Home School Impromptu Ear Cleaners and More

Something struck me. No, it wasn't an intimate object, nor was it of intention, but it was a direct hit none the less. For days, this women's magazine plagued my living room. Every time I picked it up, I scoffed at it and refused to read. You see, some of its doctrines are a bit offensive to me. Every time I pick it up, I get all huffy. This nice church lady keeps giving me copies, and then I feel obligated to read them. Well, after picking it up for the 5th time, I decided that there had to be something I could get out of it. Sure enough, I did.
Though there is plenty in the magazine I don't agree with, the woman who writes for it is a gifted writer. She writes with conviction and wisdom. Despite our doctrinal differences, she said some things that impacted me. Namely, as Christians, we are preparing our children to go out "as sheep among wolves". She said that people would readily tear apart our kids. This is true. When our kids enter the world, they should know what they believe and be prepared to communicate their beliefs effectively. The woman went on to give the example of having kids do impromptu speeches on certain subjects or scriptures. I liked that idea.
So today, we decided to apply this to our morning devotions. Each kid was given a verse. Then each one was given 3 minutes to give a speech/discussion on it. As each kid took turns standing up, I was proud at how confident they were. I was proud at how well they read. Of all the things I've probably done wrong home schooling, I'm proud I've taught them all to read well. Oh there were things they could improve on. One practiced ear cleaning techniques, and all of them did something a little bit distracting, but over all, they did a good job. I think I'm going to start integrating this practice on a weekly basis during our Devotions time.
Whoever you are, whatever you may believe, this woman is absolutely right. We do need to teach our children to articulate well. They should be prepared to intelligently defend what they believe. Simple communication skills like eye contact, a strong hand shake and a smile, and other body language can set our children up for success in whatever they chose to pursue.
I found as I read through the magazine, I agreed with a lot more than I disagreed with. Had I chose not to read it, I would have missed out on a great way to enrich my home school practices.