Mango Language Learning
                
August 27, 2014, Edition 

An Ordinary Homeschool              

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Gena Suarez

Hey Mama,

 

Your homeschool and mine may be ordinary or average, but as Deborah Wuehler, our senior editor says, "We may be merely ordinary people, but we have an extraordinary God. He can take your ordinary child and make him or her an extraordinary child, student, citizen, and servant of the Most High." Read more about The Ordinary Homeschooler in her article here.

I love pointing other Mamas to the Lord and encouraging you because it is you carrying the next generation. You are in the trenches, day after day, serving your family and ultimately serving the Lord, and I know it is TIRING and can get monotonous but also dark at times. I have gone through some dark times. And when my heart and spirit are low, I can only think of One to run to, the One who holds the keys to my salvation. The One who loves my heart and holds my head in His hands. The One who will never leave or forsake me.

Mama, you are doing the same things today that you did yesterday and the day before. Tirelessly you serve, and you do it sometimes (always?) without any fanfare or praise. But Mama, your Father notices it all. And believe it or not, as you faithfully walk this road, your day is coming. Proverbs 31 says that your children will rise up and call you blessed. They are watching you and while you are not perfect--nor do you claim to be--God is working on their hearts too. Those kids see your loving hands (hands that will never leave them), and this will culminate in FRUIT they cannot deny later. Right now they are little monkeys who are so clueless about what is around them. But that's okay. Ultimately it is the Lord who will show them, anyway. You are called to just walk with them, speak the truth plainly, LOVE THEM, and teach them to read God's word so they have those seeds planted for later. God waters it.

And God waters you, too, Mama. Even now He is working good in you and as you serve your family, He will continue to show you more about Him. Endure, Mama. Continue on. This life is actually going somewhere. JOY is coming.

 

~ gena

publisher@theoldschoolhouse.com

PS. Our friend, Heidi St. John will be hosting her very first Busy Mom webinar TOMORROW EVENING! There will be 2 workshops, Esther: Peace in times of fear, and Homeschooling for Rookies. Don't miss out! Register here.

Sponsor Article

Mango Language's Homeschool Edition is helping homeschool parents grow students brighter with a fun and engaging new approach to language learning. After just one lesson, it's delightful to see students excited over how quickly they comprehend new words and phrases in a foreign language.

 

With over 60 world languages to choose from online and PDF-curriculum outlines, homeschool parents have just as much fun following along and learning, too. And keeping up with students' progress tracking and grades is a breeze with Mango's assessment portal, the one-stop shop that monitors all activity and reports back.  

 

Mango was built by professional linguists and works with a unique methodology, which they consider to be the four main components of language learning--grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and culture.  

 

Grammar lessons are incorporated into each Mango chapter through notations and offer explanations on grammar variations, which are quite common when learning a new language. These helpful highlights are sprinkled throughout lessons so that students don't feel overwhelmed and can instead use their own intuition to piece words and phrases all together on their own.

  

Mango helps learners grasp the fundamentals of a foreign language through semantic-color mapping--a term Mango uses to describe the colorful and interactive interface that assists learners with understanding parts of speech and sentence structure. By hovering the cursor over a word, learners can view both a word's English meaning along with hearing an audio sample of a native speaker's proper pronunciation.  

 

When it comes to vocabulary, Mango keeps it mixed into entertaining conversations. Instead of tedious lists to memorize, vocabulary is cohesively fused into sentences. Students won't feel like they're learning vocabulary; they'll feel like they're learning to communicate.  

   

But what good will perfect pronunciation and grammar do if the content students are learning isn't relative? Mango keeps all content realistic and applicable to real-life scenarios. Instead of learning, "The young boy stepped over the brown goat," they'll first learn practical phrases like, "Hi, how are you doing?"   

 

Mango Languages

Aside from the company's bright colors and friendly attitude, Mango sets itself apart with its love for keeping up a strong connection and dedication to supporting homeschool educators.  

 

All Mango users are encouraged to reach out at 877-626-4611 or to support@mangolangauges.com with questions, comments, and product feedback. Improvement suggestions are always more than welcome, too!

 

For more information on Mango Languages and how they're growing students brighter, visit mangolanguages.com/oldschoolhouse.

 

   
Relational Homeschooling    
 
Diana Waring
Diana is taking some time off from writing for THM. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Diana is asking for prayers for her newborn grandson, Teddy. To see updates, you can go to the Diana Waring Presents facebook page. 

 

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The Familyman 
 

Ordinary. I love that word. It feels unpretentious, humble, and earthy. It's a great descriptive word for every homeschool family ... because we're all ordinary or the same.

 

We all have high expectations, often accompanied by feelings of failure. We say things we wish we hadn't and fail to say the things we know we should to the people we love the most.

 

We get overwhelmed by the messes, the stinky attitudes, the perceived expectations of others, the loneliness, and the job of keeping it all together. We worry about our children's futures and if we will have done enough to prepare them.

 

But amidst all the ordinary, something extraordinary happens in all of our homeschools: relationship. We get to be with our children even when we'd rather be doing something else. Our children get to see us at our best and at our worst. They get firsthand experience at home about how a family should function and what it should look like. They feel the safety of being home and the joy of not being labeled.

 

Every day we get to be together. The limited hours of our life will be spent together ... learning, laughing, crying, and being ordinary.

 

That's an extraordinary life! You are so blessed.

 

Be real,

Todd

 
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Announcement

Don't miss out on the last week 
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Each item will be available for the
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August 27 - Special Learner Planner      

 

August 28 - Secrets of Successful Homeschooling       

 

August 29 - Primary Planner        

 

August 30 - Big Mama Planner    

  

August 31 - Hey Mama Planner     

 

   
Announcement
 
2014 EE Awards
 
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Announcement

God knew what it would take to
change my stubborn, selfish heart.
TOS Article
in the latest issue of
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

 

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Contest Corner 
For the month of August, 2014

 

Captivated: Finding freedom

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Do you ever feel like media has taken over your life and the lives of your family? You are not alone. While there are many benefits to using different types of media, it also leads many parents to wonder, "How much is too much?" At Media Talk 101, Phillip Telfer explores that question. In his DVD documentary, Captivated, he takes a hard look at television, computers, gaming, cell phones, and social media websites and the effects they have on us and our children.

 

One of the biggest issues in parenting is protecting our children, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. With interviews featuring doctors, experts, and people who have overcome their own media addictions, Captivated looks at media from a Biblical perspective and seeks to encourage others to examine their own lives and relationship with various forms of media. (. . .)

 

Read the reviews here!

 

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TO ENTER: Email Heather with your name, mailing address, and phone number for contact purposes, with the subject line, "Captivated" for a chance to win* the DVD for your family!  

   

In this week's issue:


Hey Mama! Schoolhouse Planner

TOS  EE Awards

Molly Green

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