Finish Well Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network

Create Treasured Memories with a Christmas Unit Study

In “Create Treasured Memories with a Christmas Unit Study,” Episode, #124, Meredith Curtis gives you step-by-step instructions to create your own unit study after she shares how unit studies refresh your family for the month of December. Breakaway from the routine with a unit study so you can celebrate Christmas all month long, create memories, make gifts, decorate, and prepare for the holidays while you learn! If you want a Christmas educational and wonder-filled adventure for your family, you will love this podcast!



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Show Notes

Christmas is a busy time for the homeschool Mom. May I suggest a lighter schedule or even a complete change of pace?



There are two different tracks you can take.



* Count Christmas activities and preparations as school.

* Do a Christmas Unit Study



 

Count Christmas Activities as school



* Handwriting (address or sign Christmas cards)

* Home Ec (bake Christmas cookies)

* Art (make Christmas presents)

* Music (go Christmas caroling)

* Geography (celebrate traditions from other countries)

* History (listen to older family members tell stories)

* Writing (write the family Christmas letter)



 

Do a Christmas Unit Study



* Subject of unit study focuses on Christmas

* The Christmas hustle/bustle is part of school



 

Our Favorite Christmas Unit Studies



* Celebrate Christmas in Colonial America

* Celebrate Christmas with Anne of Green Gables

* Celebrate Christmas around the World

* Celebrate Christmas in Victorian England (except we couldn’t find a goose)

* Celebrate the First Christmas

* Celebrate Christmas in Florida

* Celebrate Christmas in Mexico



 



So many treasured memories of crafting, cooking, decorating, shopping, wrapping presents, and throwing parties.

Choose a Topic



* What sounds fun?

* Age and interest level of children?

* Ability to read, write, and research

* What sounds Christmasy?

* What are some things that we’ve always wanted to do at Christmas?

* What are some things we just have to do at Christmas?

* What are some things we’d like to learn about Christmas (or another topic)?

* What makes everyone say, “WOW! That sounds fun!”



 

Center Unit Studies on Good Books that you Read Aloud

Nothing is more Christmasy than snuggling up together and listening to a good book.  There are many good Christmas read alouds, but it doesn’t have to be a Christmas book.



NO ONE is TOO old for a beautifully illustrated well-written picture book.



 



Example of Celebrate Christmas with Cookies Unit Study



Picture Book each day



Singing Christmas carols each day



Devotion, cookie baking, and activities match up!



 



 

End Unit Study with a Party & Giving Gifts to Family & Friends



* Caroling Party for C C w C

* Tea for C C in C A

3 Ways to Inspire Your Family with Christian Super-Heroes 

In “3 Ways to Inspire Your Family with Christian Super-Heroes,” Episode, #123, Meredith Curtis reveals creative ways to teach church history in a way that will inspire your family to draw closer to the Lord. She likes to introduce her children to super-heroes—real ones—not from Marvel—but from the pages of history! God has had His heroes through the ages—not perfect men and women—but folks who were willing to surrender to His will and power. This great cloud of witnesses has poured out their lives to see the Gospel extended to the ends of the earth and believers grow to maturity. They have endured shame, trials, despair, and all kinds of troubles, yet remained faithful. Their example is an inspiration for us today! Introduce them to your children through biographies, movies, and Heroes-for-Jesus parties. After all, church history should be fun!



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Powerline Productions, Inc.

Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!

 



 



 







Show Notes

Today’s heroes and where their power comes from.



God’s Super-Heroes.

How To Introduce Your Children to Church History

Give them heroes!

Biographies

Well-written, interesting. Find the story.



Biographies



* Example: Heroes Then and Now series by Janet & Geoff Benge (older children to adults)

* Example for Younger Children: Lightkeeper series for boys and girls/ 10 boys who…



Biographies within a story



* Example: Torchlighter series



Picture Books



* Voice of the Martyrs picture book series with St. Valentine, St. Patrick, William Tyndale, Richard Wurmbrand, and St. Nicholas.

* Church History ABCs



Movies

Movies can be inspirational, but not always accurate. Example of The Inn of the Sixth Happiness about Gladys Aylward, missionary to China who works as a foot inspector to end foot binding and leads 100 children to safety. Still it is a warm, inspiring movie.



Chariots of Fire is an amazingly accurate portrayal of Eric Liddell, devout Christian, missionary, and Olympic gold medalist.



Luther, produced in 2003, is our favorite movie about Martin Luther.



Polycarp, another favorite produced in 2015 by Henline Productions, takes place in 2nd century Smyrna where Christians are facing intense persecution.



Amazing Grace, produced in 2006, is the story of William Wilberforce, a godly MP (member of Parliament) who led the way to get rid of slavery in the British Empire.



