Bethel School, Cisco, IL

Bethel School at Cisco, IL, near Decatur, IL. 

     The first Bethel School was built in Section 7 of Friends Creek Township, Macon County, IL, and was an 1850’s log structure.  By 1890 with a donation of land from John Brown in Section 8 the current Bethel School was built.  For nearly 56 years the school served the neighborhood students until 1946 when it was closed as part of a statewide trend in the 1940’s and 1950’s when students were transferred to larger schools. Purchased by Sam Kohler, the Bethel School was moved to his property about a mile south to be used as an implement and tool shed.   With the purchase of his property in 1969 by the Macon County Conservation District, the school was moved yet again in 1982 a short distance to its present location as part of Friends Creek Conservation Area. From 1982 to 1985 with help from several donors including the Winings Trust along with dedicated volunteers and staff it was restored to its current appearance.  The clapboard building still has much to teach about the way America used to learn how to read, write, and do `rithmetic in the era before yellow buses, teacher in-service days, and homework assignments posted on the Internet.  Visitors can walk among the small cluster of desks and see how they were easily watched and patrolled by the lone teacher.   Friends Creek Conservation Area, located at 13734 Friends Creek Park Road, Cisco , IL 61830, is 4.5 miles from Argenta.

http://dailyherald.com/article/20110723/news/707239949/#ixzz1Sw80LEYB

http://dailyherald.com/article/20110723/news/707239949/#ixzz1Sw7m3Osz

http://www.topix.com/city/cisco-il

http://www.maconcountyconservation.org/historic.php#bethel

Home School Book Review

     You are invited to visit the fellow blog to this one, Home School Book Review, at http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbookreview .  This is the place to find book reviews, primarily of children’s literature and works for teens and young adults, from a Biblical worldview by a homeschooling father.

     Some of the books that have been reviewed and posted this past month include the following:
Nov 26th, 2011: The Barber Who Wanted to Pray by R. C. Sproul
Nov 25th, 2011: Elsie Dinsmore by Martha Finley
Nov 21st, 2011: Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion, a new fantasy story for ages 6-11
Nov 17th, 2011: Meet Me in St. Louis by Sally Benson, the basis for the 1944 MGM musical movie
Nov 16th, 2011: A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler, a new fantasy story for ages 9 and up
Nov 14th, 2011: Runt the Brave by Daniel Schwabauer
Nov 13th, 2011: Outlaw by Stephen Davies, a new technical thriller for teens
Nov 12th, 2011: Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton, a classic
Nov 6th, 2011: The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
Nov 5th, 2011: Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Nov 3rd, 2011: Dear Christian Parents: An Appeal for Homeschooling by Stacey Durham, a gospel preacher and homeschooling father

     If you’re interested in looking for a particular title, researching books by a specific author, or finding books in one of the listed categories, a search feature is available.  Find out if a particular book is deemed suitable for reading by godly families or not.

     Some books which we are currently reading and for which reviews should soon be posted are these:

The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart
The Redskins by James Fenimore Cooper, author of the Leatherstocking Tales
Treasures in the Dust by Tracey Porter, junior historical fiction about the Great Depression
Homework Made Simple by Ann K. Dolin
Runt the Hunted by Daniel Schwabauer, sequel to Runt the Brave

     New reviews are added nearly every day.  Also, if any reader of this blog has written a book which you would like to have reviewed and posted on Home School Book Review just contact me at homeschoolbookreview@gmail.com for information on how to submit your book.

More on Biblical Homeschooling

     As I said in yesterday’s blog, I publish a free e-mail homeschooling newsletter known as Biblical Homeschooling.   It is a nonthly newsletter of general interest, encouragement, and information for homeschooling Christians which is divided into four parts, one of which is mailed each week of the month. 

     The articles planned for the December issue, the first part of which was e-mailed today, are as follows:

