Poetry Page

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Adventurers Wanted - Book Clubs, Part 1

Let's talk book clubs. Ours was so much fun today!

Once upon a time, the vision in my head of a book club was adults sitting around with something akin to tea and crumpets, philosophizing and expounding on the virtues of Victorians or the vices of Russian authors.  (Sorry to my Russian readers. I still haven't recovered from reading Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment as a teen.  Maybe I should revisit it as an adult to make peace with it?)  I envisioned a book club for youth to be a cross between that and the discussions we had in my AP English classes in high school.  

When my three younger children needed some sort of activity to do with friends that was both social and educational, I decided each needed his/her own book club, but they needed to be reinvented book clubs.  Thus, I've tried to tap in to both the needs and personalities of the members of each club, and also tap into the ideas and activities in the books.

In "Book Clubs, Part 1" I'll share a detailed narrative of today's meeting.  In "Book Clubs, Part 2" I'll share highlights of past book clubs to give you a range of examples of ideas.  

The reading for today's book club meeting* was the first of the "Adventurers Wanted" series, Slathbog's Gold.  Most of the boys cruised ahead and have also already read the rest of the books in the series that are published to date.  These books were a big hit with the boys.

First, I posted a sign on my front door in invisible ink to begin the adventure, representing the magic sign main character Alex saw that started him on his first adventure.

Next, I measured each boy for his weapons, just as Alex was measured in the book.  I handed each boy the weapons they measured for, which included things like a boom-a-rang, a giant fly swatter, a plastic baseball bat, a rope.  (These were just cheap things I purchased at the dollar store.)  I then checked that everyone had their "magic bags" (backpacks) loaded with lunch, liquids, and their new weapons, and we headed out for a four-mile bike ride from my house to a trail head at the mouth of a nearby canyon.

My best laid plans went awry before we even arrived because I had tasked my older boys to get there before us and lay wait in the woods to ambush the book club boys like the bandits in the book, but my older boys underestimated how fast the younger boys would ride their bikes, therefore those of us on bikes got to the trail first.  To distract the younger boys, I sent them through the woods to the river so my older boys could sneak ahead on the trail in the opposite direction.  

Now, being boys, and Cub Scouts, they didn't leave home without pocket knives, which means they immediately took to the trees and sawing off some limbs and skinning them for  swords.

Then we began the hike.  They made whistles of snake grass along the way.

We had hiked long past the point where I thought my older boys would be hiding.  Here's where the whole thing got really adventurous.  I forgot to mention that earlier I accidentally encountered what I assumed was a man relieving himself on the other side of the river.  We reached a point on the trail where we were kind of closed in and anyone could be hiding in all sorts of places.  As the boys paused to look at the river, a rock landed in it that none of us had thrown.  The boys looked at each other. Rocks began to fly over our heads and bushes were shaking.  It alarmed the younger boys; they shouted out some brave threats and then kept going on the trail, looking back over their shoulders.  They saw more movement and could tell that someone was following us.  I secretly called my oldest son to see if that was him behind us, and he said that it wasn't.  So I became alarmed, thinking back to the guy I'd seen earlier.  As we trudged ahead, the younger boys continued to spot someone dashing here and crawling there from bush to bush.  I kept wondering how much further until we reached my big boys.  The younger boys were under the impression that I'd hidden treasure somewhere along the trail and they wanted to find it already and get out of there.  

All of a sudden P1 came running over the hill at us with a club.  The younger boys freaked out, until they realized who it was.  I told them he was a bandit and to go get him and claim his treasure. But the treasure was with P2, who had gone running back the other way.  Long hike and long story short, the younger boys finally did catch P2, "beat him up," and won his treasure.  (If you're thinking this sounds awful, it was all play, and you have to read the book to see that this wasn't teaching delinquency.)

The treasure was gold and gems, aka Rolos and Ring Pops.

I should also mention that the adventure was heightened by the intermittent rain that fell, which the boys pointed out was perfect because the adventurers in the book got caught in a storm as well. 

