Economics: More Important than You Think
April 8, 2020
|
|
Gena Suarez
Sinking Spirits, Rising Hope
|
|
Danika Cooley
Finances Matter
|
|
Dara Halydier
Economics: Micro or Macro?
|
|
Trim Healthy Mama
Insulin
|
|
|
Join us for The Old Schoolhouse®’s Home Education:
Am I Qualified? webinar. Popular homeschool authors/speakers will be streaming LIVE at 5 p.m. EST on April 9, 2020, to share their knowledge about homeschooling with you. Invite your friends - it’s FREE. Only 1,000 seats are available.
Sign up now
to reserve yours.
www.HomeschoolShow.com
A coupon code will be announced during the webinar for attendees to receive
SchoolhouseTeachers.com for THREE MONTHS FREE (Reg. $49.97). With your three-month membership comes a complementary PRINT magazine, mailed to your door, at no charge. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.
|
|
Sinking Spirits, Rising Hope
Hey Mama,
Today you may have awakened with a sense of dread. All too common, especially these last few weeks, right? The enemy is ever-ready and alert, poised to steal our joy, interrupt our thoughts (or prayers), and get our minds off of Christ.
That old Devil’s primary job is to lie—to make things seem worse than they really are. To shine a spotlight on whatever will distract from what is true. To remind us we don't have the funds for “whatever.” To deceive our children, coaxing them as far away as possible from their parents’ Godly influence. To dupe frazzled Mamas into justifying public schooling rather than the Godly discipleship God has called us to, by educating them in the Lord with a Biblical worldview. To remind us of what could have been . . . to hint at meaningful careers not too late to pursue.
You earned those opportunities; are you just going to give them up? Your kids would be happier if they had a bigger allowance, more things. And you would finally reach that professional caliber, gain real recognition in life. It’s not too late; you have time . . . just put the kids in school!
He will try to bring us low, in sadness and in grief. To fix our minds firmly planted on Self. To convince us our self-esteem is paramount (when that whole indulging concept is actually contrary to God’s Word, which is
die to self; live for Christ!
). To whisper in our ear that our friend is holier-than-thou, doesn’t really like us, is a phony. That our husband didn’t mean it when he apologized last night. That we need to hold on to grievances, be slow to forgive because Self needs care, more.
Don’t listen to the Liar, Mama. It accomplishes no good thing. Instead, plant your mind in God's Word, pray to the One Who loves you. He will never leave you. In the meantime, gain a little encouragement from
The Old Schoolhouse
®
Magazine:
And remember, Mama . . .
If the enemy can sink our spirits, if he can point us self-ward, he has won the moment. It’s a mini-victory for him: an attempted poke in the eye of our Lord God. If we are deceived, we are not effective in our walks. The moment is stolen and thus wasted. In God’s Word, the Devil is referred to as “The father of lies,” a perfect description. All of us are affected by his antics, but the good news is we don’t have to remain there. The Bible teaches that he flees when we resist him. We obey God’s Word, walk in truth, pray, ignore the lies, and keep our minds focused on Christ. The enemy hates that kind of activity, and he goes away.
But here’s what I want to focus on right now, Mama. See the Scripture below? You have a trustworthy Father. He is the Truth. He loves you and has called you to this path. He thinks of you constantly! His plans are good! Don’t buy into the lies. Walk as the daughter of the King that you are. Stay the course, Mama. And guess what? You already know this but I’ll say it again: His hand is on your head today.
“
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee”
(Psalms 139:17–18).
- gena
|
|
Are Your Cents Forgotten?
What is the most important thing for us as parents? The reassurance that our children have an education which includes the skills and knowledge to live a secure and happy life. Do
your
children know the value of a dollar and understand where it really comes from?
For most of us, the greatest benefit we can give our children is a well-rounded education. We all want them to have more than we did, to be happy, and to find their place in the world.
For homeschooling parents, education is the focal point of their daily lives, but there is an area that has been underserved. For many years, the economics of everyday life has been overlooked to the point that 76% of millennials are illiterate in managing money, an everyday life skill.