The Torchlighters Christian Heroes series is excellent with cartoons on a wide variety of Christian heroes like William Booth, John Bunyan, William Tyndale, Jim Eliot, Amy Carmichael, Perpetua, Samuel Morris, Harriet Tubman, Saint Patrick, and many more. There is so much depth to these movies that you will learn a ton while you watch them with your children.

Heroes for Jesus Parties

Fun way to introduce children and teens to Christian heroes



Children meet them and play games.



Teens dress up and give monologue.



Stations/Heroes dressed up/monologue/answer questions/game



For complete instructions with over 40 Christian heroes with monologue/bio, game to play, recipes, and costume ideas, purchase Celebrate ...

Build Your House on the Rock

In “Build Your House on the Rock,” Episode, #122, Meredith Curtis shares how we can survive the storms of life with the rock-solid Word of God! Meredith relates Matthew 7:24-27 to parenting and homeschooling, giving insights and practical tips for various ages and seasons of life. If you want to thrive in your Christian life and pass the baton of faith to your children, you will love this podcast!



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Powerline Productions, Inc.

Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!

 



 



 







Show Notes

Every family goes through storms. Is your family going through a storm right now or is everything smooth sailing?

Let Jesus Do the Building

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it (Psalm 127:1)



Jesus said to build our house on the rock, but He also tells us that the Lord needs to build our house. So, building starts with surrender.

Accept Reality: Life is Full of Good Times & Bad Times

He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45 NASB).



I'm sorry to tell you that storms will come. You might face a job loss or rebellious child.



When bad times come, it doesn't mean God is against you. It's just part of living in a fallen world.

Be Proactive in Trusting God

In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus reminds us to not worry, but instead trust God. Usually our worries are about finances, health, or children, making us feel so anxious.



1. Seek the Kingdom of God first in all areas (spend time with the Lord, tithe, share the Gospel, pray for missionaries, build up other believers, etc.)

2. Pray for all your needs and pour your worries out to Him (casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you--I Peter 5:7).

Put God’s Word Into Practice

God's Word is true! We can trust it! We can unwrap all the promises in His Word and enjoy them! We can walk in biblical principles because they are designed to bless us.



We discover who Jesus is in the Bible. And reading His Word helps build us closer to Him. As we pour our worries out to Jesus, our relationship with Him is strengthened.



Beyond reading the Bible with our children and teaching them to obey, we want them to grow up knowing that Jesus is alive! He loves them! He cares about them! His ways are good! As they pray about their own worries and let Jesus build in their lives, a strong faith grows and grows.



It is this relationship with Jesus that is the strength of a Christian home, allowing us to stand firm when the storms come.

Create Memorial Stones

God commanded the Israelites to leave memorial stones at the Jordan River to remind them of God’s faithfulness.



Create ways to remember how God got you through!

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10 Reasons Abortion is the Most Important Issue in the 2020 Election

In “10 Reasons Abortion is the Most Important Issue in the 2020 Election,” Episode, #121, Meredith Curtis shares why the most important thing about a candidate is not just his or her stance on abortion, but what the candidate will do to put an end to the taking of innocent life in our nation. Meredith explains how abortion derives the unborn of their civil rights, takes innocent lives, damages relationships, avoids responsibility, harms the national conscious, and devalues human life for all citizens.



 



 



 











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Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!

 



 



 







Show Notes

There are so many issues in this election, but I am convinced abortion is the single most important issue.

A Candidates Stand on Abortion

I only vote pro-life and here’s why.



How a candidate deals with the abortion issue tells me about his moral integrity and depth of leadership.

Abortion Is



* Morally wrong

* The Taking of an Innocent Human Life

* A Message to All People that they are not inherently valuable



A Nation That Kills the Innocent Will Suffer

A nation that kills the innocent will not go unpunished.



There is bad fruit that follows abortion: infanticide, euthanasia, cancel culture, rioting, looting, murder.



Turns morals upside-down

Who Gives our Civil Rights?

God, not government

Who Protects Rights?

Government is called to protect the rights God has given. Those rights don’t change because the government changes his mind.



* Free speech

* Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

* Right to bear arms

* Trial by jury



Rights of Unborn Human Beings

Children in the womb have rights before the Lord. How is abortion considered a right when it takes a life?

Abortion Harms Women

We talk so much about empowering women, women who have abortions suffer from incredible emotional pain.

Abortion Damages Relationships

“How could you kill my child?”



“How could you want to kill your child?”



Should we let our child live or die? If you would kills your baby, am I safe with you? If you want me to kill our baby, am I safe with you?



Abortion takes the security out of relationships.

Abortion Avoids Responsibility

One thing that we face in our nation is the socialist/communist agenda that wants to destroy the family. But does it really start with socialism and communism?



The family is God’s idea. From the time of creation, satan has tried to destroy the family.



When we move out of God’s created order (men becoming providers, marrying women, having a family, staying married for life), we create a bunch of people enjoying forbidden fruit without taking any responsibility. You can see the quality of adults our culture of promiscuity is producing.