After all this, my older boys went home and the book club boys went back to their tree to eat their lunches. We talked about the book as we sat there.  After spending another hour or so in the woods, climbing some more, whittling some more, walking the river, and having a knife throwing contest, we rode our bikes the four miles home, stopping to inspect three road-killed snakes along the way.  It was a grand adventure, perfect for the book we read, but also an example of turning reading into more than just a solitary, sedentary activity.

*Normally there are six boys in this book club.  It's been hard trying to jive everyone's schedules this summer.

A funny side note is that when I woke my older boys this morning and gave them some instructions for the day, which also included some economics reading, P2 rolled over and said, "Fantastic. School work and I get to get beat up.  Great day."

Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

This past General Conference my family took the opportunity to attend a session in person at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was a great experience!  (I will say that we probably get more out of the talks sitting at home watching due to fewer distractions.  But there are other things that move and inspire when you're there in person.) We attended the Sunday afternoon session.  It was of course awesome the moment the prophet, President Monson, walked into the center to take his seat, all the hum of the masses of people immediately going silent as everyone stood to honor him. It was also interesting to see all the behind-the-scenes movement that doesn't make the screen at home.  I was especially appreciative of all the help that Elder Packer received as I have always enjoyed learning from him.

This morning I was revisiting his address from that session.  He, though sitting of necessity in a chair, stood as a strong witness that session, bearing an unwavering testimony through a voice physically weakening.  The part of his testimony that stood out to me was this:

"One eternal truth that I have come to know is that God lives.  He is our Father.  We are His children.  'We believe in God, the Eternal Father, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.' (Articles of Faith 1:1)

"Of all the other titles that He could have used, He chose to be called 'Father.'  The Savior commanded, 'After this manner therefore pray ye:  Our Father who art in heaven' (3 Nephi 13:9; Matthew 6:9).  His use of the name 'Father' is a lesson for all as we come to understand what it is that matters most in this life. 

"Parenthood is a sacred privilege, and depending upon faithfulness, it can be an eternal blessing.  The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and their children can be happy at home."

 

The above reminded me of one of my favorite Mormon Messages, "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father."

 

The Parent-Child relationship is one I feel very strongly with God.  In all His Glory, He is approachable because I am His daughter and He loves me--and I know it.  President Uchtdorf said it so beautifully a few years ago, "This is a paradox of man:  compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God." 

My Heavenly Father's patient, personal, unfailing parenting of me is the perfect example for me to learn how to parent my children, who belonged to Him first.

The Elder - Three PEGS Down, One to Go

My 18-year-old was ordained an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood today. In some ways it felt rushed, and in others it felt overdue. Normally we've had at least one grandfather present for each ordination, but not this time. P1 turned his mission papers in a few weeks ago and within days he had his call (Colorado, Denver North Mission) and he was given just two months to get ready and report. With so much to do to prepare, and with a crazy travel and baseball and Scout schedule plus the other work and play tugs of summer and wanting as much time together as a family, I have felt overwhelmed to the point of being paralyzed and incapable of making decisions. After days of not knowing what to do, I went for a run to clear my head and then turned to the scriptures.

Part of the panic is time, of course. As a homeschooling mom I don't know if I will ever feel, on my own, like my kids' education is complete. That's probably because it isn't and never will be, because there is ALWAYS more to learn.  I was hoping for a few extra months before mission time to wrap up some perceived loose educational ends and that has now become an impossibility.  But as I was walking along, I was struck with the realization that we had set out with PEGS as our goal and that at this point in time, G is complete, S is complete, E was on the verge of complete, and we are currently working on the part of P that I really wanted to make sure was complete.  In that moment I felt immense relief and was so grateful to my Heavenly Father for pointing it all out to me. No, my son doesn't know everything, but no one does no matter how old they are or how much education they've received. But we ARE close to the goal and it's within reach. 

