Lynda Coats- Unit Study Emporium

Purchase Far Above Rubies or Blessed is the Man by May 15 2009, and get a bakers’ dozen of great bonuses valued at over $50!

Many of you are probably aware that I spent most of the current school year serving as a missionary teacher among Native Americans (they prefer to be called First Americans) in Arizona.  I am currently working to raise the support needed to allow me to return to this ministry in the Fall. I am not yet sure where I will be located, but I will be teaching young children in a Christian school specifically dedicated to meeting their needs and reaching families for Jesus. Please read on to find a way you can help in this cause and gain valuable resources for your family at the same time.

Many of you may not know that Jim Erskine of Homeschool Radio Shows has purchased and taken over publication of our high school unit studies Far Above Rubies and Blessed is the Man.  In the process, he has created a product I had long wished to do. Far Above Rubies and Blessed is the Man are now available in printable PDF format on CD ROM at the low price of $69.95. In addition to the full text of FAR, the CD contains the following extra resources

To celebrate this new product and help reach my support goal, I have put together a special introductory offer only available through THIS website.  Through the generosity of friends and fellow publishers, you will receive several wonderful FREE gifts with every order for Far Above Rubies or Blessed is the Man placed on this website before May 15 at the regular price of $69.95, with FREE shipping on the CD as well.

When you see these offerings, I am sure you will want to take advantage of this sale. Where  else can your money do the double duty of obtaining all these wonderful resources and helping further the work of Christ’s Kingdom among the Native American children of Arizona?

When you order Far Above Rubies or Blessed is the Man, here are the bonuses you’ll receive:

1. A Little Web Page, a 35-page e-book containing a fun exercise for ages 7-9 using a free trial download of software Web Studio.

Two items from  Yes, You Can! Publications

Yes, You Can! Publications offers practical e-books, freebies and encouragement for homeschoolers by Michelle Geffken, author, speaker and homeschooling mom of six. Michelle especially loves to encourage parents that they can succeed with the tricky subject of art in the home. You can read more at http://www.yesyoucanpublications.com/ and her upcoming new blog http://teachaboutart.com/

3. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TEACH ART WHEN NO ONE TAUGHT ME?!

A 10-page pdf of encouragement and practical help for homeschool parents wondering how to tackle art. Ideal for new homeschoolers,
 but useful for anyone.  Would nicely enhance the art activities in FAR.

plus

4. E-BOOKS: WHAT DO I DO WITH THEM ALL?!

The updated, 4th edition of this popular 40+ page e-book. A guide to more effectively storing, managing, printing less expensively and using ebooks in the homeschool. This could even be a help in making the best use of the FAR CD itself.

5.  The Word of God on Being a Woman, a Wife and a Mother
Are you interested in knowing what God’s Word has to say concerning this topic? This book is a compilation of God’s Word concerning being a woman, a wife and a mother.  There aren’t any comments made by the author.  It is entirely the Word of God.

6. Set of Three e-books - The Tawny Scrawny Lion - Fun Unit, plus Character Builders plus 7 Carrot Soup Recipes
- $11.95 / set

Based on the children’s book Tawny, Scrawny Lion, this unit study is geared for preschoolers but can also be enjoyed by older siblings as well.  This is donated by author Miiko GIbson of OurGraceJourney.com You can learn more at delightfullearning.blogspot.com/2008/12/tawny-scrawny-lion.html

7.  Sometimes I am Lonely, also by Miiko Gibson

8. A selection of beautiful copywork sheets on classic topics from Phyllis Wheeler of Motherboard Books.

9. Continuing Education for Moms Download from Marilyn Moll
Twelve of our most popular phone seminars are now available on one download. Gain a wealth of information at your convenience from well-known authors, experts, and other moms just like you. Includes 12 of our most popular phone seminars:

1. Encouragement For Moms with Lorrie Flem
2. Health Begins in the Kitchen with Marilyn Moll
3. The Two-Stage Process with Sue Gregg
4. Healthy Water with Diane Carson
5. Cook Your Way to Wellness with Maria Atwood
6. Future Christian Homemakers with Laurie Latour
7. 12 Week Holiday Planner with Sheri Graham and Ann Voskamp
8. Cleaning Without Chemicals with Sandy Tuin
9. Child Training Tips with Reb Bradley
10. Canning Seminar with Lisa Vitello
11. The Hope Chest Society with Ruth Sundeen and Rebekah Wilson
12. Kick the Cold Cereal Habit

