Life Link Learning Studio

https://ncca.gov.ph/2021/04/21/filipino-values-primer/

A STUDY ON FILIPINO VALUES (A Primer) - National Commission for Culture and the Arts   As part of the government’s Filipino Values Formation Program, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) conducted this research that seeks to determine different values upheld across continue reading →

After some time with paper crafts (paper tearing, mosaic, origami, etc), sketching, videos (stop motion and video editing), Play Doh (clay animation/stop motion), we've been looking into additional art forms related to nature study. So excited to try inspired by David M Bird's "Becorns" ( https://www.pbs.org/video/the-magical-miniature-world-of-becorns-mdsb2z/ ).

To know more about David M. Bird and his work, please visit the following:

https://www.davidmbird.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6q7I1DD2Jv5Ur9UEIavIrA
https://www.instagram.com/davidmbird/

Art Inc. | Acorns to Becorns | Episode 1 | PBS Artist David M. Bird turns acorns into Becorns.

Because I need to re-orient myself, I'm watching this free video workshop tonight. Sign up and log in to access this resource anytime, while it's available.
https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/inside-a-charlotte-mason-home-school-free-video-workshop/

Inside a Charlotte Mason Home School (Free Video Workshop) - Simply Charlotte Mason Take a look at a typical day in the life of families who use the Charlotte Mason Method in this FREE video workshop.

What's one quick and effective way to keep our patience from running out?

PAUSING.

Pause before saying anything we don't have the energy or willingness to filter.

Pause to pray.

Pray to give thanks--having been reminded that we are enabled to be patient, without holding grudges or being resentful:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:22-26 (New International Version)

How about you? What helps you from losing your cool?

Good and balanced nutrition is something we look into for our children.

Sanayin po natin ang mga bata na kumain ng mga masusustansyang pagkain tulad ng gulay at root crops.

Medyo extra challenging po ito for working/work-from-home home educators kasi homecooked meals/homemade po ang magiging go-to option po natin. Pero, eventually, we'll get a hang of it, and we'll see the many benefits.

How do we start?

Admittedly, mas madali ang training in the early years pero habit changes to food intake are welcome in any age. For the purpose of this post, let's focus on the toddlers. There are many ways do this, but in our situation what worked was a four-day training.

In our case, we cooked the same dish for four consecutive days for a specific meal time. This is not reheated food for the whole stretch of four days.

For example, for lunch, we'll have something with pechay. On the first "gulay training day", the child will just have one or two bites. The next two days, two to three bites. On the fourth day, four or more bites. Because the child only takes a few bites to start, there is a second homecooked dish prepared that maybe of fish or meat (not processed food).

The following week, only the vegetable dish (in our example, pechay) is prepared for dinner, for, say, Monday and Thursday. Also in the same week, a different vegetable dish is set for the four-day training. Eventually, an array of vegetables and greens fill your regular meal plans.

Another thing that helps is having the child help in caring for your vegetable garden. The process in itself is an amazing experience and hands-on learning for the child.

As the years go by, the child can help in food preparation. Tearing kangkong for sinigang, washing the rice, sorting chopped ingredients, harvesting vegetables from the small garden, etc.

Now, every time my son sits down for a meal, not only does he enjoy and prefer vegetables (and other homemade meals), but he appreciates the blessing of what it takes to have nutritious food on the table.

How about in your own homeschool, what worked well for you in encouraging/training your child/dren to eat their vegetables? :)

"Because there are so many good books, you might as well read one that brings you joy because life is just too short not to.

On the other hand, the greatest pleasures are those that are born of some labor and investment. So a book that requires nothing from you might bring the same kind of diversion that watching a half-hour sitcom brings to you, but it’s unlikely to provide intellectual, aesthetic, or spiritual rewards long after the cover is closed.

So, therefore, even as you seek books that you will enjoy reading, demand ones that make demands on you. Books with sentences so exquisitely crafted that you have to reread them. Familiar words used in fresh ways and new words so evocative that you are compelled to look them up. Images and ideas so arresting that they return to you unbidden for days to come."