After that burden was lifted, I was able to think a little more clearly. As I opened my scriptures, they fell to a chapter (the book and number of which escapes me at the moment) that was all about receiving the priesthood. Up to that point I'd kind of been putting off the ordination, trying to figure out when to do it and such. I felt strongly at that moment that the Lord was telling me that it was just plain time to do it regardless of imperfect circumstances and who could or could not be there. I felt very strongly that the most important thing was to move forward with the ordination immediately.

Today, as it all took place, just our immediate family and some leaders, I felt immense peace. I think there is a lot of goodness in the support of extended family, and it speaks of the importance of an ordination or ordinance for extended family to make a trip to be present for it, but I learned this week that each individual's personal progress along the path and the ordinations and ordinances themselves are the most important. Sometimes we get so caught up in the culture of something--and in turning it into some sort of party--that we lose sight of the simple necessity and rightness of an act and its eternal significance.

So, what exactly is an Elder?  I found the following in Bruce R. McConkie's "Only an Elder."

What is an elder? An elder is a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. He holds the holy Melchizedek Priesthood. He is commissioned to stand in the place and stead of his Master—who is the Chief Elder—in ministering to his fellowmen. He is the Lord’s agent. His appointment is to preach the gospel and perfect the Saints.

What is an elder? He is a shepherd, a shepherd serving in the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd. It is written: “And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God” (Ezek. 34:31). It is also written, and that by Peter, the first elder in his day: “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, …

“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

“Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Pet. 5:1–4). Know this: elders, who are standing ministers in the Lord’s kingdom, are appointed to feed the flock of God, to take the oversight of the flock, to be examples to the flock.

...

What is an elder? “And now come, saith the Lord, by the Spirit, unto the elders of his church, and let us reason together, …

“Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained?

“To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth” (D&C 50:10, 13–14).

An elder is the Lord’s representative sent forth to teach His gospel for the salvation of men.

So, I can say with confidence that my 18-year-old is a Gentleman, a Scout, and now, officially, an Elder. We're getting acquainted and familiar with the most fervent patriots in history and studying the tenets of the Founding Fathers and the nation they founded so we can cap off the climb with a resounding P.

Celebrating Family

There aren't many blogs that I follow--not because there aren't a lot of great blogs out there, but because I could easily spend my whole life reading about other people's lives and that just isn't the best use of my time here on Earth.  I do want to give a shout out for All Boys But 9, however, because this is just a really neat family, led by the most sincere and stalwart father and a magnificent mother who really gets it. From the cute, fun, and inspiring videos on their YouTube channel to the thoughtful posts on parenting, like the most recent "Permissive Parenting--Don't Shelter Your Children", CaMarie is always reminding everyone to celebrate family and to slow down and enjoy the moments. We do all need places and people to go to for connecting with like minds and feeling inspired or encouraged, and this is one family I like to peek in on for that reason.

What Can You Do with What You Know?

You've heard the adage, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."  I recently found an educational quote that is similar:

"Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants."

John W. Gardner

I can think of at least a couple of interpretations/discussions to have over the above quote, but today I am focusing on recent goings on that have caused me to ponder, yet again, on learning that is most valuable.

We live in a world where an overload of information is available at a moment's notice.  Yet how trivial and meaningless is much of that information?  Pretty darn.  While I'm not advocating a return to the dark ages, I do want to pose the question, "What can you do with what you know?" Will it change you?  Will it build you?  Can you do something positive with it?

My birthday was a few weeks ago and I wanted to get out in the great outdoors for it. The kids had "fishing" listed on their summer bucket lists, so we loaded up some poles and tackle, picked up some Jamba Juice, and headed into the canyon. 

Now I like the activity of fishing, and I like being places where there are fish, but I don't particularly care for dealing with poles and bait and all that myself. But if we waited around for my husband to go fishing with us, the kids wouldn't get to fish much because he just doesn't have the time (or, let's be honest, the interest). But I have boys who KNOW how to fish! They know how to rig a pole and switch hooks or add a bobber. Thanks to Scouts and grandparents and their father and a friend, they have learned all sorts of things about flies and lures and salmon eggs and Power Bait and the set up and technique for each. There have been so many days where I just stand back and marvel at all they know about fishing and it is so pleasing to me that they have that knowledge and skill. It has value.

