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Creation Based Apologetics

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So the other day I asked my lad if he would be interested in doing an apologetics course.  He surprised me by saying yes! As he’s reaching the stage of questioning everything it’s good to give them ideass to think through and answers to consider.  I thought about doing a creation based apologetics course with him and thought I’d share the results of my research with you. 

creation based apologetics

Why Creation Apologetics

Depending on your child, they simply might not have thought through the truths of scripture or given much thought to how non-creation science connects with the bible.  There is so much we don’t know.  Like for instance, I don’t believe in evolution but I can’t explain how speciation/natural selection makes a cat look different in one climate over another.  How some wild cats are large like jaguars and snow leopards and other wild cats are as small as a housecat but very feral.  How this happens makes zero sense to me so when people question it all… I understand that.  Having resources to help make sense of all it matters. 

Making a point of studying creation apologetics gives over dedicated time to your student so it gets done.  I don’t know about you but I have a busy teen.  Working, schooling, helping around the house, and spending time with friends takes up the bulk of his time.  Finding solid time to actually think through faith, science, and it’s interconnectivity isn’t the easiest thing for a teen to do.  Therefore adding it as part of his course load makes it much more doable. 

Types of Creation Apologetics

Now, I’ve long known that people have different ideas about evolution.  Some believers are creation scientists all the way through to the bone, others don’t quite get how there are dinosaurs and mammals…. and so called proofs of evolution.  Others again are like me and don’t buy into evolution, but natural selection and the sheer variety of animals and the interconnection of species is a bit mind-boggling. Yet other believe in intelligent design and there are a variety of takes on how that works.  Designer created and then left everything to evolve/naturally select, on it’s own. Or Designer created and then guided changes.   It’s actually quite interesting to see how people try to make it all fit together, and sometimes try to meld two worlds together. 

Biblical Creationism: follows the teaching in Genesis.  God created all life.  Tends toward a young earth philosophy. 

Intelligent Design Movement:  This movement wants to encourage discussion by not only teaching evolution, but to encourage the asking of questions considering alternatives to evolution.  This means looking critically at evolutionary ideology, considering the flaws in evolutionary theory, and keeping an open mind to alternative explanations.

Progressive creationism.  This thought process is that God created life over a period of millions of years. It takes an old-earth approach, and believes that new lifeforms emerged fully-formed not slowly through evolution at different times. 

What I found

Answers in Genesis takes a very biblical, creation as written in the bible approach.  They have a six courses in creation apologetics.  They used to do it as one Master Class.  Now each of those courses is done individually and each contains several lessons within. 

Creation Illustrated, the magazine.  Produces good articles, might answer questions, or spur some additional thinking.  Not a curriculum per say, but creation-biblically based.  Could make a creation based apologetics course out of several magazines I think.   If you are interested, I reviewed unit studies from them a while back. 

You could check out BioLogos. They do hold to an ancient view of the earth, and believe that evolutionary theory can be reconciled with the Bible’s teaching about Creation.  Francis Collins (the head of the human g-nome project) teaches the course on DNA technologies and ethics. Worth checking out.

Another resource to check out is Reasons to Believe. Even just introducing teens to their website would be a good thing. Their online learning resources look good, but their courses were geared more to college age. They do, however, have an Educator’s Help Desk page that has tonnes of resources to help you find a suitable curriculum, along with a list of recommended resources. Note: some of their recommendations are secular sources, and some are Christian. You may want to watch their video on using secular textbooks to hear their rationale. They makes some good arguments.

If you look on Christian Book Distributors you’ll find a whole whack of books from a creationist viewpoint.   With some time you could easily put together an apologetics course that is creation based. 

creation based apologetics

Have I missed anything?

So tell me, have you found any creation based apologetics courses?   If so, please tell me!   I’d love to check them out.

I recently discovered Reasons to Believe, a series of courses relating science to faith.  

