One spring morning in neighboring villages in Nigeria, two boys were born. They were very much alike, these two. Both had better than avenge intelligence, both were warm and personable and both were filled with dreams for the future.

These boys grew to be men. They were still very much alike. Both married. Both had children. But there was a difference. One of the men continued to farm as his parent’s had; growing root crops and being cheated by unscrupulous buyers. His children were often sick due to the poor water supply.

The other was able to get the laws enforced that forbid price fixing in the markets. He was also able to teach the people of his village how to grow their crops more productively. He became an elder, conducted Bible studies and adult literacy classes. And, he worked with the villagers to hand dig the well that brought clean water.

What Made the Difference?

Have you ever wondered, as I have, what makes this kind of difference in people’s lives? It isn’t always native intelligence, talent or dedication. It isn’t that one person wants success and the other doesn’t.

The difference lies in what each person knows and how he or she makes use of that knowledge. In a word—education.

Education is what Jim and I are committed to bringing to children in remote places, such as rural Nigeria. Because the need is huge,  I am writing to you. UNESCO reports there are 118 million boys and girls who have no access to education, yet within them is the potential to be history makers and nation builders.  

Living Books Curriculum exists to help educate not only homeschooled children but impoverished children in Nigeria and elsewhere.

Shortly I will be leaving to to train the teachers of our four schools in the use of the Charlotte Mason educational method—a literature-based, learn by doing approach that avoids the pitfalls of a dumbed down curriculum often seen with workbooks and textbooks.

An important part of the trip is the establishment of a training center at the site of our lab school, near Lagos. The training center will be a prototype of many more to come.

Check in from November 15 through the 15^th for updates from Nigeria.

Dara, a mom of  two, wrote the following this morning after the webinar:

You’ll be proud to know that today I took my two children to the “mog” as my husband calls it. It’s a stream/ small river that flows through town. We went to the portion just on the outskirts of town, which is surrounded by plenty of prairie grasses that we collected and compared to each other. I had never paid attention to the many different kinds of grass seeds there are. We saw baby ducks, a snake, red-wing black birds and a turtle. It was a very successful first visit. I promised the kids that we would visit again soon and bring some paper and paint brushes to better record our visit. Thank you for the inspiration.

Here are a few tips for a nature study lesson from our webinar:

Begin with what your child is already familiar.
Give abundant observations, few inferences ( if you have to talk, make observations, don’t give explanations).
Study a subject under natural conditions (reading about a natural topic is okay but no substitute for the real thing).
Discovery of a principles at work in nature is strengthened by oral expression (let your child talk about what he sees, rather than have you explain what you see.).

Five kinds of nature walks
Inside your house 
Yard
Nearby woods or other natural place
Park, Nature Center, botanical gardens, any organized display
Family vacations or outings to special areas 

Then, with my journal nearby I go about my work or play, pausing to write down what I sense He is saying. God has never failed to give me direction and the rights words to explain it to others.

Why is homeschool planning so important?
Charlotte Mason said in Home Education (p. 8), that a parent who does not follow a fully thought out plan of education will fail to fulfill the claims his children have upon him for growing to adulthood in full possesion of his abilities. Wow, this only underscores the need for careful planning. It’s not just about getting the right books and putting them in order. It is a heart process first.

Do you have questions about how to move forward in your homeschool? I encourage you to wait before the Lord and ask Him, “which way and how for my homeschool, Lord?”.

Read Jeremiah 6:16:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”

The Scripture refers to “crossroads” and tells us we are to stand there. Crossroads are the points of decision in your life. Surely this time of year you have decisions? Stand in the midst of them. Make your crossroads as clear as possible, then ask for God’s best–the good way. When you see it, walk in it. You will find rest there and joyful learning.