Entrepreneurship and Our Children

Entrepreneurship and Our Children

Entrepreneurship and our children.


I've been thinking a lot about entrepreneurship lately. (post contains affiliate links).

My son, Nathan, is far from being a typical learner, and he has some unique talents and abilities that don't necessarily show up in traditional school testing.

Many of you saw the train clip he made a few days ago. (And if you didn't, because you haven't subscribed to my email list yet, fill out the form below so you don't miss anything else)! This kind of stuff seems to come naturally to him. The only difficulty is getting him to do stuff that isn't in his current special interest area.

However, it is occurring to me more and more that he doesn't have to have a lot of different things going on.

All he needs to do is find one niche he can concentrate on. Something that he is really good at.

And he can start his own little business doing whatever it is. For example, making videos of trains, posting on You Tube, creating clip art, and selling it on Etsy. That, in essence, is what entrepreneurship is all about.

As Nathan gets closer and closer to working age, I'm finding it to be much more uplifting and much more satisfying to know that he is learning things that he will actually use when he is out of school.

Sure he needs to be able to read and write, understand math, science and history. And he is getting schooled in all of these subjects.

However, the life skills he needs to learn, such as how to budget, how to prepare food, how to create his own products, and how to better interact with others. All of these things he's also learning. And they will serve him much better as an adult than just focusing on the book work.

Since he's going into the 9th grade this fall, I've been thinking more and more about what he will be doing once he gets to the point of starting a career.

And, this blogging thing I've been doing for the past year has given me new trust in the ability of people to do anything they want. Especially if it means thinking outside-of-the-box.

This is why I believe it’s important that we as parents consider entrepreneurship as a possible path that our children may take.

Consider these statistics:

  • Two out of every three jobs created each year are created by entrepreneurs
  • Half of Americans either own or work for a small business.

I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that we as parents should give this entrepreneurship idea some serious thought! With all of the changes that are going on in our country and worldwide, ignoring these facts could lead to our child’s detriment!

So ask yourself: Am I training my children to think like entrepreneurs? Or am I instead training them to think like workers?

The traditional school system tends to teach children to think like workers. And unless we are outside-the-box thinkers, we tend to try to emulate that system in our own homeschooling. I know I did and I still struggle with this concept. But I'm spreading my wings out more and more each year, and I know that you can too!

We need to remember, that a system intentionally designed to create workers who obey orders without thinking, is the absolute opposite of Entrepreneurship.

This is why I was so excited when I first heard about lifechooling! Every year, since I started homeschooling Nathan in 4th grade, I've been gravitating toward this way of thinking without even realizing it.

I have found that by giving my son plenty of free time to explore his God-given gifts, not only am I encouraging him to be creative and think like an Entrepreneur. I am raising a much happier and well-adjusted child.

So, beyond giving your children free time and the chance to explore their talents and abilities, how can lifeschooling help you teach in a way that helps your children become the Entrepreneurs God designed them to be?

This is the purpose of the 2019 Lifeschooling Conference, July 11-13.

To help encourage you and give you tips to help in your important calling of raising children who are happy, well-adjusted, free to be who they were called to be, and true Entrepreneurs in their own right!

There will be speakers who really know their stuff when it comes to entrepreneurship!

So, if you want your kids to not just learn academic facts, but you also want to help them learn how to make a six-figure income without swapping hours for dollars, then you need to attend this conference!

The Lifeschooling Conference is a unique, 3-day, virtual event where pioneer homeschoolers, as well as modern leaders in the movement will come together to show homeschoolers how to “merge life with homeschooling.”

Topics include not only entrepreneurship of our children, but also:

Merging everyday activities with homeschooling

Lifeschooling through mentorships, in the younger years, and in the teen years.

and much more!

Not only that, but you will also get:

Daily Facebook Live devotionals from Ana Willis of “They Call Me Blessed”!

Facebook Live Q&A with speakers after their video sessions, so you can get your questions answered!

A swag bag worth hundreds of dollars (if you choose the All-Access or Premium Access ticket)!

Other perks and freebies if you purchase an upgraded ticket!

Oh, and as I've mentioned several times, it’s FREE.Entrepreneurship and our Kids

So sign up now before you forget.

And you will receive a reminder email when the conference draws closer and when it is ready to start. Not only that, but you can participate in our Facebook group (In fact you don't even have to sign up for the conference to participate in the group–I didn't know this until this week). So if you aren't ready to sign up because you want to know a little bit more, you can join the Facebook group here. I will be there, and hope to see you there!