-Karen Swallow Prior | Want to Read Great Literature? Start Here | TGC Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE2W1ixDuXw
(Excerpt here is from the transcript at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/great-literature-start-here/); Edited for better readability)

TGC Podcast: Want to Read Great Literature? Start Here. Reading is a supernatural gift from God. Karen Swallow Prior addresses why, how, and what to read.

How did your child learn to love reading?
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My son was able to read on his own by the time he was four years old. He was able to read a few words with me like a duet read-aloud when he was three. It wasn't just decoding, but also understanding what he read.

He now has extra books for his free reading aside from the readings from the curriculum we're using. I hope he continues to love good readings all his life.

How did we get here?

I'm sharing this in case one family or home educator might want to try some of what our family did. There may be a research study somewhere related to this, but at that time I was testing this, I just realized something and just explored it. The strategy may not be effective to some. There other ways to go about helping a child read with comprehension, so please go ahead with those.

Did we jump straight into phonics? No. But we did get into phonics when my son was able to show understanding that letters "have" different sounds and as we prepared for his formal academics. Our family started this page around the same time, just so to document snippets of our "intentional" homeschooling.

We go way back when he was still a few months old.

We started with sounds around us, as naturally as they happen at first. He was able to recognize his family's voices. We even played games about this.

We have pets so, eventually, he was able to recognize if the sound came from a cat, from a dog, from the neighbor's rooster, from the birds, etc.

Then I played different animal sounds and just talked with him about it, like telling short stories.

Eventually, he was able to babble a syllable after hearing a sound. He would attempt to mimic the sound or say the name of the animal producing the sound.

Around the same time, we've started reading aloud at specific times during the day. I've also introduced songs for vocabulary building, among other things.

I used picture books, talking about real objects around the house or from the supermarket. During reading sessions, I would slowly read while pointing at the words I was reading. It was more like making my fingers slowly glide per line, not really pointing and stopping at every word.

By the time he's able to talk in complete sentences, we would start reading by looking at the illustration related to the text on the page. We start with him telling me what he sees in the picture, practicing his observation skills. After that, we'd read the text and have conversations about what he just read. And, yes these read aloud sessions took longer because of these beautiful conversations in between readings.

Our reading dynamic is quite different now (because we now have extra books for free reading), but that's for a different post.

We are still in early grade school level, so we have a long way to go as far the big picture in education is concerned.

Just sharing this small part of our learning to read journey, in case one family might it helpful. Please don't get frustrated and please speak gently with the child. Spend time with the child, enjoy the conversations, look at each other, and read good books.

Our family is on our 3rd week in our new "school year" or homeschooling term. So far, we are happy that our homeschool curriculum provider has a year-round enrollment.

Our previous term (for an entire grade level this year), which started in March, was completed in August/September (including submission of grades, placing of new materials for the next grade level, etc).

I'm glad that homeschooling has been working well for our family, so far. It's a huge commitment from working/entrepreneur parents.

I am sincerely grateful to seasoned homeschooling parents who have generously shared their stories on various platforms.

How about you? Have you tried homeschooling before? How was your/your family's experience?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157985866080636&id=49531385635

FEBC's Classical Music Station receives NCCA Award

Manila's fine music station, 98.7 DZFE "The Master's Touch" has been recognized as an outstanding contributor to Filipino music in the first SUDI National Music Awards of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

98.7 DZFE is FEBC's radio station devoted to classical and fine music. For 67 years, the FM station continues to share the love and appreciation for the music of the masters, which ultimately point to the finished work of the Master.

Congratulations, DZFE! To God be the glory!

Don't miss the official awards ceremony on August 21 and 28 at 7:00PM via NCCA's official page and YouTube channel.

Read more about it here: https://dzfe.febc.ph/dzfe-receives-ncca-award/

Wishing everyone a happy Friday. :)

I just noticed that the Notes section isn't here anymore. For those who didn't know, I put all the helpful links to resources there. I'll repost them on our blog instead before the end of July.

