Knowledge House Newsletter
Homeschool Information... Ideas... and Inspiration |
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Dear Readers,
February is a short but busy month with President’s Day and Valentine’s Day, Arizona Statehood Day where we live, plus the bicentennial celebration of Abe Lincoln's birthday.
Two hundred years after his birth, Abraham Lincoln is still considered one of the most influential Americans of all time. More books have been written about him than any other president.
The 16th President is commemorated in music, poetry, and sculpture. His words are quoted by poets and politicians. His face appears on stamps, coins and bills. Mountains, cities, highways, and schools bearing his name dot the land.
Lincoln's enduring legacy includes the famous Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Did You Know...?
P.S. February is a popular month for homeschool birthdays! Besides George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the following famous homeschoolers were born in February: Ansel Adams, Thomas Edison, Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, Charles Dickens, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. (Laura also homeschooled her own daughter Rose!)
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Freebie(s) of the Month*
Enjoy these free printable worksheets!
Washington Word Find - My favorite kind of word game! (I found 60; can you beat me?)
Presidents Day Quiz - Lincoln and Washington Trivia.
Valentine Cutouts - Write your own messages.
Arizona Trivia Quiz - Test your knowledge of AZ!
(*Requires Adobe Reader: click here for free download.) |
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Featured Article(s)
As the saying goes, “A true friend knows everything about you...and likes you anyway.” Friendship is a special gift. It’s a little part of yourself that you give to someone else. Every year around this time, friends and loved ones exchange cards, poems, flowers, candy and gifts. This month, be sure to let your friends know you care, and show them how much they mean to you. See if you can make a new friend too! For more friendly advice, go to: www.knowledgehouse.info/njfkfriends.html.
Related Pages
February 11 is Make a New Friend Day, February 12 is Kindness Awareness Day, and February 14 is Valentine's Day! “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Quote of the Month
“The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” ~Abraham Lincoln |
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Famous Homeschoolers
What happens when you take five uniquely talented siblings in their 20’s and put them on stage with five Steinway pianos? You get a packed concert hall with thousands of excited young fans screaming and dancing in the aisles! The most amazing part is, these performing artists are not the latest rock or pop band, they are classical pianists – and all homeschool graduates! Read about the 5 Browns and view some of their music videos here: www.knowledgehouse.info/bio_5browns.html. (Each month I will highlight another famous homeschooler.) |
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Verse of the Month
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” ~Philippians 4:8 |
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Reading Between the Lines
My son started his community college classes last week. Among other things, he enrolled in a Contemporary Cinema course. This was a large, popular class and our family enjoys watching movies, so he thought it would be fun and interesting. However, I was shocked upon glancing at the syllabus after he came home on the first day. Now I knew this wasn't a Christian movie class, but I certainly expected the selection of movies to be educationally worthwhile. There are hundreds of great movies to choose from, right? Well, out of the 12 movies they will be studying, most of them are rated R. I can understand The Godfather and Saving Private Ryan despite the violence and bad language. Life is Beautiful was a wonderful although sad movie, and I recommend seeing that one. Two of the other foreign films sound interesting. But of the rest... at least two of them glamorize adultery, one celebrates sleazy erotic dancing and mocks Christianity, another one is about male strippers, one focuses on teenage prostitutes, another features a man who dresses as a woman, and the other one is just plain offensive. Here we spend 18 years raising our son to be a godly man of virtue, and this class could trash all of that in one semester! Does the instructor really consider these films to set an example of great art?
Henry Van Til, a Bible professor at Calvin College, once observed that “culture is religion externalized.” By this, he meant that the culture of a people reflects their true religious priorities and values as expressed in music, paintings, and entertainment. The Bible teaches that all men have faith, in that they either worship the creature or they worship the Creator. There is no neutrality. When people worship sensuality or embrace dark visions of reality, it is always evidenced in the arts. On the other hand, when a nation fears and loves God, their religious commitment is evidenced in the music they play, the way they dress, and their vision of life. You can choose to focus on what is good, pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8), or you can choose to focus on the bad, sinful, ugly side of humanity. It seems to me that a college professor should inspire young people to reach high standards, not drag them down! Can you imagine viewing graphically explicit movies like those above in a classroom setting? Ugh! Anyway, my son dropped that course and substituted an animation class where he can make his own stuff instead.
Anyone who has seen today’s modern movies with their vulgar humor, foul language and immorality has probably wondered ... whatever happened to good, clean, wholesome family films? The answer is, they are alive and well at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Founded in 2004 by Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum, the mission of SAICFF is to encourage the production of films which inspire the highest ideals, with a commitment to the clearest and noblest biblical values.
Click here for the latest scoop on Christian filmmaking and read reviews of my favorite films from the San Antonio film festival: Fireproof, Pendragon, Expelled, and The Widow's Might.
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Learning Links
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My Products
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My Websites
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A Note From Teri...
Have you heard of the Say What You Mean Convention hosted by JoJo Tabares? I'm one of the sponsors this year and our theme is HOMESCHOOLING! The online convention is February 4-6 and it's free! Three days of fun with lots of great information and giveaways! Contests during the live seminars will have HUGE prize packages! Also there may be other special offers and freebies you can only get during the live seminars!
Don’t miss out! Tell all of your homeschooling friends! View details here: www.SayWhatYouMeanConvention.com Sign up, get free gifts, and enjoy! Be sure to visit my Knowledge House sponsor page to grab some of my own special offers while you're there!
Happy Homeschooling!
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Copyright © 2008 by Teri Ann Berg Olsen, www.knowledgehouse.info. To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, simply send a blank e-mail to
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