www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
Dad);uses;the;opportunity;to;blow;things
up;and;create;neat;(smelly);chemical;re-
actions.;Everyone;loves;it!
Math:;While;the;older;four;do;math
independently, there are times when
age;integration;works—like;for;review.
I don’t teach formal math until about
grade three, and so far that’s worked
great for us. Abstract symbols are much
easier;to;grasp;at;that;age.
History:;We;all;listen;to;Mystery;of
History audio CDs together during
lunch. This provides great discussion
opportunities and in classic Charlotte
Mason;style,;I;check;their;comprehen-sion by saying, “So, tell me what you re-member;about;.;.;.”;Biographies;are;also
highly;effective;in;giving;children;a;love
of history.
Language Arts:;Reading;great;books
together is the best way to teach this for
multiple;ages.;Even;though;my;kids;have
mostly;been;proficient;readers;by;age;6
or;7,;I;still;read;aloud;to;them;several
times;a;week;as;a;group.;I;have;a;chap-ter;book;that;I’m;reading;to;each;older
child;individually,;and;it’s;great;for;rela-tionship;development;between;Mom;and
child. While improving their language
arts;skills,;it;also;piques;their;interest;to
learn;more;about;a;time;period;or;his-torical;figure!
Art, Poetry, Thinking Skills, and all
that other stuff:;Yes,;I;do;lump;this;all;to-
gether,;and;we;fit;it;in;when;we;can.;My
philosophy;is;this:;If;you;give;your;child;a
love for learning and a love for reading, you
don’t;have;to;worry;about;gaps;in;his;or;her
education. He or she will always be curious
and;want;to;find;out;more;naturally.
Top Five Tips
1.;Don’t;compare;yourself;to;others.
Be;imitators;of;Christ.;Just;relax;and
enjoy;your;kids;while;you;focus;on
character training above academics.
2.;Remember;we;aren’t;homeschooling
just;to;recreate;another;generation
of homeschoolers. Train them with
a;focus;on;things;of;eternal;value:
a heart for those dying without the
Gospel,;a;love;for;serving;others,
and;a;priority;on;developing;Godly
character.
3.;Nobody loves your kids more than
you do. Nobody cares about your
kids more than you do. That makes
you;the;God-ordained;expert;in
homeschooling;your;children!
4. Spend;a;lot;of;time;reading,;reading,
reading. From the littlest ages, we do
tons;of;reading,;and;that’s;where;the
love for learning starts.
5.;Valuable;life;skills;are;important;
time;fillers;are;not.;Consider;what
is;truly;important;and;what;can;be
eliminated!
Seed Sowers
For;two;years,;I;took;on;a;crazy;proj-
ect;that;actually;ended;up;being;one;of
the greatest blessings in my life. I inter-
viewed several dozen retired missionar-
ies—mostly;Bible;translators—resulting
in more than a hundred hours of great
material. After the interviews, I com-
piled,;edited,;rewrote,;and;wrote;some
more. The end result is Seed Sowers: Gos-
pel-Planting Adventures.
Seed Sowers
;is;a;book;filled;with;twenty-one true, crazy, hilarious, sad, scary, and
wild accounts of the adventures of ordi-nary;people;committed;to;serving;God
wherever He called. God uses stories!
And God is already using the stories in
Seed Sowers to give the next generation
a;passion;to;serve;Him.;This;book;really
represents;my;family’s;desire;to;be;part
of;God’s;work;around;the;world,;to;get
the;Gospel;to;those;who;are;without,;and
to tell children how God can use anyone
who has a heart for Him.
It;starts;at;home.;Homeschooling;isn’t
an;end;in;itself.;It’s;a;means;that;God;can
use;to;plant;the;seeds;of;His;Word;in;the
hearts;of;our;children—our;job;is;to;equip
them to serve Him anywhere He leads.
The Toliver family serves full-time with
Wycliffe Associates and is currently working at the Linguistics Center in Dallas,
Texas. Gwen writes about ministry and big
family homeschooling and all the hilarity
that follows, at Tolivers to Texas. Gwen is
also the author of
Seed;Sowers:;Gospel-Planting Adventures—the perfect collection of modern-day missionary adventure
stories for families wanting to give their kids
a heart for the Lord and the lost. The book
is available through Grace & Truth Books.
The perfect homeschool setting: books and
treehouses (Elsie Toliver)
John and Gwen Toliver