The subject of money is often taboo, but for something that is such an essential part of our everyday lives, it
cannot
be ignored or overlooked as part of their education. Now is the time to sit down and have a conversation about the value of money to help empower them with economic literacy.
Having a job is only part of the equation; being able to budget, plan, and save is another equally important part of that equation. If these principles are taught early, they will stay with them forever and make life much simpler as they navigate this demanding world.
When children become involved and excited about how money plays a part in their everyday lives, they will lose their fears and be able to make better money decisions. This knowledge will go with them into a bright and successful future. Why? Because they have acquired a toolbox full of valuable skills provided by the exciting program
The Kingdom Code
that they can draw upon when required.
Believing it was time to empower our next generation,
The Kingdom Code
curriculum was created to address this void in our current educational system. The course provides a monetary foundation to children and begins their quest for economic independence.
This comprehensive program is based on learning God’s way to work, save, give, and spend; teaching life skills, including budgeting, by using a hands-on approach of setting up a service business. The excitement generated draws the children in and holds their attention by giving them a goal-oriented outcome, while teaching them to take control of their finances. For more information:
TheKingdomCode.com
|
|
Finances Matter
Our worldview affects how we manage finances. It changes how we see economic policy, and it impacts how we understand suffering at the hands of regulation or lack thereof.
We want our kids to have a robust and godly view of finances. We want them to understand stewardship, generosity, and wisdom. They'll find the worldview to see the earth through the eyes of their Creator in His Word, the Bible. You'll be the one to take them to Scripture and help them think through that. It's important that our kids learn about economics through God's Word.
It's also vital that we teach them about money, personal finances, and economic policy. As their teachers, that's our job. Our kids are going to be the ones deciding policy for us in the years to come. They're going to be establishing personal finances that will affect our grandkids.
The choices our kids make financially will affect their ability to contribute to God's Kingdom.
That's a big deal!
Over the years, we've taught economics from a Biblical perspective in a number of ways.
When they were young, we played financial games with our kids. We learned about money and its value. We also gave our kids a small, one-dollar allowance. I bought each child three plastic piggy banks and wrote SAVE, SPEND, and GIVE on each one. We taught them about percentages by helping them deposit their dimes in each bank. The kids saved their “spend” dimes for toys they wanted—sometimes earning those toys took a long time.
When the kids were in middle school, we read books like
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?
by Richard J. Maybury and watched the
Economics for Everybody
DVD course from R.C. Sproul Jr. We talked about the decisions our family made financially, explaining our thought process. We opened a savings account for our kids at the local credit union and they pooled their “give” money with their youth group to sponsor a boy their age. They began doing odd jobs, and they learned the value of sweating. As we studied history, we spent a lot of time talking about how economic policy affects the lives of everyday citizens.
In high school, we ramped up the economics lessons for our kids. We did a semester of
Exploring Economics
by Ray Notgrass. I put together a semester-long personal finance course using the textbook our local community college uses and then added 150-pages a week of reading in books I felt would help my kids really learn the importance of saving, investing, and giving. We've spent a lot of time discussing the news. We look at how economic decisions affect countries and their citizens.
Finances matter because the way our kids regard personal finances and economic theory will affect their lives in big ways. We don't need to shy away from teaching our kids about monetary issues. There are great resources out there.
Ultimately, Scripture tells us how to treat finances, and that's where we want to point our kids—to God's teaching on stewardship.
|
|
If you can't make it to a local event this year to preview BJU Press Homeschool materials, then join them online April 20th to the 24th for a Nationwide Online Party! You will hear from inspirational speakers, talk with homeschool moms, watch live product demos, receive discounts, and more!
https://www.homeschoolhelp.com/party
|
|
Economics: Micro or Macro?
A lemonade stand at age 6 started my business entrepreneur in the direction of business and finance. As he sold giant cookies and lemonade on the side of the road at his grandmother’s house and had to pay her some of his hard earned cash for the ingredients (capital), he began to ask questions. At 9, he joined his brother’s business and learned about investing, saving, spending, record keeping, etc. He now blogs about “
Statistics and Strategies for Project Managers
” and works as a program manager at a Christian software company while developing his own software.
