homeschool question

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This is my first full year of homeschooling, I'm going to need access to encyclopedias, our library is a 24 mile round trip, so I'd like to invest in my own set. Does anyone know of a publisher that offers Christian based ones, I don't want the secular ones, they are filled with the evolution theory (in every letter it seems) it's sometimes subtle but...still there, & I don't choose to support it. I don't want to rely on the internet for everything, kids need to learn how to look things up in books too! Thanks for any info. you can give me.

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), September 28, 2000

Answers

New encyclopedias can be very expensive. I have seen give-away sets in yard sales, fleas markets, and in public schools that are upgrading to internet encyclopedias. Definitely a frugal alternative to buying the new ones....

-- Liz Rhein (merhein@shentel.net), September 28, 2000.

Although I respect your decisions regarding the education of your children, the state mey not. Your children will have to have a decent working knowledge of evolution (although they don't have to be taught to believe it) before they will be able to pass the science portions of the standardized tests. Plus, few colleges, aside from religious-based campuses, will accept students who don't have a clear, scholastic understanding of the principles and theories of evolution and it's workings. Just a thought.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 28, 2000.

Lenore, save your money. Don't buy a set. You are already hooked to the web. Look for places that are Christian oriented and go from there. I'll ask Queen Buffness if she knows any place that will help you.

I think if you just start teaching them to be discerning about this subject you won't have a problem anyway. You know " train them up in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it"

How old are your kids? Also, the first year seems to be a learning experience for everyone involved. They may not learn all of what you had in mind, but they will learn. We've been home schooling for about 10 years now. Only 1 left at home. I suppose we should have done some things different. Oh well. 2 older ones in college and doing fine. If you teach them to be profficient in the 3 R's, there is nothing they cannot learn. Instill in them the desire to learn and you've got it made. Drop a line to the wife, she can probably help. Queenbuffness@hotmail.com Enjoy, and remember who's in charge.

-- John in S IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), September 28, 2000.


Lenore,by all means DON'T buy a print encyclopaedia. The Encyclopaedia Britannica Online is all the encyclopaedia you need. Used textbooks at college bookstores can be a source of cheap, in depth info on writing, mathmatics, and science.

Good luck in your homeschooling venture.

-- Rags in Alabama (RaggedReb@aol.com), September 29, 2000.


I think your children's attitudes about evolution will be absorbed from you more than from articles they read. Better to invest in some good books on creation from Creation Research Institute that explain the truth. That way, no matter where or when they encounter the theory of evolution, they can apply logic and proven facts and come up with their own solution. You'd be surprised how many Christians don't fully believe is a viable theory, and so even Christian literature is often riddled with evolutionary thought. Good luck.

-- glynnis in KY (gabbycab@msn.com), September 29, 2000.


Also, another good website for Christian Science, Answers In Genesis. My son's favorite. We've homeschooled for 10 yrs., this is our 11 and I love this computer thing!! It doesn't hurt to let the kids learn what "the other side" believes. Personally, if people want to believe they descend from monkeys, let them... From what I can see, they generally act like it, anyway. I would go ahead and buy a used set of encyclapedias anyway. At a garage sale, auction, and I've seen them at Salvation Army stores, the DAV, everywhere.

-- Louise Whitley (whitley@terraworld.net), September 29, 2000.

If you can find a complete set of really old encyclopedias, pre- tractor farming, it won't have all the latest scientific discoveries, history, etc., but it will have information of farming, livestock, equipment, etc., that has been altered or completely dropped from more recent encyclopedias. Get a more recent set, too, if you want -- we had World Book for years, until we contributed them to the library at our church's school, and recommend it -- but you don't really need a brand-new set. They are VERY expensive, and of course some of the info is out-of-date even before they are printed. I know what you mean about evolution being in everything -- it is a primary underlying philosophy of this age, and you can't totally escape it. Do as others have suggested above, and get books appropriate to your childrens age levels from Creation Science Research -- get a few for your own reading, too -- the children will eventually be old enough to benefit from them. As long as you are teaching them the truth from the Bible and from good Christian texts they won't swallow evolution. At least, mine didn't!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 29, 2000.

Thank you for such great responses, I've not priced a set so I was probably being naive in thinking about a new one. My mom has a complete set I could use but it's older than I am, but as Kathleen said I could still use them, & verify info when needed by internet. John, I just have one, he's in 3rd grade. Soni, thanks for your thoughts, I'd like to think he'll choose one of the fine Christian colleges in this country like we did, but if he doesn't I know he needs to be prepared & it's not that we've hidden it from him, he's watched all the Kent Hovind tapes (www.drdino.com) several times. I guess the best way I can explain it is if the tables were turned; an atheist wouldn't want to buy a set of encyclopedias that were filled with the Christian faith, likewise I don't want to support something that contradicts it. Thanks again everyone, I'm going to save my money for now.

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), September 29, 2000.

As the others have already stated , all of the major encyclopedia sources have excellent web sites. As far as your concerns about the evolution aspect, remember, it is simply a "theory", not a "Law". It is important to have exposure to all knoweledge in order to formulate ones own beliefs and opinions. Without a difference of opinion, this forum would not exist. Don't worry about excluding information , instead teach your children well, taking them by the hand as you review the information that is available and interject your opinions.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 29, 2000.

Hi Lenore. I am in my third year homeschooling. Next month, I will be purchasing a new curriculum. I chose the Robinson Self-Teaching Curriculum. It is a 22 CD ROM set that you print out the books and material from your computer. Included is the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica and the 1913 Noah Webster's Dictionary.

Go to www.robinsoncurriculum.com It has all the information and a forum to ask questions of other users. Everyone I talk to who uses it loves it and won't be going back to other curriculums.

Have fun at school!

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), September 30, 2000.



Thanks Laura, I'm going to be gone for a week, I'll check it out when I get back. My first week without this forum since I became addicted, what will I do?:-)

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), September 30, 2000.

I have homeschooled 12 years now. My oldest in Ok. State University. I lived oversees mostly so had no English library. I bought a set of encyclopedias and didn't use them(several thousand dollars). I used A-Beka most of the way through. My daughter was taught evolution though A-Beka (how to argue for Creation). She has no problems in a secular University now and infact is a role model to quite a few of her peers. By the way she was accepted at all the Universities she applied for and some(the one she is going to) a full tuition and free room & board. It cost me 25.00 this last term! So don't worry about college or wasting a tun of money on books. Just get a good curriculum and stick with it.

-- Debbie Wolcott (bwolcott@cwis.net), September 30, 2000.

I am so excited for you! My last homeschooler graduated two years ago and I still miss it!!! Surround your home with books books books. Even if the library is a ways away, will they let you check out several books? Ours had a very lenient policy and we could check out about 20 as long as we got them back on time!

Also don't worry about them needing to know evolution to get into a "good" college, I don't think so.....they can read one article and get all the info they'll need to back away fromthat!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), October 01, 2000.


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