Dawn Raid

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Dawn Raid) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂

It’s not every book that does this, but Dawn Raid, by Ms. Smith peaked my interest in an historical event.  Let me explain.  This past weekend I went camping with the family, I brought Dawn Raid along with me. As I read I would stop and talk to my lad about what I was reading.  I had never heard about the dawn raids in New Zealand before so this was all new to me. My son was quite surprised as well. It made for some interesting discussions that my hubby joined in on as well.  When I got home I headed to youtube to learn more.   I think every country has sad periods like this in it’s history don’t you? 

Racism is such a hard topic to have a discussion about isn’t it?  In the states they deal with it as we learned in Uncomfortable Conversations with a black Boy. In Canada we have the First Nations people which a book I am reading slowly communicates about, Five Little Indians.  But learning about it and how it affects people, helps to change behaviour a bit doesn’t it? 

About Dawn Raids

Anyways, we should probably get on with the book eh?  🙂    Dawn Raid was written by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith, she also started a small museum that helps people to better understand the dawn raids.  At 304 pages it is an easy read for most middle schoolers especially with illustrations on many of the pages.  Written from the point of view of a 13 year old girl.   She talks about family and school life, as well as life as an Islander in New Zealand.  Published by Levine Querido c/o Chronicle Books.   Reviewed for Raincoast books. 

One thing you need to understand.  Sofia’s family is of Islander stock.  They came over to New Zealand to help when they had a labour shortage.  Many stayed…some legally, some not so legally.  Other nations of the world did the same thing.  Coming to help, and sometimes overstaying their welcome.    The thing is, ONLY islander people were targetted in these Dawn Raids conducted by the government via the police force.  This is the story of one such Islander family. 

Details about Dawn Raid

13 year old Sofia, a New Zealand girl, gives us a first person account of her families life in the mid-1970’s.   We learn about her brothers who have more energy than brains. My son couldn’t believe the antics those boys got into. Their antics provided comic relief to the rest of the story.  A hard-working family teaching their children to be good citizens. 

The language is typical of a 13 year old and easily relatable to middle school age children.  For me it was a bit of a walk back into time with go-go boots and the Osmonds.  🙂 

Dawn Raid

Illustrations liberally dot the pages.  I appreciated the addition of maps so that I understood better just where those islands where.  There is a continent game I play on my phone but it’s not clear enough to really show the detail needed to see where all the islands are.  Having the maps helped me practice my geography skills for sure! 

I loved the natural way history and community flowed within the diary pages of Sofia.  I often felt like I was there helping Sofia do her milk run, or attending the doctor with her mom and younger brothers, and her father dealing with the oldest brother.  The fear of being woken up so early in the morning… Sofia expresses emotion well.  

Dawn Raid

Should you Get Dawn Raid?

Should Dawn Raid be part of your library?

It’s an interesting read.  I have to admit, when I first started I wondered what the purpose of this diary was.  But seeing how the family lived, how school life progressed and some of the daily life experiences shared.  Gradually the politics of the time were introduced until you wanted to know what would happen.  

If you are studying New Zealand, add this book to your shelves.  Gain some understanding about the politics of the time and what it meant to the people involved.  It would either be a good way to introduce the topic of racism in New Zealand or be a finish out the study.  It would also be a good way to show the racism isn’t just in Canada, or the United States, but is actually a world-wide concern. 

If you are just looking for a good story to read that tells of a family’s experience living in New Zealand during a hard rough time in it’s history, it’s a good read in and of itself!  🙂 

Rescue Through Stories

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This morning as we continued our journey to read through the New Testament as a family this year, we were reading in Matthew 13.  We’ve been inspired to read through the New Testament through Danika Cooley’s book Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible.  As we read through the parables Jesus used when teaching the crowds I kept thinking about how God set out to rescue his people.   How?  Jesus talked in parables, stories with meaning hidden within.  In a way I suppose you could say that his job was to rescue through stories. 

Kate gave us the word prompt Rescue for us to test our skills on. 

Rescue through stories

Rescue through Stories

In Matthew 13
parables told
Stories by Jesus
His words extolled.