This year has been a very busy one for our family as we feel we have a lot of catching up to do due to the delays/detours/stops in 2020. Our new term started in March 2021 and we're about to end in July or mid-August. I'm thankful that our homeschool curriculum provider has a system that's geared towards a child's individual progress and achievement. We can move forward with lessons quickly or take more time on some.

Tomorrow, it's another day for admin work for me. Reviewing our week, and looking into matters we're about to wrap up for this term.

Looking back, I'm really grateful for the habit training we focused on for the first few years before introducing formal education. I'm grateful for the veteran/seasoned homeschooling families who really made a tremendous effort in sharing their experiences.

We're a homeschooling family "in the trenches." We have a long way to go.

How's the homeschooling experience been for you and your family? What pressing concerns do you have right now?

Happy and safe Sunday 😊
https://www.facebook.com/132969930051746/posts/4782833521732007/

Start the morning bright with hymns celebrating the grandeur of creation on SING FOR JOY. Our BACH CANTATA OF THE WEEK, "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" (I had much grief), BWV 21, demonstrates that reconciliation with God through Jesus is sweet indeed. “Why do the nations rant? Why do the peoples rave uselessly?” We’ll hear these opening verses from Psalm 2 in a variety of settings on HARMONIA Early Music.

In Romans 9, Paul argues that ultimately, the story of Jacob and Esau is about “God’s purpose in election—not because of works, but because of him who calls.” On the WHITE HORSE INN, Shane Rosenthal discusses this with Dr. Iain Duguid.
Listen via the web: http://sg-icecast.eradioportal.com:8000/febc_dzfe

After five weeks of rest, reset, evaluation of our homeschooling so far, and some admin work, we're now on Day 2 of our new term.

I just noticed that we've been homeschooling for four years now--with our earlier years spent on testing and studying whether this new thing (at least for our family) would work.

I've mentioned before that I was on the fence about homeschooling because the responsibility is daunting. It definitely is not for everyone. But for us, the commitment to the process has been a joy to our family.

Every day is different. Every single day is cherished.

We still have a long way to go, but we just need to get better at our goals one day at a time.

In one of my June 2019 posts, I mentioned that Consistency, Continuity, and Creativity in our homeschooling have been very helpful to us.

When immediate quarantine protocols were imposed in March 2020, our family was actually looking forward to my son's moving up or graduation practice. Understandably, everything went to a screeching halt--from our business to normal coordination with our curriculum provider.

How were we able to continue homeschooling while observing health and safety guidelines? Supplementary resources/activities, reviews, good books (traditional and digital), readily available homeschooling supplies, learning from what's currently happening, and many more.

Our family had already adjusted to our new routine, which included formal academics already, so supporting the good habits already in place was important. By the time the quarantine guidelines relaxed a bit and our coordination with our provider resumed, we were able to ease in smoothly to the continuation of our homeschooling term.

The situation hasn't been easy, but it definitely isn't hopeless. I'm sure there are also countless stories of how God carried families through even in the most impossible circumstances.

If there's anything that gave me peace and motivation to focus my eyes on, it is this: knowing and believing that I can rely on God and that He is the strength of my heart.

Cue humming "Great is Thy Faithfulness." ☺️

When my son turned two years old and showed interest in reading, our family decided to be "intentional" in homeschooling. At that time, homeschooling was a lifestyle choice (it still is for us.)

Because of my son's age and interests then, almost everything we did during those early and discovery phases revolved around play and authentic family moments—essentially being authentic learning experiences.

What authentic learning experiences did/do you enjoy as a homeschooling family?

Grateful for lessons learned in 2020. Indeed, the peace, comfort, and joy of God's promise that He is truly with us—it's not just a traditional seasonal celebration. Through tough times and miraculous moments, God's grace is more than enough.

Thankful that God provided for our curriculum materials. Excited to take the next couple of days to review and prepare before we officially start our new term.

We maintained a homeschool routine even throughout the early months of the quarantine. We enjoyed the books and other resources we already have and are readily available online. Maybe I'll share a couple of snippets of what we did in case one family would find them helpful in their situation.

