Heart 4 Homeschooling

What a wonderful recipe to share with the children. These cookies are made the evening before celebrating the Resurrection, and are cooked in a warm oven overnight so they will be ready on Easter morning.

1. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Read John 19:1-3. "Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands."

2. Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19:28-30. "Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.""

3. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11. "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

4. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27. "And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him."

5. So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Read Ps. 34:8 "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." and John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

6. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isa. 1:18 " Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" and John 3:1-3 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

7. Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

Read Matt. 27:57-60 "When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."
8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.

Read Matt. 27:65-66 "Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."

9. GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy" and 22 "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."

On Resurrection morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Resurrection, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matt. 28:1-9 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre .And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you .And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."

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Submitted by Sandylynn Tabor, visit her website at

~ The Gospel Travelers ~

My family and I did Resurrection Eggs last year for Easter. We loved it so much that we are going to make it a tradition in our family.
Then I got thinking that these would be great for a mini unit study on the meaning of Easter. You could open 1 or 2 eggs a day depending on when you want to start them. How excited the kids would be each day to open the egg to find what "symbol" was inside it to continue the Resurrection Story.

If you don't have any, this is the cheapest place I found them. I didn't look on Ebay.




Resurrection Eggs-An imaginative tool to teach your kids the real message of Easter. Each carton comes with an easy-to-understand booklet that explains how to use the eggs, plus stories that reveal the significance of the symbols hidden inside the eggs.




Here are some Resurrection Egg Games you can play with your children or grandchildren or even your Sunday School kids.

This is basically directed towards those parents who already know there is going to be a "problem" subject or topic. For my daughter it was fractions and verbs.
Every year, when we would go over fractions in math, she just struggled horribly. She could not understand the concept. For as artistic as she is, she can not "see" math problems. The first year I homeschooled, I was almost pulling my hair out. I was stressing over the fact that going "forward" was not going to work, but if I didn't, what if we got behind? The "homeschool police" (there really isn't any, just the entity you make up in your mind) were going to get me because we were behind a few lessons!
A friend of mine told me to CHILL OUT! What was more important, that you ended the year at lesson 180 or that your daughter understands fractions? That was all I needed to hear. I went back to the reasons why I homeschooled, and this was one of them. When you are in a public or private school. You must go with the group. If Tommy is stuck on fractions, the teacher can not hold up the whole class for him. He will just have to get extra help. So he now needs to get help learning fractions and try to keep up with the rest of the class. See the problem?
There was only ONE in my class. And her "getting it" was so much more important. We worked on fractions for 2 weeks. And she got it, mind you she would forget most by next year, but I didn't have to do another 2 weeks, it only took 1 week. The year after that it was a few days. Same thing happened with her verbs.
I can NOT stress enough to any homeschooling parent, new or old. Remember why you are doing this. You wanted to give your child a better education. You need to stop thinking like a "school" who would leave your child behind and keep thinking like a parent who will pick up your child from behind and walk with them side by side.

When I tell people that I homeschool, one of the many questions they ask me is what do I do for Music, Art, and Gym. Well, for art, we use the Thomas Kinkade "Learning to Draw" set.

My daughter, who is my artist, fell in love with this. After her first lesson with Mr. Kinkade, I could not believe the difference! I scanned them on my computer and send them to everyone! (yes, I am like that!)
There are workbooks to work in along with a DVD of Thomas Kinkade teaching specific techniques and explaining other aspects of drawing. I can't think of anything better than Thomas Kinkade teaching your child how to draw.

What does your homeschooling family do for "art" time?

One of the greatest things about homeschooling, other than being able to teach your children, is that you can do it whenever and wherever you want to! There is NO law that says you have to do homeschool from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no law that says it has to be Monday through Friday. There is no law, at least not in N.Y., that says you have to homeschool September to June. There is no law that says it has to be done in your home.
Every state has time requirements for the homeschooling family. You need to check out what your state requires. The requirements I have in N.Y. are 180 days and 900 hours for elementary and 990 for junior/senior high school.
As long as you follow these time requirements, the sky is the limit for you and your children. Some parents don't start their schools until noontime. Other work out the best starting in the afternoon. Some also do school on Saturdays.
You can spread your 180 days out as you see fit and what works the best for you. I don't suggest, however, that you space your homeschool days too far apart as it is sometimes hard for the kids to recall lessons.
You can take the whole winter off if you want and homeschool all summer. You can choose to not take the same vacations as your public school does, and get done so much sooner than they do.
We do a lot of traveling to and from doctor's appointments, trips to visit grandma 250 miles away once a week, and my paper route. My children do most of their "seatwork" in the car.
Flexibility is an awesome and essential part of homeschooling. Do not let this myth keep you from doing the best thing you can for your child, homeschooling them.

While looking for some information on an electromagnetic spectrum one day, I came across this website. I fell in love with it!

Tim and Moby are the main characters. They have a little movie in which they talk about a certain subject. For instance, and electromagnetic spectrum! Whatever science we are doing, I can find at LEAST 3 movies that will fit in with our topic. The movies are a wonderful added resource to what you are teaching. They even have a quiz at the end of each movie! You can do it on the site or print it out! There are also activities for each movie as well!
During October, we started watching movies on the Electoral College and the history behind the political parties and more.

They cover Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology. In each of these subjects are MANY different topics/movies to watch. Some public school districts use this site, too.

I have been using it since the beginning of school, I have had NO complaints about it and have seen topics that I may struggle with making it crystal clear to my children, become clear after viewing a movie about it!

Another plus is that they give a special price for homeschoolers! It is well worth the investment for all the added resources it gives you and the entertainment it gives your child while they are learning. My kids actually argue over who gets to get on first. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this site for any homeschooling family.



BrainPOP for Home Schools
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www.BrainPOP.com

I am so excited! I have finally gotten my first mini unit study PDF'd and ready to share with everyone! It took quite awhile as I am always busy doing something else...hmmmm can't imagine what. Homeschooling, spending sometime with my Savior, writing for eHow, maintaining website Our Alphabet Soup, maintaining blog A Bushel 'N A Peck, maintaining this blog, and maintaining children, animals, house, children again, and...oh yeah, that split second for me! If there are any problems downloading, please let me know. Not that I could fix it, (not much techno-wizard in me), but I will find someone who can! My kids and I had a blast doing the Matter and Weight mini, I hope you will find it fun, too. Again, if you have any questions, please contact me!
You can find the link right under my "About Me" section in the "Mini Unit Studies - Feel Free To Download Them".

You don't need a college degree to homeschool your child. I do not feel any less qualified to teach my child because I didn't get a college degree in teaching. The only way I would question your ability to teach your child, is if you have absolutely NEVER taught your child one thing, like coloring, throwing a ball, tying their shoes, brushing their teeth, etc.
I know that the thought of teaching your child/children seems overwhelming, but it is absolutely achievable. All YOU need is a heart to do it. There are a few different ways you can do this.
Curriculum like Abeka and Bob Jones, tell you daily what to do, what to say, and even what questions to ask. If you can read...you can do that!
Abeka and Bob Jones also have DVD curriculum where THEIR teachers cover each subject's daily teaching via a DVD! You are there to grade papers (Abeka has an accredited program where you send all your child's work to THEM to grade!), help with any problems, and direct your child to the correct DVD for that day.
Switched-On Schoolhouse is a complete year's curriculum done from your computer.
Lifepacs curriculum teaches through your child working through consecutive workbooks.
These are just a few of the different styles for the parent who is unsure of their ability to teach their child.
Bob Jones Curriculum
Abeka DVD Curriculum