A sower with seeds
a pathway, rocks and field.
From nothing but trouble
to various yield.

The disciples did wonder
why stories do tell?
Jesus responded,
This information might befell.

Listening, hear, or not.
Seeing, see, or not.
Parables tell, without telling.
Kingdom bound, perhaps befraught?

Good seed sown,
Secretly weeds brought in,
Collect them now,
or wait til harvest begin?

The smallest of seeds,
Grows a mighty tree
Like yeast that leavens
for a breadmaking spree?

A treasure, a pearl
What will you give?
A wealth untold
It’s worth all you have?

A net full of fish
Oh the wealth untold
Tossing the bad, and
Keeping the good yes Behold!

Can you listen?
Oh, can you see?
Jesus spoken to all
hidden mystery!

Listen … HEAR
Look … SEE
Don’t you hear it?
He’s calling to thee!

Hidden in stories
truth hidden well
but if time taken
This truth will swell.

rescue through stories

Scripture Speaks

Matthew 13 has many words that speak.  Parables interwoven between words such as these: 

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂

I have been having interesting conversation with my 16 year old lately, so when I was at the Honda Dealership the other day I brought this book along .. Uncomfortable Conversations with a black boy .. with me. I was anticipating a story type book with some questions at the end of it. Questions that I could then take home and use as a conversation starter with my lad.  That’s not quite what I received.  No stories, just tons of questions posited in a conversational style.  Not quite what I expected.   So let’s take and moment and talk shall we?

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy

The author’s premise and details

The author’s premise, is that through conversation, deep, open conversation we can more or less FIX the problems of racism.  That is necessary to have these deep conversations in order to make the world a better place for everyone in it.    

I can understand where he’s coming from.   He wants to open the eyes of people who aren’t black to the world as he sees it.   And if you can understand where a person is coming from, or… walk a mile in his shoes… you can better appreciate their day to day struggles and successes. 

So over the course of 13 chapers, divided into three sections, he asks a lot of questions.  Such as .. when you took history.. did you learn about black history?  When you succeeded in life … did your parents help you along the way?  Did you go to a school where teachers cared if you succeeded or failed?  Can you lose your life if someone tells a lie about you?  Do you think reverse racism exists? 

Throughout this 320 page book, he couples these questions with his answers, providing insights that you might not have been aware of.  Available in Kindle and hardcover, it is geared to youth 10-14.  

Roaring Book Press published the hardcover copy that I received for my review for Raincoast Books.  This tome is a youth version of Uncomfortable Conversations with a black man, named after a series of talks hosted by Emmanuel Acho entitled “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man”.

Breaking it down

As I mentioned earlier, 13 chapters, three sections.

First section: Me and You.  The section has six chapters along with an introductory chapter.  These chapters include such questions as Black or African American? What do you see when you see me?  Is there such a thing as white privilege?  What about cultural appropriation?  and more. 

Second Section: Us and Them.   In this section of four chapters Acho brings up systemis racism, reverse racism, who’s govening the government and justice for some. 

Third section: We.  Three chapters about fixing racism, how we can fight for change, and to be an ally for folks. 

That’s not the end though, he closes off with a variety of short talks, references, websites and resources. 

Some Specifics about Uncomfortable Conversations with a black boy

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy contains a number of quotes, questions and shall I say it… conversation starters.   For instance: What do you do with a bunch of angry people?  Anger exists on both sides of this issue… is it always justified?  No.  But often times it is.  And either way, the anger still exists.  But this is the type of question asked in order to get us thinking and having conversations. 

uncomfortable conversations with a black boy

Thought-provoking quotes grace the start of each chapter.  Don’t you just love quotes that make you think?   🙂  

Need to figure out good discussion questions for your students?   Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy will help you come up with all sorts of discussion questions. 

Each new section opens with a page like the following.  Those conversation bubbles also tend to proceed question asked within the following pages. 

