and individualized education. While all go back into antiquity, each model of education has more recent influences. Public schools of today have their origins in the factory model of the industrialized revolution. The private schools that feed into professional schools have a tradition growing from the guilds and associations of the middle ages. Then there are the more individualized approaches we find in home schools and private tutors, which were often found in the education of the elite ruling classes.  I will refer to these three as conveyor-belt, professional and leadership education.  In my next article I will compare the aims and methods associated with each philosophy.

"Public Education: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"

Many of America’s public schools appear to have a lot of good going on in them. There are dedicated inspiring teachers. Many students have access to state of the art technology.  From coast to coast creative teachers offer innovative and inspiring programs. “Education” is an American tradition complete with school lunches, yellow school buses, sports, tests and grades. Our classroom sizes are some of the smallest in the world. We love education and spend 800 billion+ on education annually.

The United States government provides at least 13 years of education for every child.  All children have access to the basic tools of knowledge acquisition, the opportunity to learn to read, write, and do basic arithmetic.  All children can attend school and the public picks of the costs of transportation, teachers, and classrooms.  Children are not denied school for racial, economic, religious, political beliefs, ability, or even citizenship. Schools provide special classes for children with special needs.  Schools across the country offer Head Start preschool to help prepare disadvantaged children for school.  We have a growing population of children who speak Spanish as their primary language.  English as a second language is offered to these students to help them succeed. Some students live in poverty and lack good nutrition and medical care. Lack of which can impede school progress. So, America’s schools also provide meals, many providing two meals a day and also provide in-school medical clinics, as well.  
Yet, internationally our students do not rank well on standardized tests. With all the positives why are America’s schools, as a whole, failing our children? 

In the past few months, the state of American “education” has been prominent in the press and the picture is not pretty.  Recently, teachers in many states have picketed for higher pay and benefits. They protested while many American families they serve were without jobs or suffering in this economy, cutting back and making do with less.   Other teachers cheated and paid someone to take their teacher certification exams for them.  Schools wanting to get more money teach to the test. Several schools around the country sport high narrow windows, barbed wire fences, and armed guards. These are schools, not prisons, or are they?  Some schools have been convinced to use tracking chips to prevent truancy.  None of this is good for America’s children.

Most of America’s children attend public school 13 or more years (k-12, many pre K - college).  Public school was sold to the American public with the idea that it would help prepare citizens to be contributing members of society.  Yet, most public schools in America do not teach children to think logically. This leaves most young adults unprepared and in many cases unable to make wise financial decisions. Why do we settle for them teaching our children what to think rather than how to think?  

Few schools teach children the basic skills needed to run a business. This leaves most graduating seniors unable to choose between free enterprise and being an employee. Why?  Lacking the skills the choice is made for them.  I find it remarkable that despite this lack, so many people try to do a business anyway.

 Most schools do not teach children Robert’s Rules of order or Parliamentary Procedure, an understanding vital to participation in government from the local to the national levels.  Students graduate without a basic understanding of how our government was designed to work.  Many have never studied from original sources. With all the funding we put into education why are we not teaching our students logical thinking, entrepreneurship, parliamentary procedure and how our government works, using original sources?

One challenge Americans face is in defining what education is.  Part of the problem is that schooling and education are different things though they are used interchangeably. Universal access to school attendance does not guaranty a good education. To be schooled is to have attended a school and received instruction. Most schools school children rather than educate them. What is education anyway?   Education is to rear up, to elevate, to bring forth or to lead out.  Education begins at home. Every home is a school.  The question is, “What are you teaching?”

Today’s column was an overview of the general state of our public schools. There are many facets to education, in the weeks to come we will be exploring them in more depth.

Mom and Dad Can Hardly Wait for School to Start Again

Anticipation of Christmas morn is now past. The New Year is before us with all of its unknowns and opportunities. In between Christmas and New Year, most children have Christmas vacation. For many families this is a time off enjoying each others' company. For others, Christmas break can be difficult for parents and children alike. Some parents grew up in traditional families, latch key, or with a village of surrogate parents. Many parents become uncomfortable with their children, if they must be with them for long periods of time. In the northern United States, the weather is cold outside. If your family is not flush with cash, winter sports or exotic vacations can be out of reach and the cold can drive people inside. Many families struggle with what to do during this time together inside. As we approach the end of Christmas vacation parents “can hardly wait for school to start again.” What can a parent do other than let children veg out in front electronic media?

Indoor Activities—

Enjoy Presents Let the children enjoy their Christmas presents. Play can be healthy for brain, body, and family relationships!

Library Activity—

If your children do not have library cards or use the library except to study, consider changing that. Go to the library and make sure your library cards are up to date. Select a book to read aloud as a family. If you do not already read aloud, start a new family tradition.