Last, but certainly not least, if you visit the site (you don't have to sign up for conference), and enter your name in the drawing (scroll down to the bottom of the page), you will have the chance to win a cash prize at the end of the conference. Click the “$200 Summer Cash Giveaway” box to the above/left to enter.

Click here to join us on Facebook. I know you don't want to miss this! The group is awesome, with all sorts of amazing people participating. And it's not a huge group either, currently less than 200, if you're a bit shy, like I am.

Sorry this is so long, but I'm really excited about this conference and you should be too!!!!!

Hope you have a great day and weekend,

Speaking of entrepreneurship and our children…click here for more information on The Etsy MasterClass for Teens

And for an AWESOME and affordable printables class that the whole family can benefit from, click here.

Another I've written to help with teaching your reluctant learners:

10 Ways to Encourage Math and Writing

Ready for Reading Phonics

Ready for Reading Phonics

Ready for Reading PhonicsReady for Reading Phonics – Level 1 is a brand new curriculum recommended for ages 4-6. (Post contains affiliate links).

Ready for reading is a complete, thorough course, from beginning to end, and includes the following course objectives:

Ready for Reading Phonics Course Objectives:

Recognize and name all letters of the alphabet.

Learn initial consonant and short vowel sounds for all 26 letters of the alphabet.

Begin reading words with short vowel letter patterns and consonant blends.

Master 20 sight words.

Ready for Reading Phonics is divided into the following 9 sections:

1) Lesson Plans: Each week a letter of the alphabet is introduced and a flow
of activities is suggested. Alphabet (saying letters), Sounds, Tactile ideas such as clay and sand.

2) Thematic Units: A list of thematic unit ideas for each letter. For example, incorporating other subjects (besides reading, math, writing). This is a great time to pick something your child is interested in!

Jen gives a list of possible subjects. For example, animal types, insect types, fruit types, and tons more.

3) Reading Tips: Ideas for guiding your child and promoting reading in your
home!

4) Assessment Forms: Help with keeping track of letter and sight word mastery.

5) Alphabet Strips: Correspond to flashcards and provide guidance during
reading and writing lessons.

6) Flashcards: All 26 letters, both capital and lowercase. Corresponding
sound/picture card for each letter (available in black+white and color). 100
sight word cards.

7) Worksheets: Each letter of the alphabet has 4 corresponding worksheets.

  • Circle the letters
  • Write the letters
  • Color the beginning sound picture
  • Match the upper and lowercase letters

HELP WITH IDENTIFYING THE LETTERS

Different variants of each letter to help reduce confusion when seeing letters in the “real” world. For example, the letters are shown with different font types, sizes, with upper and lowercase as well.

LOTS OF COLORING AND PICTURES FOR VISUAL LEARNERS

LOTS OF WRITING PRACTICE!

8) Games: 8 ORIGINAL games for fun practice, plus ideas for creating and incorporating
more games and play into your lessons.

ALL THE GRAPHICS YOU NEED TO PRINT AND CREATE YOUR OWN GAME BOARDS.

9) Readers: 10 engaging ORGINAL beginning readers are provided so children can
begin reading and experiencing success!

Flexible lesson plans provide a suggested sequence of letter introductions. However, if you prefer to teach the letters in alphabetical order, or present letters in context of a thematic unit, please feel free to do so!

Alphabet Strips to print and attach to your child’s desk or other work area.

Alphabet and sight word knowledge sheet records so you can keep track of which letters you child knows.

NOTE: You can use the Ready for Reading Phonics curriculum with everyone in your household. And Since it's a printable, this means you can print more than one copy as needed. This will save you money when compared to traditional workbooks, which usually require you to purchase a separate workbook for each child.

You will have the ability to print out a color copy or a black and white copy if you prefer to not use color ink. The Ready for Reading Phonics curriculum is available through Teachable.com and Jennifer Merckling has created videotaped step-by-step instructions to help you set the course up and be ready to roll.

And don't forget to use the code save20 to receive 20% off. But hurry, you don't want to miss this limited time offer.

Other things you might be interested in (within this site):

10 Ways to Encourage Math and Reading

5 Best FREE Nutrition and Exercise Apps

Etsy Masterclass for Teens

Colors of Nutrition Food Science Activity Pack

Creation and our Kids

Creation and our Kids

Why My Son Doesn’t Believe in Evolution – Creation and our kids.

I authored an article recently that is posted on LifeschoolingConference.com 

To avoid confusing Google, I couldn't post the entire article here. However, I have included a short blip to get you started. Read the rest of this well-written, thought-provoking post here.

