Teaching Phonics

The method you will use to teach phonics is quite similar to the way you would with Mathematics, for the learning is step by step. Just imagine teaching your child to add before they could even count! Or teaching subtraction before addition! The concepts of counting needs to be established first, correct? It just doesn't make any sense to learn the four arithmetic processes without laying the foundation. Children need to learn in small, gradual steps and it is the same when we are teaching them how to read.

There is order in teaching phonics just as there is order in how to teach math. However, there will be times that you do need to be flexible and be willing to flip back or forward a couple of steps, if this will help your child to understand. There'll be those rewarding 'lightbulb moments'when everything has somehow aligned up in your child's mind, and days or even weeks later, you see that expression on her face which says, "Ohhh...that's the reason why....I get it now!" That, fellow parent, is an excellent opportunity to praise the student's understanding, and that may mean, investing in some reward time for her, so that next time you re-visit that phonics rule, she will be more likely to remember it. It wouldn't be wise to pass by that, and just press on with the schedule as normal.

Here is a list of some phonics basics that you can google, which will help you see the big picture. Alternatively, you can find these basics spoken about in detail in the 'Teacher's Helps' section that I am about to add in our 'Homeschool Help!' Starter Info' Pack. This can be emailed to you for just $25USD. To order this pack, email us at:evergreenchilded@yahoo.co.uk.

Foundations of Phonics:

*Awareness

*Alphabet sounds

*Short Vowels

*Long Vowels

*Consonants

*Blends

In taking these rules on board, be sure to review the lessons frequently, and do not run ahead of your child's pace of learning. Also remember to look out for those 'lightbulb moments'. Above all, make it fun and not a chore!

Even the Humblest Tasks

'But all the work we do that is necessary to be done, be it washing dishes, setting tables, waiting upon the sick, cooking, or washing, is of moral importance... The humble tasks before us are to be taken by someone; and those who do them should feel that they are doing the work of God just as surely as was Gabriel when sent to the prophets.' {3T 79-80}

I read this in my morning time with Jesus, and it made such a deep impression upon my heart that after sharing it with my daughter, I just had to share this with you.

You know, it's so easy as mothers to get caught up in what Mrs.White calls, a 'mere household drudge'. Often there is just so much to do, and especially if you are a single parent, the joy of service in home responsibilities can be sapped out. This is one reason why I just love reading the book, 'The Adventist Home' (where this is also taken from), for I am daily inspired with courage when I feel that at times life is just weighing me down.

We also live in a society which places a low estimate upon the elevated calling of house work. So it shouldn't surprise us if we have struggle getting our children to do service in the home with a spring in their step, and with a right attitude.

It all starts with us parents gaining a right perspective on these things, and in turn it will have a ripple effect upon our young people.

I want to encourage you today that when we take up the dish washing, the ironing, the cooking, and all the things in the home that needs to be done, we are actually doing service for the King, just as Gabriel was when he ministered to the prophets of old. Please note that God didn't compare our work to the work of any angel in Heaven; but Gabriel. Do you know who this angel is? He is the one who is the highest angel in Heaven, besides Michael, which is Jesus. I mean when you see what errands he was sent on, you will see that he didn't just fulfil the general missions that are entrusted to the celestal beings. Gabriel was the one who visited Zechariah and announced the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. He visited Mary and told her that she was about to be he mother of the Messiah. When Jesus was about to be resurrected, Gabriel called Him, and said, "Behold Thy Father calls Thee." He was the angel who came down to help Daniel understand the twenty-three hundred day prophecy, which pointed to the Investigative Judgment, where our High Priest, Jesus would begin the work of atonement. So we see that Gabriel's missions were always on a grand scale, and in the examples given, pointing to Christ, our Saviour.

Bearing all that in mind, when we read now that attending to the humble tasks of the home is as surely doing the work of God as Gabriel did, it should cause us to see these things in a grand new light.

I shared this with my daughter, and as I was talking with her the thought came to my mind that before one is about to do any service for God, they pray, right? They ask God to use them to do this sacred work in a way that will glorify Him. They are completely dependent upon their Lord to empower them, so that no self is seen but Jesus' righteousness alone. Therefore, being as chores are much more than just house work, but God's work, shouldn't we seek God in prayer before we attend to them? It is so easy to get caught up in just getting things done, that self is doing it and we lose the joy of what really should be service for the Master. Atleast I know I do. However, I believe that if we pray before doing the housework, and be honest with God that we don't really feel to wash the dishes right now; we don't like ironing; or I am feeling a tad lazy, and then ask Him to change our attitudes so that we will do them with a merry heart, as unto the Lord, what a change of atmosphere would be wroght in the home!

Now, it begins with us. Our children need to see us parents calling upon God for strength and selflessness before and throughout our time doing the chores. We also need to teach them not just by example, but by sharing this wonderful truth with them too. Teach them to call on Jesus to make the work that they are about to do, enjoyable. If they are struggling to do their best, to be thorough, to complete their work on time, then teach them to bring these things before their Everlasting Helper, Jesus Christ. You will have to pray with them often in this line, so that it eventually becomes second nature.

Try it, if you haven't already, and we at Harper Bell Acaemy will love to hear your testimonies on the miracle of a changed heart and attitude that God is doing in your home! Please do share in the blog comment area below, or on our Facebook page: 'Harper Bell Academy'.

Happy Homescooling!