My Thoughts

I think that teachers will adore this book, or if not adore, find it a useful tool in learning how to think, or consider ideas or rather … perspectives they might not have considered before. It has great value in presenting questions, and giving the ideas behind those questions.  Promoting good class room conversation. 

As a book to read, I was less than enamoured.  I found Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy to be preachy, and at times wrong. Like saying the black people can’t be racist because they don’t hold systemic power?  ANYONE can be racist, in a position of power or not.  I also refuse to believe that circumstances completely keep people from changing their lives.  Part of my struggle with this read I explained on instagram. If you approach life from the paradigm of faith in God you can clearly see how just conversation is not the answer.  Can it help?  For sure.  But ultimately, it’s not how racism will be solved. We are, as a people, thoroughly broken by sin invading our lives.   The only answer truly… is God. 

Does Acho try?   Yes, he does.  He goes an excellent job of encouraging us to ask difficult questions and to dig deep within ourselves as we answer those questions.   No surfacey … just say something nice to make him go away stuff… but a demand that we do more.  Acho really wants us to think and to grapple with these questions… in community. 

Less Desperate

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Miss Kate has listed today’s Five Minute Friday word.  Honestly, I had hoped to do this last night but couldn’t squeeze it in.  Yesterday was hot and muggy so it was hard to get things done during the day.  The intense heat just made me sleepy and slow-minded.  So at night I did things outside when it was cooler.   It’s been a pretty good summer though with work, a good garden, laughter and good conversation.  Things are opened up again for the most part which means people are less desperate in their interactions with each other. Let’s see where rambly thoughts take me today.

less desperate
Man wearing gloves home delivering food box, volunteer holding grocery box for donation, supporting local business concept

Less Desparate

Sometimes when I look
at the world at large.
Seeing pain and suffering
As if I sit on a barge.

Like in the Olympics
in a river they sit
Affected by nothing
Just holding a glyph.

Not really affected
Observing the world.
The troubles are countless
So much to be healed.

I wonder at times,
just how do I show,
in these times of great troubles
A way out of woe?

I can pray this I know
But sometimes hollow feels
reaching out to God
Changes nothing I do.

I know it’s not empty
It goes not to a void
but sometimes more wanted
perhaps needed the word?

aged ancient asian buddhism
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I wonder at this need
that’s floating inside
God-driven or just within
Busyness a place to hide?

I can’t heal Haiti,
I’ve been there before,
I can’t fix Afghanistan
Thousands there roar

I remember a conversation
with my mom this week
about the sameness between
Fanaticism and Fanatical.

I wonder how I show
my fanaticism for God
Without broaching into
fanatical bringing fear.

How does my devotion
to God (my fanaticism)
Lead to less desperate
measures in others?

landscape man love people
Photo by Lagos Food Bank Initiative on Pexels.com

This week at the foodbank
So busy it was
Not the normal people
Drop-ins did abound.

It makes me wonder
when things open are
Why more people coming
when less desperate should be?

Does it matter my efforts?
Do my prayers difference make?
This push to do more
Whose life is at stake?

I don’t know the answers
Struggle internal real
The tomb is now empty
That grave has no seal.

More to be said?

I’m tired.  I’m tired of feeling like in the end… does anything really matter?   The food we give out, people come back next week again (or a month later).   The need is unending around this whole world.   

Yesterday reading in Stranger on the Road to Emmaus (aff link) the author pointed out how people used to live for 100’s of years and in those years they actively pursued evil.  MOST turned their backs again God.   God preserved a remnant.  Over time the results of sin have led to shorter life spans, more sickness in people, and such like.  BUT that man’s desire to pursue evil remains undiminished.  

Today that feels so defeating.

I have to fight to remember this truism.  GOD HAS WON THE BATTLE. 

He has.

So someday, possibly way in the future, possibly tomorrow, since no one knows.  People will be less desperate.  Less desparate because either we will be of God, or we will permanently NOT be of God. Those who are of God won’t have to struggle against the desparate need of people cause God will have finished the battle that he’s already won. 