10. Activity Bags Sampler #2 from www.ActivityBags.com.

Activity Bags Sampler #2 includes:

* 5 Preschool Activities in a Bag assembly instructions
* 5 Craft Kits in a Bag assembly instructions
* 5 Math Games In a Bag assembly instructions
* 5 Science Experiments In a Bag assembly instructions
* A 30-day Challenge Devotional and Journal page

11. Math Can Be Fun! e-book

Need a little jumpstart when it comes to math? Are any of your students experiencing burn-out at this point in this school year? This 21-page e-book is an excerpt from our Homeschooling ABCs lessons. You may or may not realize that Wednesday is World Math Day (www.worldmathday.com), so we have decided to celebrate by giving you this fun and helpful ebook about the beauty, logic and symmetry of math.

The Homeschool Transcript: It’s Easier Than You Think!
A downloadable audio workshop by Janice Campbell (Regularly $9.95)

There is really nothing scary in the transcript preparation process! Come and learn about the three basic sections in a transcript, and how to collect and record information in a professional format. Whatever kind of homeschooling you’ve done, traditional or non-, you can create a transcript that accurately records your student’s achievements. Remember, it’s easier than you think!

13. A full-size copy of the Spring 2009 issue of The Old Schoolhouse, America’s premier homeschooling magazine.

For each of the packages below, you’ll be able to instantly download many of your free gifts. Your Far Above Rubies or Blessed is the Man CD will be shipped FREE via USPS.

FAR Package Far Above Rubies CD with bonuses

BITM Package Blessed is the Man CD with bonuses

The Big One Both FAR and BITM CDs along with all the bonuses!

Are you considering unit studies for the coming school year? In addition to our high-school unit study curricula, Far Above Rubies and Blessed is the Man, and our elementary phonics program, All the Letters, All Year Long, we offer custom unit studies as part of the new Unit Study Emporium. Just fill out the questionnaire, and we’ll create the personalized unit study of your dreams.

You can now purchase instantly downloadable samples of both Far Above Rubies (74 page sample) and Blessed is the Man (70 page sample) for just $5 each. That way, you’ll be able to actually try out the unit studies before you invest in the entire program. I think you’ll be blessed by how much your students learn, and by how enjoyable it is to learn through a well-designed unit study.

I always enjoy hearing from readers who have used FAR or BITM, and I was blessed to receive an excellent review from Katrina Milligan. She’s used the curriculums for her three children, and she shares how they helped her work with her own organizational skills and her student’s learning styles. You can read the review on the Testimonials page.

If you haven’t browsed the Article section recently, you may not have seen some of the latest articles. Be sure to check them out- they’re listed in the sidebar.

Remember, if you need some family-friendly reading, our Life With the Pony Express historical fiction trilogy is ready to download. The titles are:

• With my Very Life by Lynda and Becky Coats
• A Life and Death Matter by Lynda and Becky Coats
• Love of a Lifetime by Lynda and Becky Coats

You save $3 when you purchase all three titles as a set for $15! Enjoy!

I’m happy to announce that we will be participating in the annual Say What You Mean Convention in February. This encouraging online event is free, and I think you’ll be blessed by what you learn during its three days.

The convention is hosted by the Art of Eloquence, and “Each of the days will feature a Keynote Speaker and free, creative and fun workshops and seminars. Some will be live interactive text and voice chat seminars while others will be previously recorded audio seminar/interviews. Of course we will continue to have free giveaways, contests and prizes.”

I hope to see you there!

I’m excited to report that some friends have gathered to help me with a very special sale and benefit. As you know, Lauren’s medical situation is very serious. He’s home now, under the care of hospice, and we are facing major expenses on many fronts. Our friends have gathered to help us, and in benefiting us, they will also benefit you.

For the Special Sale, I’m offering my new phonics curriculum with a bunch of special bonuses from friends. That makes your purchase a really wonderful bargain for you– you receive over $75 $133 worth of curriculum and instruction (they just keep adding things!) for just the normal price of All the Letters, All Year Long!

Also, I’ve just posted two wonderful reviews!

