As a homeschooler, one of my primary interests is how bills such as NJ’s Childrens’ Bill of Rights affect my choice to homeschool.

But this one is different - it will affect ALL parents and ALL children and EVERY taxpayer in NJ.

Carolee Adams, the president of Eagle Forum in New Jersey, has formed an advocacy group on Facebook called “STOP S.2334 - THE NEW JERSEY CHILDREN’s BILL OF RIGHTS!” In her recent post she states:

This Bill represents another unfunded mandate of the already bankrupt State of New Jersey,and a Bill that will undermine the sacred role of parental rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Under S2334, those parental rights will then be transferred to the State which will then have the unequivocal authority to decide what is in the best interests of the child in matters concerning health, safety, well-being, and physical and mental development. This intrusive Bill expands the role of the State into the privacy of the family structure in countless ways…

In June of 2006, I posted an article in my blog by homeschooling mom Alexandra Cohen about how her husband, the editor of the Brussels Journal was threatened with prosecution by Belgian authorities because they felt he had not adequately educated his children, and hence, neglected his duties as a parent, which is a criminal offense in Belgium.

This criminal offense is a function of Belgium’s status as a signatory nation on the totalitarian power grab known as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the same treaty that the sponsors of S.2334 are using as the basis for this dangerous New Jersey bill.

Michael Farris pointed out that in 1995 “the United Kingdom was deemed out of compliance” with the Convention “because it allowed parents to remove their children from public school sex-education classes without consulting the child.” The HSLDA chairman said that, “by the same reasoning, parents would be denied the ability to homeschool their children unless the government first talked with their children and the government decided what was best. Moreover, parents would no longer have the right to bring up their children according to their own philosophical or religious beliefs, as the government, following the guidelines of a UN “committee of experts” would determine what religious teaching, if any, served the child’s best interest.”

Under President Obama, we are likely to see the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, CEDAW, and other UN treaties that have never been ratified brought up for another vote, sweeping us farther away from constitutional law. Obama has openly promised to “embrace the rule of international law.”

New Jersey, always proud to line up behind anything that will further tax or regulate its beleagured citizens, is only the first of many states that will be willing to pass similar bills.

Susan Critelli will mark 20 years of homeschooling in 2009! She has been blogging since 2006 about the challenges of juggling homeschooling and a home business at Mixing Home Business and Home Schooling, and is a regular contributor to Moms In The Right.

What is a unit study?

A unit study, often called a thematic or topical study is simply a method of incorporating all subject matters into the study of a given topic. Simply put, unit studies allow for immersion into a topic of interest by including all subjects — history, science, reading, writing, math — in the study of the topic.

Suppose your daughter, like mine, loves horses. One of the first units that we did together was about horses. While I like to mingle the subjects together, sometimes it’s easier to look at the possibilities separately, so that you get an idea of how the various subjects can be covered within a single topic.

Language Arts.

Research and write a report on a specific breed of horse. Write a fictional story about a horse. Read Justin Morgan Had a Horse, then write your own story about the origins of a breed of horse, real or fictional.

History.

Explore horses’ roles in man’s history. Learn about how horses came to be introduced to America. Research the controversies involving wild horse populations in America today.

Science.

Study and label the anatomy of a horse. Compare and contrast the anatomy with various other mammals. Create a notebook depicting the different breeds and coloration of horses. Learn about how and why various breeds developed.

Math.

Horses are measured in “hands.” Find out the equivalence of a “hand” and figure out the height of different horse breeds in feet. Measure, in hands, things around your house — Mom, Dad, the dog, your little brother!

Field Trips.

Visit a horse stable to see what is involved in caring for a horse. Take a trail ride.

Unit studies offer a fun, hands-on method for covering the typical subjects while offering high retention value due to the interest level of the student.

Kris can typically be found blogging about faith, family and life with her three Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
Photo by zoned_dk

The winner of this fantastic DVD is Jenny from Petalz & Finz. I know you and your kids will love it! Mine are still asking to watch it more than a week later.

Thank you to everyone who went to the Readeez Website and found the word Simulsynchrotaneous. You can get your very own copy of the DVD by clicking the DVD cover above.

The decision to keep my children out of public school was not a difficult decision for me. The what, where, when, and how of schooling was.

For at least a year the decision would grab my attention at the oddest times and make me worry. I would feel the panic rising. There are so many more options today as compared to when I was in private school.

What is the best for my child? I know that the best for another child might not be the best for mine. How can I figure out what is best? Just making the decision was a relief. Then a whole new set of worries sprung up.

What if they fall behind and are embarrassed? What if I do it all wrong? Who am I to teach my child?

I’m his mother that’s who!

God doesn’t make mistakes. That includes giving me this child. That includes giving me the ability and knowledge I need to take care of, raise, and even teach this child.

With that in mind I planned a schedule and proceeded to do all the typical things a newbie homeschooler does.

I’m not perfect. No mother is Superwoman. [I don't think her outfit would hide my leftover baby belly, anyways.]

I decided to let go of the worry and guilt, pray, and do my best for my children.

The rest is in the Lord’s hands.

Jendi is a Christian, wife, and SAHM of 3 who blogs at Jendis Journal about crazy kid stuff (aka daily life), books, and random thoughts that make it through her “Mommy Brain. She is just starting her homeschool adventure and is sure that veteran homeschooling moms would shake their heads at what she does.

When I think about going on field trips, I often think about day-long, very planned out excursions. But, field trips don’t have to be that way. A field trip can be as simple as a trip to the gas station, as long as you take the time to make sure that your students are learning from the experience.

Here are some ideas of simple field trips that might not automatically come to mind when thinking of field trips (some can involve either minimal planning or can become a huge project — it all depends on what you are looking to add to your school day, as well as the days leading up to and following your field trip):

• Gas Station

• Amtrak (ride on it to a nearby city, across the country, or just visit the station)

• The downtown area of your town or a local town

• Local Newspaper Publisher

• Your place of worship (or another one — maybe from your denomination or something totally different. If you are going to one different than your own, you might want to take someone of that denomination with you to answer questions, or you’ll need to research your trip)

• Dad / Grandma / Mom / Uncle Joe’s Place of Employment

• Voting Polls

• Grocery Store

• Local Festivals

• A ride on local public transportation

• Trip to your alma mater (especially if it’s not a far trip!)

• The library

• Laundromat

• Camera Shop

• Local Bakery or Restaurant

• Floral Market

What are some of your favorite simple field trips?

Angie can be found writing at both Many Little Blessings and The Homeschool Classroom when she can manage to not be driving around in the mini van.

photo by Terry Freedman