Because of their know-how, I was free to just keep an eye on them from the opposite shore as I took wildflower photos.

After our excursion, it was time for... a baseball game. This particular day had only one boy playing and everyone else said they wanted to stay home. When I returned, I found my house cleaned, dinner made, a cake baked, a festive table laid, and hand-written birthday letters waiting for me! There was a lot of valuable knowledge displayed there, for if you can't feed yourself and express yourself, and use what you know to bless others, what's the point?

A case in point is this:  A week later it was my husband's birthday and I later saw a card my daughter made for him. I was so sad when I read what she wrote:  "I love you so so so so so much.  I want to bake a cake for you but I don't know how."  Being the youngest, she hasn't been turned loose in the kitchen yet to cook on her own and even though she's helped a lot, she wasn't confident enough in her skills to just go bake a cake. (Later, for Father's Day, a brother did supervise her making brownies.)  My point is that she had a desire to do something but she didn't have the knowledge she needed to do it and it held her back.

Changing gears to some observations of this week, I have to say that my now "adult" son floored me. He was preparing for a Scout high adventure, and whereas in the past he would have asked a lot of questions and needed a lot of help gathering and packing, this time around he had it so figured out he even took the initiative to repair some items on his own that I would have actually tossed. He decided to take a hammock for sleeping in, but when he pulled out the gear, he found the mosquito net torn. I wasn't really paying attention to all his movements, but at one point I stopped to look and found him SEWING the net back together! Then, the night before departure he found his old water shoes, only to see that the toe was separating from the sole. With no time or money to get a new pair, he decided to try to stitch it back together.  Again, I was doing my own thing at this time until I heard him shout triumphantly, "There is NOTHING a needle and thread can't fix!" I went to see what he'd done and I was so surprised. My son... a cobbler. HA! I have always thought everyone should know how to use a needle and thread and so I've had my kids do little (seemingly trivial) projects over the years; what a lesson in the value of this skill that he turned to it in a time of need to accomplish something necessary!

A day later was this scene:

You know what?  I LOVE seeing my boys with a screwdriver! It might sound odd, but seeing a young man with a tool and the know-how to use it actually thrills me. This boy's chain had come off and he was using the knowledge he had to diagnose the problem and to get to the parts that needed fixing.

He ended up having to call a big brother in (out), not because he didn't know what he was doing but because he needed a little more muscle.

Interestingly, this happened the day after I hired an entrepreneur-minded neighbor kid to fix everyone's tires. He had come around with fliers for his bike fixing business in the spring and I figured we were so busy it was money well spent to have him just come take care of all the flats. My kids watched him and asked him questions and, according to them, they learned that he learned everything about bikes when he asked his dad for one and his dad took him to a thrift store, bought him four bikes in various stages of disrepair, and told him to put together a working bike using what parts were there, and what he could learn from the four different bicycles.  Genius, if you ask me. Hopefully my children learned more about bicycles and tires, etc. from him as they watched him repair their bikes, but I know that I was reminded about the value of knowing how to fix things and having a marketable skill.

It's things like learning knots in Boy Scouts; some may laugh, but there have been many, many times that I needed something rigged and one of my boys was able to lash together something perfect using just the right knots. It's me having too big a to-do list before an out-of-town baseball tournament and being on the road and realizing I didn't get the other half of the garden planted and being able to call home to my 13- and 11-year-olds with the confidence that because of years of planting gardens together I could ask them to finish it and it would turn out great.

Knowledge is power, but different kinds and topics of knowledge have varying degrees of importance and value.  What can you do with what you know?

A Glorious Mess

What good would a homeschool blog be if it didn't just show it like it is?  This is how my dining room was left today as we dashed off to a softball game.

A disaster? Nah. Even though a bowl of lemon juice was catapulted to the floor; even though a few things caught fire; even though hot wax ended up pooled on the dinette, this mess was just evidence of an afternoon of fantastically fun learning, exploring, and growing.