• A review of All the Letters, All Year Long by Lisa Hodgen of Me and My House Ministries.
• A review of Taking it on the Road: Homeschool Fun Away From Home by Teri Ann Berg Olsen of Knowledge House.

You can click on the links above to read both of them.

If all that wasn’t enough, we’re also offering a special sale on Blessed is the Man. It’s time to stock up!

We appreciate your prayers and support, and hope that you’ll be blessed by our special sale and benefit. Remember- the amazing bonuses for the sale of the phonics curriculum last for only one week (October 15-22), so you need to act quickly!

Please remember to sign up for the newsletter list in the right sidebar, so we can keep you informed about new products and specials.

For the month of October, I’m offering a very special sale on my classic unit study for boys. Blessed is the Man is on a super-sale at $47 — nearly $20 off the regular price– for this month only. If you’ve been waiting to buy it, now is the time!

CLICK HERE to read more, or HERE to order your copy today!

Also, if you’ve been waiting to purchase Far Above Rubies, we have about a dozen copies in stock. They’ll go fast, so be sure to order quickly if you want one!

People often ask me what curriculum or teaching methods I have used.  The best answer I can give to that is not a method but a philosophy. This is how the Lord led us to teach our children many years ago and the philosophy that formed the basis for the Far Above Rubies and Blessed is the Man curricula.

1. God created all of us as individuals. Each person is a unique human being from the moment of conception, different from every other human being. This difference includes the mental, emotional, and personality distinctives which impact the way a person learns and what he or she can and will become. For this reason, parents should know their children and teach to their styles. Blessed Is the Man and Far Above Rubies, like most unit studies,  were designed to be broad-based and flexible enough to meet a wide-range of educational needs and learning styles.2. All human beings are sinners in their natural state. It is not enough to teach a student the difference between right and wrong. A moral, well-behaved sinner is still estranged from God. In order to have a right relationship with God, a person must repent of sin and be saved from it. It is up to us as Christian parents to teach this to our children and to pray for the Lord to make it real in their lives.

3. Salvation is in the blood of Jesus Christ and in no other. We must lead our children to put their trust in the Lord Jesus and pray for their salvation, even as we train their minds and supply their physical needs. It is not possible to `train’ someone to become a Child of God (also known as getting saved); that must be done by God himself. We can only share the message, prepare the ground, and pray for the results, but it is up to us to do that. In the meantime, we should teach our children and young people to walk in His truth.

4. God gave us our children. They are given to us in sacred trust from God the creator for a relatively short time to bless our lives and give us a special ministry before God. We are responsible before Him for how we rear and train His children during the time they are in our homes.

5. God gave each child to specific parents for a reason. Except for God himself, no one knows your child as well as you do or is as perfectly suited to teach him. When parents commit atrocities against their own children, it is not parenthood or God’s choice of parents for that child that is faulty. It is sin which is the root cause of child abuse and neglect as well as all other evils. Leading the parent into a right relationship with God through faith in Christ is the ideal answer, not taking children away from their parents or forbidding parents to teach them.

6. Teaching is the domain of the parents, not of a school or any other entity. Scripture is full of references to parents teaching and training their own children, but says nothing about schools or classrooms. Scripture also abounds with evidence that it is the parents whom God holds responsible for the education and moral training of their children. Judging by Scripture, we must infer that this responsibility is still upon parents, even if the child attends school or is taught by someone else.

7. All education is religious. All knowledge comes from God who is the author of it. Just as there can be no error in God’s Word, there can also be no truth outside of its realms. Even those branches of education which are normally considered secular or morally-neutral, when we thoroughly investigate them, are found to center in and/or revolve around God, His creation, or His revealed word.

8. Education is a natural part of life. Notice the many times in Scripture when the Lord, in HIs earthly ministry or through the inspired writers, uses the everyday affairs of life or nature to teach spiritual lessons. Everything with which we come in contact can teach us something. It is up to us to glean from those people and experiences that which the Lord has for us. As parents we are responsible to arrange our children’s activities and environment to teach those things which are desirable and not the undesirable.

9. Teaching should be done in a natural way. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 tells us how we should teach our children the things of God. It encourages us to tell them of these things throughout the day in everything that we do, and to diligently guide their education. If all of education is from God, this can be applied to teaching all subjects and skills. FARaand BITM offer a format with which to do that, but are not designe dto take the place of the lifestyle approach.

