Homeschool Review: LANDRY ACADEMY

There are so many homeschool resources out there that it will make your head spin.  Over the last 17 years of homeschooling I have tried and used such a variety of curriculum.   I have loved some, hated some.   Switched some simply cause I had used it so long that I, as the teacher needed a change.   I had curriculum that worked PERFECTLY for one child, and was a total flop for the next.   That is the beauty of homeschooling!   We are not stuck with just one canned curriculum that must fit all 9 of my kids!!!
This year we tried a new approach for a few of our subjects, and it has been a WINNER!   4 of my kids are each taking a class from Landry Academy.   Landry is an online tool where we can choose from 457 classes---yes that is not a typo, they truly offer the homeschool community that many options!     From Chinese and Arabic, to Computer Programming.  From American Sign Language to Fiddle.  From Art, Photography, Medicine to Architecture and Welding...that have pretty much covered it all!!!

On top of their hundreds of classes, they also offer week and month long classes in all sorts of topics.  My 13 year old will be attending a week long camp in Filmmaking this summer and could not be more excited as he loves to make short films!!!

They also offer "2 day Intensives" where you can do all the science labs for an entire school year in TWO days and they offer these all over the country. (We have participated in 3 of these so far and were very impressed).

My children are currently taking the following classes this year through Landry:

• American Sign Language 1  (Hosanna)
• Filmmaking 1 and 2   (Josiah)
• Animal Care Science  (Jubilee)
• World History from a Christian Perspective  (Praise)

My daughter will take a class this summer in "Conversational ASL."

And next year, I have already signed up my kids for:

• American Sign Language 2 (Hosanna)
• Screenwriting (Josiah)
• Film Producing and Directing (Josiah)
• Biology (Josiah)
• Writing Ropes (essays)  Jubilee
• Pre-biology (Jubilee)
• Exploring Creation Science (Praise)
• Trip Around the World (a 6-language adventure)  (Praise)

On top of THOSE...they also have fun Community Groups.   These groups meet 2-4 times per month and are just for fun  (No grades).  They allow you to meet with students with similar interests under a Christian teacher that specializes in that area.

My kids are currently involved in 3 Community Groups.  Hosanna is in "Reservation for Two" which is for 13-18 yr old girls to encourage each other in their relationship with God and growing in character.   This meets weekly and it is her favorite hour of the week!

Josiah is in "Performing and Visual Arts" group that meets every other week as well as  a "Photography" Community group that meets every other week.  He loves both of these groups for learning more about filming and photography and connecting with other kids that shares his passions and teachers that do as well.

There is too much to say about Landry.   Let me just say that we got into it by buying class sessions a year ago.  We were able to buy "generic" classes a year ago for around $60/semester class.  The key is that we couldn't use them til a year later.  Well, we waited and we are impressed.  So impressed that I bought more generics so we can use them for next year.   If you look at their website, the prices regularly are $390 per semester class....but if you sign up for their email specials, and are willing to buy a year ahead of time, You'll be glad you did!!! You can enjoy all these classes for just a fraction of their regular prices so don't let their catalog deter you.    Also, the community groups are a great price regularly already.  ($97 per year!!)  So worth it in my opinion.  So if you are a homechooler....so check out their website!!!!!

Eating the Fruit of the Spirit?

Photo By en:User:Daderot. - First uploaded to en:wiki on 5 Apr 2005.

So, this post is a bit off the wall.   I woke up last night at 3:31am, and I felt like I should pray for one of my dear friends.  While praying for her, a thought struck me that I had never thought of before.   Because of Christ in me, the fruit of the Spirit of God also fills me...so because of this position in Christ I can live my life FULL of : love, joy, peace, long-suffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

So the Bible says that if we are Christ-followers, we WILL bear fruit. (evidence in our life that Christ has become our Lord.)

"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them." --Matthew 7:17-20

Those who are Christ-followers have fruit.  But fruit is not meant to just hang on trees.  That's when it hit me!  Can someone really EAT the Fruit of the Spirit?    So I ran to Google (later in the morning after I woke up again) and typed in :  "can you eat the fruit of the spirit"  and would you believe...Google had NO idea!!!!!!

So I thought about it!!!  WE are called to represent Christ to the world!  What does the world who doesn't know Christ NEED?  Do they need LOVE?  Uh yeah!  How about JOY?  Yup!  PEACE?  Definitely!!!  PATIENCE? Yep!  KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL?  YES, Yes, Yes, Yes Yes!!!!

Where can those who don't have those fruit FIND it?  Well, since they are found in CHRIST alone, you can reason to say that Christ-followers should exhibit these fruit MOST in their lives in our culture!!!  (Not cause we're so amazing (quite the contrary!) but only because Christ who lives IN us shows His nature THROUGH our lives..it's nothing we do but all about what HE does!!!)

So, if you've got fruit...don't let it ROT on your tree....I don't believe that God gives us fruit to rot or to eat just ourselves but to share it to a needy and dying world who NEEDS these very FRUITS in their lives too!    

It says in Psalm 34:8,   "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." We are Christ to this world. Let the world "taste and see" our fruit that God has given us so they can know of His goodness!!!

So...go on....let your fruit be shared with this lost and dying world. They have no hope without Jesus...and the world NEEDS this fruit!!!

ADD is just another way to spell BOYS!!!

I recently read this article entitled School ADD Isn’t Homeschool ADD .   I loved the article and wanted to share it and comment on it for other parents who find themselves a parent to.....a BOY!!! 

I've talked to 2 moms lately who have "ADD Kids" are are frustrated. Please read this article. From experience with my 5 sons, let me just say that almost all boys fit the description of "ADD." Even my oldest son, who was reading at 3, fit the description we read in a medical journal when he was a preschooler. We just laughed because the article was describing, well, BOYS! We are thankful we homeschooled our house full of boys (and girls), because a little boy is just not meant to sit at a desk all day long. They need to be jumping and wiggling and dancing and making noise. That doesn't work in a classroom.
My 2nd son just wasn't catching on to reading at 5. The more I made him sit still, the more he got frustrated with sounding out 3 letter words. I finally caught on and let him do his phonics by jumping off the couch onto a huge bean bag every time he got a word right. Within the week he was reading his little Bob Books!!!! He learns best with noise and music still at 18. My 2 oldest "ADD kids" scored 35 and 31 on their ACT tests. I hate to think what label or medication they might have been put on in a different environment. Set the little boys free from desks!!!!!