We recently read about George Washington's terrific network of spies during the Revolutionary War. (Of course, both sides of the war had spies, but Washington, America's First Spymaster, did it smarter and better.) 

Invisible Ink 

We used lemon juice for the ink and heat to bring it out. During the Revolutionary War the British used the more common organic inks (lemon, lime, milk, vinegar) which weaken paper fibers and darken faster than the rest of the paper when heated. They also used some sympathetic inks, chemicals that disappear and require another reactant chemical to make the ink visible again. These methods had even then been around for centuries. Washington had his own unique formula created, calling it, "medicine," and he was sneakier in sending messages, writing with invisible ink in between the lines of an ordinary letter, or writing inside harmless pamphlets or books.

Nothing to see here...

...until...

...voila!

Using the iron was a slow process which didn't heat the paper well.  I decided to switch to an open flame to see if it would speed things up.  Gee Howdy, did it! It was REALLY COOL to watch the ink appear rapidly over the flame.  

P3 created this, calling it, "The many expressions of General Howe."

P2 was a little sassy at first, but he got into it.

Cipher Wheels

We also made our own cipher wheels for coding and decoding messages. It was trickier than everyone thought it would be. The kids discovered measurement would help. They wrote all sorts of messages and gave them to me and to each other to decipher. Some attempts were more successful than others. It took a lot of thinking and attention to detail.

Sealing Wax

Not necessarily a part of espionage, but definitely a part of sending communique, the practice of sealing letters with stamped wax is just cool. I was sure I had a stick of real sealing wax, but it was AWOL so we just used candles. The candle wax wasn't as thick or high quality, but that didn't stop the kids from burning lots of it up.

After returning from the softball game, we cleaned up the house. No reason to come unglued over it--it always stays where we left it and cleans up later as well as sooner.  Days like this are some of my favorite with their freedom to explore and experiment. I'm reminded of the famous words of one of my favorite (albeit fictional) teachers, Ms. Frizzle:  "Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!"

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And may I recommend:

Brushing Your Teeth with General Conference

I received another blog email on lessons with LDS General Conference messages from Jocelyn over at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ.  She does so many wonderful things with her children.  (She really should be a homeschooler!) I thought I'd put a shout out for her new comprehensive page of conference lessons.  I've used some of her ideas in both Family Home Evening and in our morning devotionals and they are great.

I've also published many of my own ideas on learning and living conference addresses in The Sentinel.  For continuity I'll add the articles here.

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SIX MONTHS OF STUDY: MESSAGES FOR TODAY

May 4, 2011 Sasha Takis

I love general conference. Every six months I am strengthened and inspired as I watch the broadcasts. I intend to make these messages a core part of my family’s study so that they become central to our direction and faith. This can be done through Family Home Evening, but as homeschoolers, we have the unique opportunity to give even more of our attention and time to general conference addresses in our day to day schooling.

We are blessed. Ephesians 4:11-15 tells us:

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”

What a loving Father in Heaven to give us living prophets and apostles. What do we do with that? We sustain fifteen men as prophets, seers, and revelators, but do we spend as much time coming to know them, hearing and heeding their inspired counsel, as we do studying historical figures now passed away?

In a fabulous article, Elder Neil A. Andersen, then of the Seventy, wrote, “Viewing the general conference sessions with our family is not sufficient to bring a love for the prophets. On one occasion some years before my call as a General Authority, I conducted a meeting presided over by one of the Apostles. After the meeting, I asked him about his stake conference talks. “Do you prepare something specific for each stake conference?” I asked. He replied that he generally did not, but relied upon promptings received just prior to and during the conference. But then he added, “But my general conference talk is very different. I will normally go through twelve to fifteen drafts to be certain that it is what the Lord would have me say.” Many times since then I have asked myself, If an Apostle will go through twelve to fifteen drafts, is it pleasing to the Lord if I listen to or read his message one or two times? I don’t think so.” (Neil A. Andersen, “Teaching Our Children to Love the Prophets,” Ensign, April 1996, or read it here.)