10. Teaching should take a form that best meets the particular child’s learning style and educational needs. (See Learning Styles section of the above  website)  The job of the parent/teacher is to help each student choose learning activities and materials that best meet his/her specific needs, while including enough items designed for other learning styles to challenge him/her in areas of weakness and/or to broaden his/her perspective.

11. Children should be immersed in Scripture. It should be much more than a school subject or something relegated to church or Sunday School. As parents we should open the Word of God to our children and train them to read it for themselves as soon as possible. As good as Bible stories, commentaries, dramatized tapes, and Bible videos can be for teaching the stories and principles of the Bible, there is no substitute for reading or hearing the actual Word of God, word for word, in as accurate a translation as possible.

12. The purpose of teaching and parenting is to work ourselves out of a job. It is the goal of all Christian education for parent/teachers to work as God’s instruments in molding the little ones He gives us into mature, godly adults who are capable of replacing us in society in the future. As our children reach each new level of maturity, it behooves us parents to give them ever-increasing control over their own education within Biblical parameters.

13. Productivity is paramount for the servant of God. It is part of a young person’s education to learn the value of work and to work heartily at whatever he does, realizing it is all for the Lord. As parents, we should encourage our young people to make good use of their time in all circumstances and to pursue even hobbies which are productive in some way.

14. Young people after the age of about thirteen are ready to begin accepting adult responsibility. For that reason, we should begin at that age to allow our children to make more and more of their decisions. We are to counsel and guide, and we do still have veto power, if matters come to that, but it is important to let our sons think through their own problems and exercise their own discernment rather than automatically solving their problems or telling them what to do.

15. A woman belongs under the headship of her father until he gives her into the care of a husband. In most cases this will mean continuing to live in the family home and always includes staying close to her father and seeking his advice in all Spiritual matters and major life decisions. We believe that God desires this behavior from all women and will lead a godly young lady through her father, even if he does not know the Lord himself.

15. Even a child has a place in God’s family. We should begin when our children are young training them to care about others and to serve the Christian community insofar as they can at each age. This curriculum offers many opportunities for service projects of benefit to others. It is part of the training of children to help them identify their own spiritual gifts and learn to use them for the glory of God and the benefit of others.

Excerpted from Blessed is the Man © 1998 by Lauren and Lynda Coats; any use without written permission is forbidden by Federal law. This is includes e-mailing to others and posting on websites.

After working on high-school curriculum for several years, I’ve moved to the other end of the schooling spectrum with a phonics unit study. All the Letters, All Year Long is a unique, total immersion phonics program touching on all areas of academic knowledge and everyday life, helping pre-readers to identify letters and their sounds whenever they encounter them. This program could serve as a stand-alone phonics curriculum or may be used to supplement any other program.

The second new e-book is entitled Taking it on the Road — Homeschool Fun Away from Home. Based on our twenty years of homeschooling experience, this book offers exciting ideas to incorporate teaching into errand-running, vacations, and other travel time. It is essentially a unit study based on travel and going places. There are activities in all subject areas for all ages with many designed for the whole family together. Try it out and have fun learning together on your next trip!

All the Letters, All Year Long and Taking it on the Road — Homeschool Fun Away from Home are now available as e-books - get them today!

Subscribe to the RSS feed (click on “Entries RSS” at the bottom of the page to add it to your Google homepage or other feed reader) so that you don’t miss the big introductory special!

Hi!

Are you looking for a well-rounded curriculum for your high school student? Have you wondered whether it was a good idea to home school all the way through high school? I would like to encourage you that homeschooling through the teen years is a wonderful option.

I’ve developed two unit study curricula, Far Above Rubies and Blessed is the Man, that will prepare your students for living. In addition to the very important academic subjects, these unit studies are designed to prepare teens for their God-designed roles in life.

You can read more about each one by clicking on it’s individual page. Although I am currently out of stock for the printed version of Far Above Rubies, I have plenty of Blessed Is The Man in stock. I hope to have both books available as e-books very soon. If you subscribe to my RSS feed, you’ll find out exactly when they are ready to order!

Thanks for coming by– it’s my prayer that the things you read here will minister to your heart and help you as you teach your children.