     December, 2011
HOMESCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Table of Contents
1. THE THIRD WAVE OF HOMESCHOOL PERSECUTION
From a speech delivered by HSLDA Chairman Michael Farris
at the Christian Home Educators of Ohio conference on October 7, 2010
2. I WAS RAISED BY WOLVES
by Gena Suarez
3. SCHOOLS SERVING LEFTIST KOOL-AID AS CURRICULUM
By Marybeth Hicks (9/7/2011)
4. SCHOOL’S PURPOSE
By Jonathan Chaffin
5. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
By Morris Hafley
6. BANNED BOOKS WEEK IS JUST HYPE
By Jonah Goldberg (9/8/2011)
7. ENVIROMENTAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM LABELED AS ONE SIDED
By Bill Bumpas, OneNewsNow (9/11/2011)
8. HOW THE DEVIL’S LAW FIRM HELPS TO CORRUPT KIDS
By Robert Knight (9/14/2011)
9. THE DAYTIME CURFEW IN MOBILE, ALABAMA
From Home School Legal Defense Association
10. TEN THINGS A MOM CAN LEARN FROM A CAT
by Cheryl Moeller (Thursday, September 15, 2011)
11. CROSS DRESSER AT CALIFORNIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
By Becky Yeh, OneNewsNow California correspondent (10/3/2011)
12. TEACHER PENALIZES STUDENTS FOR SAYING “BLESS YOU”
From KFNS, Fresno, CA (September 29, 2011)
13. WHY MY KIDS ARE POP-CULTURE ILLITERATE
By Andrew O’Hehir (Sunday, Aug 29, 2010)
14. THE LORD IS GREAT
by Wayne S. Walker
15. COURAGE IN CAPTIVITY (Daniel Chapters 3-6ff)
By Wayne S. Walker
16. CHRISTIANS NEED NOT APPLY
By David Cortman
17. SCHOOL COMPETITION RESCUES STUDENTS
by John Stossel (10/26/2011)
18. WARNING–OBAMA ED AIMS AT U. S. TAKEOVER:
All schools – even parents at home – may be forced to teach gov’t agenda
By Bob Unruh, World Net Daily (November 2, 2011)
19. HOW HOMESCHOOLING HAS BENEFITED MY LIFE
By Christopher Wuehler, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (Monday, March 7, 2011)

     Again, anyone interested in receiving this free e-mail newsletter can send a blank e-mail to biblicalhomeschooling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and then follow the instructions e-mailed back to you or you can subscribe from the web at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biblicalhomeschooling if you have a Yahoogroups ID.

“Biblical Homeschooling”

      I publish a free e-mail homeschooling newsletter known as Biblical Homeschooling.   It is a monthly newsletter of general interest, encouragement, and information for homeschooling Christians which is divided into four parts, one of which is mailed each week of the month.  

      By way of example, here is the “monthly meditation” from the Nov. issue

20. THE IMPORTANCE OF WORSHIP
by Wayne S. Walker

     “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (Psalm 95:6).  Worshipping God has always been an important aspect of the lives of those who love God.  The very first thing that we learn about Cain and Abel is that they offered sacrifices to God.  The very first thing that Noah did when he came out of the Ark was to build an altar to the Lord.  The very first thing that Abraham did in every place was to build an altar to God.  The very first thing that the Israelites did when they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground was to sing praise to the Lord.
     Worship should also be important in the lives of Christians today.  We are to worship the Lord our God (Matthew 4:10).  We must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).  The early church assembled often for worship, and especially on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).  Therefore, when the church assembles for worship, we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhort one another as we see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).  When we thus come together, we can “offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).
     However, worship is not limited to the assemblies of the church.  Prayer is an act of worship.  “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Singing praise to God is an act of worship.  “…Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).  We do not need to be gathered with the church in a worship assembly to pray and sing.  This does not mean that we can neglect the worship assemblies of the church, but in addition to that, we can pray and sing as families in our homes and/or as individuals on our own–at any time.  As homeschoolers, we can actually make it a part of our educational curriculum!  There is even a sense in which our entire lives are to be offered as sacrifices in worship to God (Romans 12:1).  Therefore, at every opportunity, “Let us worship.”

     Anyone interested in receiving this free e-mail newsletter can send a blank e-mail to biblicalhomeschooling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and then follow the instructions e-mailed back to you or you can subscribe from the web at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biblicalhomeschooling if you have a Yahoogroups ID.

Maple Grove School, Landis Valley Museum, Lancaster, PA

Maple Grove School at Landis Valley in Pennsylvania. 

     The Landis Valley Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601(717/569-0401), a living history village and farm, collects, preserves and interprets the history and material culture of the Pennsylvania German rural community from 1740 to 1940 and enhances understanding of their successful practices, interactions with others, and the impact on the state and nation for citizens of and visitors to the Commonwealth.  When brothers Henry Kinzer Landis (1865-1955) and George Diller Landis (1867 – 1954) opened the museum in 1925 at their Landis Valley residence, the area had been a small Pennsylvania German settlement since the mid 1800s.   The authentic one-room Maple Grove schoolhouse was built at Leola, PA, in 1890.  It was relocated in 1970 from its original site and restored.  The schoolhouse is complete with authentic furnishings.  A schoolmarm in period costume will give students lessons from the late 1800’s in subjects such as arithmetic, spelling, and reading geared to children in 2nd through 8th grades.

http://www.landisvalleymuseum.org/sitemap.php

http://mserfass.smugmug.com/Architecture/Amish-Style-Buildings-Landis/5877695_8dFLn#365162347_pvAZM