Jigsaw Puzzle—

Jigsaw puzzles have been a part of my life since childhood. I came from a family that did puzzles and I married into a family that loves puzzles. So it is a natural holiday vacation activity for us. We always have a puzzle out between Christmas and New Year. On Christmas Eve I realized we had not bought the puzzle and we went out and bought one. Some years we used a puzzle we already had. One year we found a box in the toy closet that had several puzzles dumped together. We had only one picture for one of the puzzles. The children decided to take the challenge and began the sorting and edge building and discovered we had three puzzles. There were many moments when they thought there were missing pieces. They stuck to it, they were not about to be beat by a puzzle! In the end, it took all week and there were no missing pieces! Puzzles are great to build brain connections, problem solving skills, and build family connections. While working on a puzzle everyone is working to solve the same problem. Puzzles are non-competitive as you are all on the same team.

If your children did not get a puzzle this Christmas, consider going out early before the crowds and getting one. We found that putting a puzzle out can be helpful to bring family members together. As family members walk by the puzzle they pause and see if they can find a piece. Soon they are sucked in chatting. Everyone is on the same team. While hands are busy and eyes scan for pieces, conversation is a natural.

If you do not have a card table you can put up in the living room to build a puzzle on, we found that the back of a white board is the perfect size surface to build puzzles. We place the board on a table cloth on the dining room table. That way the table does not get scratched and we can gently remove the puzzles for a sit down supper together. Cookie sheets are perfect to sort and store puzzle pieces on. Here are a few puzzle strategies:

1. Turn all pieces face up.

2. Sort the pieces by: a. Edge pieces. b. By Color. c. By Shape.

3. Assemble the edge.

Though we begin with the edge and tend to work towards the center, our eyes usually catch other sections and begin to see pieces that go together. My kids are used to me asking questions as we work through the puzzle. “How is solving a puzzle like life?” or me making a statement correlating the puzzle to life—“Notice that it is easier to find pieces when you come to the puzzle fresh? Sometimes we need to just give a challenge a rest and do something else for a bit, then return with fresh eyes.”

May you find joy in these precious days together!

"How Can We Overcome the Entitlement Mindset?"

Our culture cultivates an entitlement mindset. In the name of equality and fairness children receive awards for showing up, rather than merit. Children are promoted through grades to remain with peers, not because of merit or mastery of knowledge. To learn money management, children receive allowances they did not earn. Children are confused by adults that cannot distinguish the difference between equality and fairness.  As a result, many feel that whatever someone else has earned they are entitled to, regardless of consequences.  The intentions that led to creating this mindset were probably good. However, those intentions seem to have backfired and may have contributed to entitlement thinking.

Let's face it, "Life is not fair," so, get over it.

A large problem comes from thinking that fairness and equality are synonymous. They are not. Yet, this confusion is taught to children in the  schools, scouting programs, and sports. That which is equal is often not necessarily fair.  We could all eat the same diet, regardless of size, health, and caloric expenditure. That would be equal, but not fair. What if we let everyone eat according to their needs? That would be fair, but not equal. That which is fair is often not equal.  What about in performance or production? Why put yourself out if you are rewarded the same? We try to make education equal by placing children together by age. Yet, children the same age develop at different rates. Though this may seem equal, it is not fair.

Our constitution speaks of being born equal. What does that mean?  We are equal in our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  It does not guarantee an equal life or equal outcomes.  So why do we hamstring children by on insisting on teach them that equality is defined as fairness? This can lead to entitlement thinking.  Schools and youth organizations are very entrenched in this philosophy. So what can parents do?

How do allowances contribute to the entitlement mindset? Many parents want to teach young children money management by giving them allowances. Unintended lessons often follow. This can send the message that others owe you things you didn’t earn. In other words, others owe it to you.  Also, do children really learn to manage or spend? With many children the lesson is— get and spend.   How does this teach a healthy relationship with money? How does this teach money management?

What is the remedy? How do we help our children not have an entitlement mindset? The remedy for entitlement thinking is cultivating a serving heart.  Ask not what your family can do for you; but what you can do for your family, village or country! A serving heart is created in the forge of the home. Creating a serving heart is a real and vital part of a child's education.

Christmas is a great time to cultivate a serving heart. Here are some ways to develop a serving heart through Christmas traditions.

1. While many are placing the Elf on the Shelf, some are busy filling the manger. Placing an Elf on the Shelf may motivate some children to behave. Yet, it only works on actions not motivations. Filling the manger is placing straw in the manger for each act of anonymous service. Simply print off a little note that says, "Merry Christmas, you have been served!" Make several copies. Place the papers in a bowl next to the manger. Explain to the children that the family is doing secret service. Each time they do a secret service they leave a note. The person that finds the note, places a piece of straw in the manger. Then the note is returned to the bowl.

2. Shared reading of classic Christmas tales can help focus the family's mind on service. Some books to consider: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, The Little Red Buckets by Lynda M. Nelson, and A Christmas Dress for Ellen by Thomas S. Monson.

3. My mother-in-law, a divorced mother, raised four children alone. Often struggling financially herself, always found a family to bless at Christmas. We have carried this tradition on with our children. Some years have been very lean, but we have found someone we could bless.

4. Other families open their doors to neighbor children for activities like making a gingerbread house or Christmas presents with them while their parents go shopping.

In future articles, I will discuss ideas for a serving heart throughout the year. Serving traditions enrich Christmas. Merry Christmas!  May your family find joy in serving!