We need to remember this eh? 

Prank Lab: 25 hilarious experiments

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Prank Lab) through Raincoast Books.  Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so.  🙂

I don’t know about you but I happen to LOVE doing science experiments.  There are so many things to learn and see and do!  Things can go wrong and then you need to figure out why.  Everything could go perfectly, but the interpretation can be different depending on the person. Now… add a twist… do science experiments as pranks!   Get your friends, annoy (perhaps) your family, and give visitors (or the odd stranger) an unexpected surprise!  Prank Lab is just the thing to delight your budding middle school scientists!   

This morning on Instagram seeing a lady helping her children vary a science experiment with simple changes.  Fun watching critical thinking skills develop!  Prank Lab: 25 Hilarious Experiments does the same thing. 

Prank Lab

Prank Lab, a walk through

Pranklab: 25 Hilarious Scientific Practical Jokes for Kids gives us 25 science experiments for youth 8-12 years old.  Don’t let that age range stop younger or older youth though.  As a family working together, everyone can have fun together learning.   Perhaps one child will choose to be the “victim” or maybe not… you could just do them without having any victim at all.  🙂 

224 pages, published by SourceBooks Explore, and put together by Wade David Fairclough, Chris Ferrie and Bryne Laginestra.   Four Sections contain a varying number of experiments, 25 in all.   These sections are entitled Making a Mess, Clean Classics, Wanna Bet? and Messing with a Mind.  These sections are coloured coded for ease of access. 

I received an ARC version from Raincoast Books. 

Basic Set Up

You’ll find the experiments are set up in the same basic way.   List of ingredients.  You’ll find experiments that create exploding ketchup!  Or that gross out your friends. Creating non-transitive dice, lunar calendars, and learn abou the conductivity of liquids.   A wide variety of experiments to suit any mood. 

Along with warnings about what to be careful about.  Since pranking people is part of the game, it’s important to pay attention to any safety considerations.  Allergies you don’t want to mess with and cutting yourself or others… doesn’t look good eh? Not when the goal is having some fun!

The instructions are given in pictorial and written form.   It’s it great when two ways of learning are incorporated?   I find pictures help me pay attention don’t you? 

After the experiment is completed, explanations are provided.   This of course, is the most important thing right?  Have the fun, do the job, and then learn a bit so you can think about it all.  Seeing how else you can apply what you learned.  Fantastic eh? 

Prank Lab

I am loving this final section of each experiment, a section that help you think more deeply.  Thinking is encouraged, by questions such as is using plastic problematic? Can illusions be a harmful? Can natural selection teach your family to not eat a favourite snack?   I love when experiment books do what they should… help the learner think more deeply about their experiments. 

Should Prank Labs be on your shelf?

If you are looking for a way to make science a bit more fun, Prank Lab will do it!   With fun, scientific ways to tease each other, or to perform April Fool’s jokes, science couldn’t be more fun (or amazing). 

Without using technical terms, learning is encouraged with suggesting to document everything you see and do. Having fun doing science an important objective!  You will love this book with the clear illustrations and good teaching.   Bringing out the scientist in our youth with good questions and fun science. 

Although this book is geared for middle school students, you could easily include the whole family, or highschool students could do them on their own. 

Related Posts you Might be Interested in. 

 

 

A Highschooler’s Day in the Life

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Oh.. the crew challenge this week is posting about what a day looks like in our household.   Well honestly, it’s still summer here… but I can tell you what a highschooler’s day in the life looks like.  At least, what it should look like in our household.  Part of homeschooling highschool is the variety of life skills one teaches throughout the day as well.  From simply doing their book work, to organizing life around work and outside commitments, to simply helping their mother out with this.   This is a day/week in the life of a 16 year old, singleton child, living in Ontario this year. 

a highschooler's day in the life

Where Learning Happens

Last year my son could choose where he wanted to study, the hours he wanted to fill and such like.  This year we have modified that.  He no longer works alone upstairs in his room, but will be fighting with the cat for the comfy chair.  🙂  It will some days be a battle since that cat is 13 years old and getting to that “grumpy old man stage”.  He has back difficulties and has diabetes so some days are hard for an old cat.  There’s our dining room table behind this chair so we have options for the “I just won’t be moved” days. 