As a child growing up in Nampa, Idaho, I remember every radio in the house broadcasting general conference on conference Saturday. We still had housework and yard work to do, but no matter where we went, my parents had a radio plugged in and talking. We couldn’t get away from it! When I became an adult, I realized that many really good talks were during the Saturday sessions and I found that I didn’t want to miss them. While living in the Seattle, Washington area, it wasn’t so easy to listen to conference, but as a young mother, I decided I wanted to instill the importance of conference in my children, so we would dress up and go to the stake center, even on Saturday. I wanted to make it special, so I packed candies and activities for my little ones that they didn’t normally get, just for general conference. Later we were able to watch via the Internet or at friends’ houses who had satellites. But I determined that general conference weekend should be a celebration as much as anything; I wanted to establish traditions associated with it, much like a holiday, to set it apart from other weekends and celebrate the blessing of living prophets. It’s been a way of life that my kids do not question, and with special foods and a break from the routine, they look forward to as much as I do.

This past conference was so filling. I couldn’t believe how many personal questions were answered pointedly and specifically for me in the talks. I was excited to examine and assimilate the talks with my family and there were many things I wanted to point out, but I wondered what my children picked up individually on their own. I wanted to know what conference meant to them.

The morning after conference weekend, our studying began. This school year we’ve had a theme of “work” to our studies, meaning through various means, tools, classics, and sources we’ve been learning about the value of work as well as the different forms of work. I approached our initial discussion on general conference from that angle:

We sang and discussed the hymn, "Today, While the Sun Shines," which is so thorough in covering all forms of labor.  We talked about conference weekend, about how there were many other things that needed doing that we could have spent our time on, but that conference was "the better part" and the "work" that we needed to focus on for those two days. 

I asked each of the children to name something that was talked about in conference that stood out to them.  The varied answers were personal and individual.

My 6-year-old couldn't come up with anything specifically, so she mentioned the music, which she loves. We talked about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and if they had to practice to be such a good choir.  We discussed how even with amazing talents, we still have to put forth effort to develop and refine them.

My 8-year-old said, "Prayer."  I was happy to hear this because we have spent some time on prayer this year as a form of work (see Bible Dictionary). So, we revisited the topic of prayer and evaluated how everyone was applying what we'd already learned and talked about how we could do better.

My 10-year-old said, "Temples."  We talked about the phrase "temple work" and what that means.  The children asked questions about what we do in temples.  I asked them what their work now, as children, is regarding temples.  My 10-year-old said he should pay tithing to help pay for the new temples being built.  (That led to needing jobs—work—to earn money so they had something to pay tithing on.) We talked about how learning everything they could, choosing the right, and preparing and being worthy to go to the temple was their work right now, and then did the math for how long they had until they'd enter the temple prior to missions.

My 13-year-old said, "Missionary Work."  That led to a discussion about preparation and what he needed to work on in that department.  It also brought out sheep and The Shepherd and gave me a direction for a discussion another day when we talk about the work of raising sheep.

My 15-year-old said, "Be an example of the believers."  We discussed what that meant and whether or not it was work to do that.  We talked about how there is always more to learn in our efforts to become or "be" and that it takes work to make our faith grow to even be a believer.

A few days later, I assigned Elder Lynn G. Robbins’s talk, “What Manner of Men Ought Ye to Be?” to my oldest son as the basis for his Family Home Evening lesson. The next morning we reviewed his lesson, and continued the discussion of how you can do without being, but you cannot be without doing, and applied that to the principle of work. This led us to begin reading Gordon B. Hinckley’s book Way to Be as our family read-aloud. We then compared the things to be in this book to the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, which we studied earlier this year as the basis of our spiritual work.

Of course, I’m not the only one having good experiences with the messages of conference. Following the April addresses this month, I asked the members of my scriptureschool group what they’re doing.

Marni Hall, of Clinton, Utah wrote, “We talked about D&C 88:77-80 and all the huge variety of things that means we should learn to be prepared for our missions in life.  We brought in Elder Robbins’s talk, that Jesus said we need to be "Even as I am," and that to be the creator of the earth he had to know a lot.