Praying with fellow parent-teachers/home educators who also work from home or are entrepreneurs. 🙏

Life Link Learning Studio updated their phone number.

I just downloaded the second edition of "Opening the World through Journaling: Integrating art, science, and language arts" and "How to Teach Nature Journaling" from https://johnmuirlaws.com/journaling-curriculum/. Using these to prepare me better for nature journaling.

Nature Journaling Curriculum Opening the World Through Nature Journaling, a curriculum produced by John Muir Laws and the California Native Plant Society presents free, standards based, activities to engage students in nature study through journaling.

Excited for tomorrow!
https://www.facebook.com/101269178240429/posts/118032109897469/

Tomorrow, we open the First Online Philippine Homeschool Conference! With over 4,800 registrants all over the world asking different questions on homeschooling, we bring you our full list of speakers and guests who will help guide you through the ins and outs of learning in the new normal. Parents, students, educators, and leaders—all are welcome to join.

Be part of the OPHC Global Community by registering at http://bit.ly/RegisterOPHC2020, once you get the confirmation at the end of the form you're good to go! Tag a friend and encourage a family to watch on the comments section below!

Special thanks to our official media partners When In Manila and ABS-CBN Books.

Children's Picture Books (Bookshelf) at Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Children%27s_Picture_Books_(Bookshelf)

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg offers free eBooks to download.

Communication is very important in homeschooling. Most of the time, the indicator of how your day's going to be is the tone of the voice--for the entire day.

How's your homeschool week? Whether it went smoothly or extra challenging, take this weekend to rest and recharge while still complying with ECQ guidelines.

Check out this post from Simply Charlotte Mason for ideas, resources, and activities your family may want to try during the current situation. You can also watch Sonya Shafer’s Laying Down the Rails: The Power of Good Habits workshop video available for free through April 15. https://simplycharlottemason.com/be-home/

Be Home — Simply Charlotte Mason As homeschoolers, we’re used to being at home with our children and interacting with them all day. But recent events have caused a disruption of activities we participate in regularly. Some of our non-homeschooling friends have certainly been caught by surprise in a big way as well. The Simply Cha...

Homebound: Free Online Conference is presented by Brave Writer and The Well-Trained Mind. Replays are available to EVERYONE (registration not necessary for replay) at https://bravewriter.com/about/homebound/homebound-conference.

Following the plot of Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea," Russian animator Aleksandr Petrov and his son, Dmitri, painted a total of 29,000+ frames of pastel oil paintings on glass for this animated short film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNCxNntn2yc

Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea_(1999_film), http://www.openculture.com/2009/09/the_old_man_the_sea_animated.html

The Old Man and the Sea – Short, Animation Recipient of the Academy Award for Best Short Animated Film in 2000, The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of an elderly fisherman. Santiago is a proud man...

"Let the child alone, and he will learn the alphabet for himself: but few mothers can resist the pleasure of teaching it; and there is no reason why they should, for this kind of learning is no more than play to the child, and if the alphabet be taught to the little student, his appreciation of both form and sound will be cultivated. When should he begin? Whenever his box of letters begins to interest him. The baby of two will often be able to name half a dozen letters; and there is nothing against it so long as the finding and naming of letters is a game to him. But he must not be urged, required to show off, teased to find letters when his heart is set on other play." Home Education, Volume 1 of the Charlotte Mason Series, pp. 202-203

Still about consistency in homeschooling, there is admin work involved. In our case, we already have two years' worth of notes, journals, and files of our activities.

At first, I just let my child draw, paint, play, read, count, watch educational videos, sing, listen to music, etc. Even before that, when my child was still a baby, we communicated through a little sign language while I trained his ear/listening to scaffold towards communicating and reading.

As we, his parents, spend time with him in all these activities, we're able to observe and help in building up or improving certain areas by taking notes.

These notes have been helping us in the continuity aspect of homeschooling.

Because of consistency, we're able to figure out a few assessment strategies and tools that work for us. This is the exciting part because not only does the child learn and grow, but also us parents--with all the roles we also have--learn and grow as well.