The lad’s day will start (once the official school year begins) at 830 a.m.   Sometimes those days will be at the local highschool taking a manufacturing course, or will start here at home.  It kinda depends on how covid affects life.  Covid has thrown a bit of a wrench into eveything it seems. Depending on what the lad is working on he’ll do his studies using his laptop, or if he needs graphics…better computing skills/speed… the desktop upstairs. 

The headphones will travel with him as the lad listens to classical music (mostly) when he does his schooling. 

Depending on what his course work entails, other rooms in the house might be involved. 

This year that will be english, math (CTCmath two courses, three if can squeeze it in), communications, Manufacturing (public high), physics (grade 12 public), and stuff that right now I can’t remember… 

So I expect I’ll see more experiments in the kitchen. 

a highschooler's day in the life studying diffusion

Time Usage in a highschooler’s day in the life

He’ll have a break from 120145 to have lunch and spend time with his dad.  Currently they are playing some computer games together.  This is one of the reasons we are doing highschool at home.   His dad works a hard job doing the afternoon shift.  This way he gets to see his dad!  This is important to us. 

After lunch we normally read together.  Right now we are reading… Stranger on the Road to Emmaus and Torpedoed.  

You can read my review for Torpedoed.  My son did a year long study of WW2 and remains fascinated so we are still reading books about that time period. 

Stranger on the Road to Emmaus is an excellent book that walks the reader throughout history explaining the redemption work and promises of God fulfilled in Jesus.  It promotes some good discussion twixt a lad and his mother.  Highly recommend. 

At this time we might decide to watch a movie that correlates with a book he’s reading, or an apologetics idea as well.  Something that presents information differently to help a deep thinker think more clearly, or with questions to answer in his own mind. 

highschooler's day in the life tv

The lad will get back to his schooling and work until 5 ish, with a break for snacks as needed.  I don’t worry much on his snacking as we have ground rules (has to have one fruit/veggie) as part of his snacking, I don’t buy cookies so if he wants that he has to make it.  Occasionally I’ll call him aside to help with a project. One that he has this week is to make a top for our mealworm container that will hopefully keep flour moths out of it. 

Assignments and Checking-In

Some assignments he’ll submit to me in workbooks, others will be sent to me via email.  Today he sent me a punnett square for a biology class he’s tidying up work for. Pay no nevermind to the way too many tabs I have open!  Yes, it continues to be a work in progress. 

This leaves our evenings free for work at McD’s, finishing chores up (he has specific areas of responsibility), playtime with friends (online computer games mostly, sometimes physical army based games, or long walks on the trails), Army Cadets (Mondays), Youth group (Sunday nights), game/walk/something night with mom (hopefully Thursdays), and Karate (Saturday mornings). 

My son is mostly self-sufficient with his schooling but we’re running into a couple time management issues so we’ve instituted some changes to make it easier for him.  We’ll add a daily check in (a log of activities accomplished so he knows where he left off the day before) and a weekly “show me what you’ve done” check in. 

How do you organize your homeschoolers day?

We’ve had to talk a lot about how to organize his day, helping him to see areas of struggle, and planning out just what he needs to take yet, and how to get to where he wants to be.   Changes needed to be made, and I’d rather make them here at home where he can learn necessary skills than to have to learn the hard way later on. 

A highschooler’s day in the life is more than just book work isn’t it?   How do you help your highschool students?  Have you needed to make changes as they learn important skills? Where do they learn best?  How have you best figured out how to help them?  Let me know eh?  Together we can learn how to help our teens gain good skills. 

BEFORE I FORGET! 

The crew is doing a giveaway, this week for a mentor mom call!  Come back on Friday to enter eh? 

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