Micro-economics
includes personal finances and company finances. Keeping a checkbook, insurance, budgeting, saving, planning, payroll, giving, supply and demand, elasticity, and other money-based topics should be taught as part of your children’s education, but how it is taught is up to you. Life learning by discussing these topics as we encounter each one is a good way to involve our younger students. Having your high school student sit down with mom or dad as he or she pays the bills and balances the checkbook is beneficial. Having a job while in high school and needing to budget that money into giving, saving, and spending plans is a glimpse at the near future. Whether you choose to use a textbook, online research, or writing assignments, there are plenty of relevant topics to explore.
Macro-economics is the study of national government theory and finances. One of my sons was required to read the Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx) and the Christian Manifesto (Francis Schaeffer) then write a comparative report. He became so interested in the study of macro-economics that he took several college classes on the subject.
Give your student a quick overview of the
four major economic systems of government
, or dig in deeper with studies in socialism, capitalism, fascism, and feudalism. All can be taught alongside history or as a separate study. Turn on the news about the upcoming presidential election and you will encounter these different theories being bantered around here in America, even though our nation is founded upon capitalism. One doesn’t have to get caught up in the rhetoric, but healthy conversations on the advantages and disadvantages of each system is helpful as well as possible
topics for a paper in macro-economics
.
Most importantly, when speaking of macro-economic systems, remember that God is over all, He owns all, and we are to be good stewards of what He has given us. The church grows under all types of economic systems. May His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.
Dara Halydier is an author, speaker, and mom of five grown boys! She homeschooled for twenty-one wonderful years and is now encouraging other homeschooling families. She is the executive director of Abiding Truth Ministry and the author of the Practical Proverbs series and other books. Dara has learned life’s lessons the hard way—experience! The lessons she shares come from truths that she has learned from dealing with chronic pain, having moved thirty-three times, having four boys with learning disabilities, and having overcome a past of abuse to proclaim God’s grace, forgiveness, and freedom. Find out more at
www.abidingtruthministry.com
.
|
|
We are here to help you spend your time well, with rich art offerings from experienced teachers. For more information, visit us at
visualmanna.com
|
|
Pre-order the Summer 2020 issue
of
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine
to explore a variety of jobs with animals that homeschoolers can pursue. Shipping June 1, other topics include STEM learning, summer field trips, nature studies, and more! The price is $15 (US) or $25 (CAN/INT).
|
|
Insulin
Insulin is your storing hormone. Insulin was designed with the very important task of transporting glucose, proteins, and fats out of your bloodstream and into your cells so your body can use them.
Without insulin, the protein in your foods couldn’t help your muscles repair. The fats would not have a way out of the blood stream to nourish your skin, brain, and nervous system. Glucose would stay locked in the blood stream, which would be extremely harmful to your body.
Eating too many blood sugar-spiking carbohydrates, such as foods made from sugar or white flour, is what causes these spikes of insulin to happen.
Insulin’s most important job is the task of clearing high blood sugar from your blood stream. Your body needs your blood sugar to stay in a safe zone of about 80-100. Once your blood sugar goes above that, insulin must go to work to bring it back down again.
Insulin has to do this because high blood sugar for too long can cause our bodies to shut down.
Therefore, if you eat too many carbohydrates that raise blood sugar, your pancreas will have no choice but to overreact and send out large amounts of insulin to take care of the extra sugar in your blood.
The Trim Healthy story started with sisters Serene Allison & Pearl Barrett who wrote a self-published book about food freedom and called it
Trim Healthy Mama.
The message caught on as people shared their health transformations with others, and now millions have reclaimed their health and slimmed down living the family-friendly Trim Healhy Mama lifestyle. Serene and Pearl have 19 kids between them and have homeschooled all of them.
The sisters, their husbands, and families all work together to run the Trim Healthy Mama company, turning a lifetime of experiences into a movement that is transforming lives every day.