“We also talked about the do vs. be part of his talk; that education isn't something you just check off as done, it's something you should be working on your whole life.

“Then we talked about D&C 130:18-19, talking about how the more educated we are, the more advantage we'll have even in the next life.”

Jennifer Tillitson, of Weston, Idaho, wrote, “We have tried to review each of the talks.  I try to pray before so I know which one I should use.  As I scroll down, I try to listen to my thoughts and feelings.  We go through them (and) sometimes I make a copy for them to keep in their binders.  We also talk in length about them.  We stop through the talks and discuss thoughts. 

“This proved to be effective.  I had one of my sons come to me because of (a particular) talk and confide in me something very important to him and his development.  I don't know if he would have come to me soon to talk about it if we hadn't just discussed and watched the conference talk.

“This time I am going to assign talks or have (the children) choose which one they would like to teach.  Then they will be the teachers and the learners.  I am excited to start this soon.”

Sally Bishop, of Logan, Utah, took an analytical approach. She came up with a list of scholastic activities to apply to general conference talks. My favorites:

*Analyze essay structures in various talks:  intro, theme development, supporting information, conclusion (testimony), etc.

*Compare "voice" and "style" considering presentation of point of view, sentence length, verb tense, etc.  Oaks and Scott have wildly different "voices," but how, exactly, do they differ?

*Tally the number of times words are mentioned in a talk (family, love, Christ, testimony) and learn to bar graph or pie chart the numbers.

*Find the birth places of the speakers on a world map. (It's exciting to have so many more international leaders in our church!)

*Google-map newly announced temples and learn about one of the cities.

*Compare the numbers in 2 consecutive Statistical Reports, or even over a year or decade. Graph, do subtraction, division, etc.

As homeschoolers we find there is much to be done every day and a great deal to learn. It can be a lot of pressure, but we have the blessing of continued revelation and living prophets and apostles, and the freedom to breathe the life of living waters into all of our learning. Let’s not forget the most important information and instruction, and the source from which it comes. President Harold B. Lee said, “As the Latter-day Saints go home from this conference, it would be well if they consider seriously the importance of taking with them the report of this conference and let it be the guide to their walk and talk during the next six months. These are the important matters the Lord sees fit to reveal to this people in this day” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1946, p. 68). I can’t wait to study the rest of the talks!

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THE NEXT SIX MONTHS: YOUR “CONFERENCE WALL”

April 24, 2012 Sasha Takis

Abraham Lincoln used to drive his law partner crazy by reading the newspaper aloud in the office.  Lincoln explained, “When I read aloud two senses catch the idea; first I see what I read; second I hear it, and therefore I can remember it better.”[i]  As homeschooling parents we’ve all observed that the more senses we can get our children to use in the learning process, the more interest and retention there is.

As the last convention of general conference was about to get underway, I was searching for activities to keep minds active and hands busy during the sessions.  Like many of you, I find a quick internet search brings up a host of conference bingo cards and other activities for children.  I treat the weekend as a holiday in the sense of traditional treats and feasts that the family looks forward to.  While conference holds to an auditory presentation, we hope to all have the spiritual sensations related to the witness of the Holy Ghost, and the smells and tastes of foods often craved but rarely eaten bring additional senses into play in the anticipation of this special weekend.

In my conference preparations, I found a blog that is full of delights called "Being LDS".  As I came across a page with the phrases "General Conference Book Club" and "General Conference Wall"  I made assumptions as to their gist, but was called away from my computer and didn’t get the details.

After conference, I went back to the blog posts and found that my vision of the “Conference Wall” differed from Jocelyn’s, the writer of the blog.  (This is terrific, actually, because now you’ll get TWO ideas!)  Jocelyn’s wall is an activity for children during conference.  My wall is a visual learning display and exercise in symbolism for the months after conference as the messages are studied and put into practice.