Abortion Harms the National Conscious

Abortion skews our moral compass. We instinctively know abortion is wrong, but folks deceive themselves into acting like abortion is okay.



There is already talk of legalized pedophilia. When we degrade ourselves, the degradation moves forward like an avalanche.

Abortion Devalues Life for All Citizens

People are valuable because they are made in the image of God.

Why I Wrote My Own Government Course

In “Why I Wrote a Government Course,” Episode, #120, Meredith Curtis shares her homeschool journey in search a government course that would impart earnest wisdom into her children’s hearts and lives. She finally decided to design her own course, Government, God’s Blueprint/Man’s Agenda—a little bit textbook, a little bit unit study, and a little bit notebook. Her 1-credit high school government course has a fresh, innovative approach based on the truth revealed in God’s Word that all government derives from Him and that the Lord delegates authority and responsibility to the individual, family, church, and sovereign nations. We are in critical times, where preteens and teens need to learn about God’s heart and plan for ruling in all spheres of life!

Show Notes

Homeschooling since 1991, I have read many government textbooks! While many were excellent, they didn't have everything I was looking for, so I wrote my own government textbook/unit study/notebook.

What I Want:

I want my children …



* to understand how government, politics, and elections work in the United States and around the world. I want them to discover what the Bible has to say about authority/responsibility

* to see how all authority belongs to God and He is the One who delegates it

* to be interested in politics and current events; to pray powerful prayers that change history!

* to discuss government and politics with others, at least in our family.

* to read classics on law and government.

* to have fun doing it! And remember what they learn.



I also want my teens to learn about state visits, jury trials, the military, and national revival. It would be nice to work on a campaign, to read classic law and government books, and to have some fun hands-on learning experiences.

The Problem:

I couldn’t find what I wanted. I found great government textbooks, but they didn’t talk about the family, the individual, and the church. I found many textbooks that were packed with great information, but were dry and frankly, a little boring.

The Solution:

I will write my own. It will be a little like a unit study, a little like a textbook, and a little like a notebook. So I wrote Government: God’s Blueprint/Man’s Agenda!







Government: God’s Blueprint/Man’s Agenda

How Government: God’s Blueprint/Man’s Agenda is Unique



* Text is written in conversational style like we were drinking coffee and talking

* Course is written with a Christian worldview from a Conservative perspective

* Amazing list of classic/modern living books to choose from each month

* Hands-on/Fun learning: plan & host a state dinner, role-play, help with a political campaign, visit a jury trial, act out a jury trial, plan a political campaign, design promotional media for a political campaign

* Current events worksheets and time to pray together about what’s going on in the world

* 2 leaders/month highlighted to inspire my children to greatness

* Incredible list of optional videos, including a few cartoons



How Government: God’s Blueprint/Man’s Agenda is Set Up

Class/Family time 3 or 4 times a month to discuss, watch a video, and enjoy hands-on learning



Independent work weekly



* Week 1: hero, current events, notebooking, start classic book

* Week 2: Government reading, Self-government (manners) reading,

Add Humanities to Your Home School

In “Add Humanities to Your Home School,” episode #119, Meredith Curtis talks about humanities—art, music, literature, economics, government, philosophy, religion, architecture, and theology. Meredith shares how her family adds humanities to their history and geography studies. You can, too! The easiest way is through unit studies. You can also add history labs and geography labs to those classes. Broaden your horizons and have fun at the same time as you enrich your home school and bless your children and teens.



 



 



 











Powerline Productions, Inc.

Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!

 



 



 







Show Notes

Humanities and education

What are Humanities?

Art, music, literature, economics, government, philosophy, religion, architecture, and theology

Add Art

Art Appreciation



Creating Art in imitation

Add Music

Music Appreciation: List to audio/ Attend Concert



Play music from time period or country on piano, guitar



Sing Songs



Try dancing (e.g. Old English Country Dancing, Twist, Salsa)

Add Art

Art Appreciation



Creating Art in imitation

Add Economics

Exchange Rate from country to country



Economic philosophy/international trade (compare Phoenicians to Sparta)



Natural Resources (Gold in South Africa & Venezuela)



Companies/Businesses (Nestle, Lego, Paddington Bear, KLM, Aldi)

Add Government

Kind of Government: Dictatorship, Communist, Republic, Pure Democracy, Anarchy)



Excellent Government Leaders (King Alfred, Wilberforce)

Add Philosophy

How philosophers impact later generations (Marx, Freud, Locke, Bacon)

Add Religion

Religions in a Country



Response to the Gospel



Famous church leaders, missionaries, Christian businessmen



Holidays

Add Architecture

Build things



Look at Photos of Famous Architecture



Look for similar styles in your home town

Add Theology

Are there promises fulfilled?



How did God deal with people?



How did God show mercy and grace?



Popular theology at different times: indulgences, purgatory



Theologians like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Gregory the Great & what they Believed

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