And after you read my article, don't forget to sign up for the conference. The conference will bless you and it's FREE!

Here are the first few words of the post just to give you a taste of the subject matter:

First to clarify, I want to make sure that everyone reading this understands that there is a distinct difference between macroevolution and microevolution.

Creation and our Kids – Macroevolution versus Microevolution

Macroevolution states, “All things evolve in a positive beneficial direction.” For example, macroevolution is defined as the process by which one type of animal, for example, fish, evolves into a completely different type of animal, for example, amphibian.

This requires an increase in genetic information, which has NEVER BEEN SHOWN to happen.

Natural Selection, on the other hand, is the process whereby organisms adapt to their environment, survive, and thus, produce offspring. Natural Selection is an example of microevolution, which HAS been observed in the laboratory. For example, microevolution is what happens when bacteria develop immunity to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is not the result of click here to read the rest of the article….

For more information on Lifeschooling and to sign up for the FREE conference, click here.

Click here for God Created Dinosaurs Freebie in my store.

To read more about Creation and Evolution:

Why My Son Believes in Catastrophism

When Did Dinosaurs Live?

Did Humans and Dinosaurs Live at the Same Time?

What the Heck is Coelacanth and why should I care?

My Autistic Son Hates School

What Does the Bible Say About Race?

Bunnies: Cute and Cursed

Are Easter and Passover Related?

Click here for Father's Day Gift Ideas

Click here for FREE Father's Day Cards

 

MLK Jr K-12 History Curriculum

MLK Jr K-12 History Curriculum

Sara Bean's MLK Jr K-12 History Curriculum provided me with some surprises. I actually thought all of this time that MLK Jr. was a Christian. Now, I'm not so sure. (Post may contain affiliate links)


For example, a little internet digging will uncover that he didn't hold to the same beliefs about Jesus and the virgin birth. In fact, it appears he denied much of what most Christians believe about the gospel. Also, many sources claim that he was unfaithful to his wife numerous times, including the night before he died.

Another thing I had never heard was that MLK Jr. was beaten by his dad because he didn't believe his son was studious or hard working as he thought he should be. It turns out that MLK Jr. never wanted to be a preacher, though he did eventually receive his doctorate in theological studies.

The first thing to remember when purchasing this MLK Jr K-12 History Curriculum, is that it's meant to be a supplement, as opposed to full-blown curriculum

So, for example, this would be a perfect short unit study to use for MLK Jr.'s birthday or some other time when you want your children to remember MLK Jr. The MLK Jr K-12 history curriculum is not too complicated, so if your kids don't like school, this might even be a great way to break up the “monotony” of school and give your kids a chance to just have some fun.

In other words, you can sneak in some new vocabulary words and reinforce history with this curriculum without bogging down your school day.

As far as activities for the kiddos to learn about Dr. King. There are many. For example,

Martin Luther King Jr. K-12 History Curriculum

Lists of facts

Including details about his college experiences, and how he got involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Also, some of his favorite quotes are included. Information about his boycotts, marches, and movements is also part of the curriculum package.  You will learn about some of the things MLK Jr. struggled with as well.

Vocabulary

For Elementary through 12th grade is included, and I learned some new words!

The number and complexity of the words increases by age. However, all kids can learn all words, if you want. It's up to you as the teacher what words and how many you choose to assign to your kids.

Martin Luther King Jr. Curriculum Review

Creative Writing Projects

Opportunities to write. For example,

  1. School Life – The creation of a school.
  2. Learning and Writing about Rosa Parks.
  3. Your children's opinion on various subjects related to boycotts, Rosa Parks, and civil rights in general.
  4. An opportunity (towards the end of the curriculum) to envision something the student can change, with the inspirational quote, “I Have a Dream” as a backdrop for unique ideas.
  5. An organizational diagram is included to help with brainstorming.

Research and Writing

  1. Writing Prompts – Children are given the opportunity to choose a topic of their own, do their own research. They can choose the  internet or books.
  2. Students have an opportunity to discuss their own opinions about segregation, for example.
  3. Students can express verbally through a speech, drawing (perfect for right-brain thinkers), or traditional writing.

Martin Luther King Jr. Curriculum Review

Arts and crafts Activities

For example, the curriculum pack includes suggestions for researching MLK Jr. quotes and creating bookmarks. Children can make their own unique bookmarks. Here are a couple of examples of what they can do:

MLK Jr. K-12 History Curriculum

Also, a page with blank books so that the child can write the names and authors of books they have read on MLK Jr. They can also decorate and color these books.