Conference Wall

So here’s the gist of “my” wall.  First, select a talk to read, study, and ponder.  You can allot as much time as you think necessary —a day, a week, or even a month.  For our first one, we took a week.  The first day I gave a presentation on some of the highlights of the talk for me personally.  I considered some particular areas where both the family collectively and I as an individual can apply the principles I emphasized, sharing specific real-life examples that have happened, as well as musing over hypothetical but possible situations family members might encounter in which the teachings of the talk need be applied.  I chose a hymn that I felt complemented the talk, a story from the scriptures that further illustrated the principles, and even a Mormonad that went along with it.  I then told everyone that they had a week to study the talk further on their own, including the scripture references listed at the end of the talk, and that we’d discuss everyone else’s thoughts, feelings, and impressions the next week.

Next, I created a visual display on a wall (that will now be our “Conference Wall”) that was a representation of our discussion.  As the kids share their ideas, I will add to it.  Obviously each talk we study will add to the collage that will be a reminder of those things we need to be working on.

Some suggestions for use for your own “Conference Wall” might be:

Quotes of key words or phrases

Complementary hymns or phrases from hymns

Pictures from the Gospel Art Picture Kit or the Friend or the Ensign

Photos of the General Authorities who gave the talks

Mormonads

Pictures drawn by your children of them acting on the teachings

Quoted scriptures for memorization

Hand tracings with goals or personal commitments written on them

Photos of someone you know who is a good example of living the principle being taught

I have a testimony of studying the words of the prophets daily and incorporating their teachings into all we do in our homeschool.  Since a young woman I have always loved the quote, “Living the gospel is like brushing your teeth, you can’t just do it on Sunday.” My goal with our “Conference Wall” is to immerse my family in the timely teachings of the Lord’s servants in as many ways as possible, having faith that by sticking things to my walls, I’ll be sticking things in my family members’ hearts.

[i] Ron L. Andersen, Abraham Lincoln:  God’s Humble Instrument, p.64

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Find a way to incorporate conference messages into your life every day!

Family Watch on Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! I want to shout a great big "Hurrah!" for all the faithful fathers in the world, and offer a prayer and a plea for more men to be like them, and for more women to appreciate and lovingly encourage them.

I have been subscribed to Family Watch International's newsletter and I received some information from them today with astounding statistics. (Daily headlines are, unfortunately, proof of these.) I'll be honest here and tell you that some days, I can't read the FWI newsletter because the news is both depressing and maddening. So many in the world are misled and confused; others are just plain wicked and they are doing their darndest to destroy all that is good in this world, especially when it comes to the family. But I feel it's imperative that the public be more informed. There are people in places all over the world who do not reflect my values at all, and in fact in some cases they diabolically oppose them, who are working to influence and make policies that tear at the seams of all I hold dear. So I am grateful for the work of the folks at FWI and other organizations like them, and I share their info here because I feel the need to spread the word.

One of the artillery shells aimed at destroying the traditional family is the idea that fathers are unnecessary. There are plenty of deadbeat dads in the world who shamefully shirk their responsibilities but, the truth is, there are just as many women who disgracefully dishonor men, husbands, and fathers. I consider myself to be a smart and capable person, but I would never want to parent alone--for my own sake as well as my children's. My relationships with each of my children is different than my husband's relationships with each of them, and that is right and good and proper... and what each child needs. My husband and I have unique roles to fill for each of our children.  We're neither of us perfect, but the pattern of a husband/father and wife/mother and their children is perfect. 

So, to my own father (who enjoys having a bathroom to himself now that his five daughters are gone and who has been relieved to not be late to everything since I left the nest) I say, "Thank you!" for presiding, providing, protecting, and directing our family and giving me a solid foundation to safely stand on when little and build on now.

Baby Me and Dad

Dad teaching me to ride the bike he fixed up for me for my 6th birthday.

Dad handing me my high school diploma. (He was on the school board.)

And to my husband (who might one day enjoy having more of me to himself but who will be late probably even to Heaven because of me) I say, "Thank you!" for making it not only physically possible for me to be a mother, but for doing your job so well as a father that it helps me be a better mother.  Our children are blessed because you are who you are and you do what you do, a solid rock every day of our lives.