Trim Healthy Mama is produced by Trim Healthy Mama LLC. This company is not owned by The Old Schoolhouse, LLC (TOS), and TOS is not responsible for the content produced by Trim Healthy Mama. TOS may not approve of or endorse all content, resources, and other companies promoted by Trim Healthy Mama in its columns. The views and opinions expressed in this column or newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TOS on any subject matter. The nutritional, health, and exercise advice and recommendations promoted by Trim Healthy Mama are not a substitute for medical advice. You should consult qualified health professionals for health, nutritional, and exercise guidance tailored to your individual needs.
|
|
To help families during this time
sign up
to receive
1000 interactive curriculum ebooks for FREE
until August 1st, 2020.
|
|
Attention: Homeschoolers in Europe
! Receive a complete K-12 curriculum for half the regular price at
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
. Receive immediate access to over 450 self-paced courses when you
sign up now
. One price for the entire family. This is a limited time offer.
Monthly, quarterly, and yearly options from $10 US.
|
|
Are you looking for more weekly encouragement and ideas? We have a team of homeschool moms who share their heart on a wide variety of topics. Some write about fun ideas of things to do, food to make, and places to go. Others tell of obstacles, struggles, milestones, and everyday life while going through this homeschooling journey. By receiving our weekly e-mail, you will not miss out on any of the great articles that are shared on our blog.
Head over
to receive your first e-mail on Saturday.
|
|
Cast your votes for the 2020 The Old Schoolhouse® Excellence in Education Awards by 8/15/20 to receive a $100 gift certificate for digital products
in our Schoolhouse Store and be entered in the drawing to win a Kindle Fire!
(not applicable to SchoolhouseTeachers.com memberships)
|
|
FREE
Share this newsletter with a friend, and be sure to let those
|
|
Florida
Look What’s Happening!
|
|
Did you know?
Every class is INCLUDED for ultimate members!
No limits.
|
|
Did you know that
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
offers twelve courses about money and economics, including
Elementary Economics
for students in first through sixth grade? Check out
Homeschool Economics
or
Free Market Economics
for your older students. Your children can learn about markets and money together! And don’t forget, we have four other courses about money for your family to explore. We have something for every subject, every grade, and every student.
|
|
in the latest issue of
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.
|
|
Congratulations to Julie from Middle River, MD, who won our February Contest Corner giveaway!
Contest Corner
for the month of April
|
|
Rival 5 ~ The Number Strategy Game
is a simple, fun number game for 2-6 players. Basically, the game board contains numbers from between 0 to 144 but does not contain every number. . . . The object of the game is to get 5 chips in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Each player selects the color of chip that they will play with. There are 3 dice, and the player rolls all three dice. The player then adds, subtracts, multiplies, or divides to reach a number that is on the game board. For example, let’s say you roll a 5, 9, and 2. You could do the following:
5 x 9 - 2 = 43
5 + 9 + 2 = 16
9 – 5 – 2 = 2
The first time I played this game with my daughter, I held my breath thinking that she was going to realize that it was MATH, and she was not going to want to play. Well, I was totally wrong! She loved it! I found myself trying to help a couple of times only to be hushed and told, “
Mom, I got this. Leave me alone.”
The first game she won. I didn’t try and let her win either. She couldn’t wait to play again. This game would be perfect for the student that really needs a creative and fun way to practice their math facts.
This is a shortened review of the Rival 5 board game.
Read the complete review
on our site and learn how great this can be for math time!
You’ll also want to go to the contest page of our site where you can
ENTER TO WIN
the Rival 5 board game.
|
|
is now available for FREE online!
Click the graphic to read it cover to cover!
|
|
Read the SPRING 2019 issue free
or download the free mobile apps
Get the print issue
here
.
VIEW BACK ISSUES:
Current subscribers go
here
to access all back issues.
|
|
"I just wanted to thank you for the encouraging message of your email I received this morning. It is so nice to be reminded that God has called me to homeschool and I should stay the course."
--Tammy Mowell
|
"So love reading TOS on my iPad from cover to cover every month!!!"
--Leigh Anne McGrady
Dunwoody, GA
|
|
The Old Schoolhouse®
has MORE for you!
Check out these resources:
Who We Are:
|
|
If you liked today's
Homeschool Minute
, please
email the editors
and tell us what part you liked most. It's a huge blessing to receive feedback!
Please add
[email protected]
to your email contacts so that our emails to you don't land in spam.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