Cooking

Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite meal is mentioned in the MLK Jr K-12 History Curriculum, with a suggestion to cook and eat it. Yummy!

And last, but not least, supplemental links are provided to give children even more ideas.

Good Job Sara!

Click here for Sara's K-12 Heart Unit Study Curriculum

10 Ways to Encourage Math and Reading

Healthy Choices to Make When Eating Out

 

Sara Bean’s Heart Unit Study

Sara Bean’s Heart Unit Study

The heart is an extremely complicated organ. No matter how many times I have studied it, including in college, and while teaching my son, I have had difficulty remembering the details. Sara Bean's Heart Unit Study simplifies many of the difficult-to-grasp concepts. This complete curriculum set is for all ages, kindergarten through 12th. (Post contains affiliate links).


Love at Home Education

Three examples of science based unit studies: Sara Bean's Heart Unit Study, Penguin Unit Study and Plant Unit Study.

Adding color and fun to the process of learning always makes learning more fun. with Sara Bean's Heart Unit Study, your children can learn about the heart while having fun.

Sara Bean, from “Love at Home Education” designed this curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Regardless of Your Child's Age, Kindergarten through 12th grade, they will benefit from the Heart Unit Study.

Also, like I said before, remembering the facts of the heart is not as easy as it sounds. So, even if your child has already studied the heart, this cute little study will be perfect for a review.

Also, since the unit study pack provides activities for all school-age levels, if you have several kids at different ages. They can all work on the unit together. This would be an awesome opportunity to practice collaborative learning.

What's Included in the K-12 Heart Unit Study

  1. Heart Sight Words for younger kids with directions on how to use them
  2. Two Heart Words to Learn for Kindergarten through second grade, complete with definitions. Cards can be printed and have a pretty red border.
  3. A total of four words for 3-4 grade (the two previous plus two added).
  4. Two additional for 5-6, another two for 7-8, and two more for 9-12. This may not sound like a lot of words, but the heart is a complex organ and the definitions of these words are hard to remember.
  5. Super interesting heart trivia facts, for example, how many times does a heart beat, how much blood does it pump, and more.
  6. Parts of a heart diagrams – for K-6, for coloring and labeling, with beautiful color pictures and cut and paste labels.
  7. For 7-12, more advanced labeling, learning and memorizing
  8. A black and white diagram for coloring and labeling
  9. Questions on “How Does it Work?”
  10. Memorization exercises for all grade levels
  11. Research assignments for 7-12 grades
  12. Copy writing practice for Kindergarten through 1st
  13. Three Writing prompts for K-1; Three writing prompts for 3-6, with more advanced requirements. For example, sentences to paragraphs. Specific questions are provided.
  14. More advanced writing prompts for 7-12 grade

Love at Home Education

K-6 Parts of Heart – Coloring and Labeling Activity – Sara Bean's Heart Unit Study

And the price for Sarah Bean's Heart Unit Study is right. If you want a digital-only copy, it's just $6.00. She even offers the option to purchase a digital and printed copy as a set, for only $10 plus shipping (which is very reasonably priced).

One thing I want to mention, since I have a son with learning challenges.

Just because a curriculum is set up for specific grade levels doesn't mean you have to stick strictly to each grade level.

For example, if your child is in third grade but is still struggling to form letters with a pencil. In this situation, I would strongly suggest to use the copy work exercises in the heart study, even if he or she is older than the stated age.

Writing stuff down helps everyone learn better.

And don't forget something important. Typing can be a form of copy work as well. If you have a child like mine, who is now 14, and has too many writing assignments to do, for example. It would not be time-efficient to make them write everything down. Instead, have him or her type some of the work. It's okay to allow your child to type instead of handwrite everything.

Never Forget: The Goal is Learning

So, if your child is in 1st grade, is brilliant, and can handle the 7-12 grade activities, then give it to them! Whatever is developmentally appropriate is, well, appropriate. 🙂

I have discovered that kids never really outgrow the “hands-on” stage despite that most traditional schools stop hands-on work for most subjects. So, no matter how old your kids are, they're not to old for some hands-on work! All of Sarah's unit studies, including the heart study, will give your children plenty of opportunities to do hands-on activities.

To check out this awesome heart unit study, and to grab a copy for yourself, click here.

About Homeschooling Dietitian Mom

For other k-12 curriculum reviews, click here.

For Sara's MLK Jr. K-12 History Curriculum, click here.

For a book review on a cute book about what snow teaches us about God, click here.