Table of Contents
Black History Month:  February
Valentine's Day:  February 14
     Time for a Talk about True Love and Purity
Presidents' Day:  February 21
     17 Activities for Presidents' Day
     To Use a la Carte or as a Unit Study
          Lincoln's Birthday:  February 12
          Washington's Birthday:  February 22
Recommended Resources
     Easy Handwriting
     Speedy Spanish
     Christian Liberty Academy School System
     Bible Memory by Memlok
     STEM International
     Teaching Home Magazine Back Issues
Sunnyside Up: Humorous Anecdote

Greetings,

     Special days during this month provide interest and motivation
for studying topics on history and love.  These also offer variety
in your midwinter studies.
     May the Lord richly bless your family for His glory!

Cordially,
Cindy Short and Sue Welch, Sisters and Co-Editors
The Pat Welch Family, Publishers
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian
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February Is Black History Month
     This celebration is the brainchild of historian Carter
Woodson, the son of former slaves. He chose the month of February
for the celebration because of the proximity of the birthdays of
emancipator Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and abolitionist Frederick
Douglass (Feb. 14).
     See more information and suggested books for the study of
African American culture and history at
http://www.bjup.com/resources/articles/teacher_to_teacher/0101a.html.

Resources
     Bob Jones University Press.  Read an inspiring story taken from
"Free Indeed: Heroes of Black Christian History" at
http://www.bjup.com/resources/articles/teacher_to_teacher/0104a.html
     Order "Free Indeed" at http://Indeed.notlong.com.
     Annie's Black History Month page. Lots of information and
links.  http://www.annieshomepage.com/blackhistory.html
____________________________________________________

Books That Help Build Character -- Devotional, Missionary,
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and Spanish. Aids for teaching. http://www.speedy-spanish.com
____________________________________________________

Valentine's Day:
Time for a Talk about True Love and Purity

     This Valentine's Day might be a good opportunity to talk to
your children about the difference between real love between a
man and a woman (e.g., unselfishly seeking the welfare of the
other and committing to life-long marriage) and the world's use
of the word "love."
     Depending on the ages of your children, you might need to
scale it down for all of them, and then have a more specific
conversation with your older children.
     Do not assume that Christian children, growing up in a godly
Christian home, know about these issues.  You need to come
straight out and talk about them.
     For instance, many or most will agree with the concept of
keeping themselves pure until marriage, but what exactly does
that mean to you?  To them?  And how is that ensured?
     One of the most basic rules of conduct for you and your
children is:
     Never be alone with a member of the opposite sex unless
you are married to him/her or he/she is part of your immediate
family.
     This rule was common for all decent people, Christians or
not, in our country until relatively recently when the practice
of dating became common.  This rule:

1.  Protects you and another from temptation too great to bear.
2.  Protects you from abuse or harm.
3.  Protects your reputation from false accusations.
4.  Provides a good example so that others may enjoy the same
     protections.

Resources
     "Not Even a Hint : Guarding Your Heart Against Lust" by
Joshua Harris.  Also "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" and "Boy
Meets Girl."  http://www.joshharris.com/
     Articles on abstinence, including the Biblical view (see menu
on left of website.  http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/abstinence/
     "Life In the Single Lane!" by Aprill M. Brunson with chapter on
"Purity No Matter the Cost."  http://www.OldMaidMinistries.com
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17 Activities for Presidents' Day
(Plus Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays):
To Use a la Carte or as a Unit Study

     Since 1971 Presidents' Day has been observed on the third
Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United
States of America.
     The following activities are taken, for the most part, from
our Presidential Election Online Unit Study last spring.  They
encompass most school subjects with heavier emphasis on history.

1.  Learn about Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day with information on Washington and Lincoln.
     http://www.patriotism.org/presidents_day
Annie's Presidents' Day Page. Information, activities, and links.
     http://www.annieshomepage.com/presidents.html

2.  Memorize the names of the 43 presidents.
     Also study their major contributions, and learn to recognize their
portraits.

3.  Research the presidents of the United States.
     The link below includes background information, election results,
cabinet members, notable events, and points of interest for each
of the presidents. You will find links to biographies, homes, monuments,
documents, audio and video files, and other sites.
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/.

4.  See a biographical sketch and portrait of each president.
   http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents
   http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/presidents/index.html

5.  See speeches and documents of all the presidents.
   http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/

6.  Find lots of interesting information about our presidents.
   http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0777337.html

7.  Read the Christian testimony of Washington and Lincoln.
   http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g011.html
   http://www.crministries.org/TTT/010219.htm

8.  Listen to the voices of 22 American presidents.
   http://PresidentsVoices.notlong.com
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9.  Make a presidential timeline. (1789 to the present)
* Alternate red, white, and blue strips of paper; each the length
   of a President's term (i.e., 1/2 inch per year = 9 ft. total).
* Label your timeline with dates and presidents' names.
* Add a small portrait (printed off the Internet or drawn) of
   each president. (See link above.)
* Add major events in U.S. history.
   http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0902416.html

10.  Find examples of the ways we honor former presidents.
     (For example, picture on money, birthdays, restoring homes,
naming things after them).
* See their monuments. http://Monuments.notlong.com

11.  Draw or paint a portrait gallery of our past presidents
or some of the ones that you admire most.
* See portraits at http://www.ipl.org/div/potus.

12.  Draw the presidential seal.
   http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/5a2a.html
   http://www.snopes.com/history/american/turnhead.htm

13.  Design a monument for the president of your choice.
* Draw it on paper and/or make one out of any medium.
* Write a dedication speech telling why you chose the president
   and what character quality or action  you want to honor.

14.  Color portraits of the presidents.
* Use crayons or colored pencils.  See a page for each at
   http://coloring.notlong.com.
* See many coloring techniques with crayons, markers, colored
   pencils, and paints at
   http://www.crayola.com/educators/techniques/index.cfm.

15.  Study the Poem "O Captain, My Captain."
     This poem was written by Walt Whitman about the assassination
of President Lincoln.
* Recite or read the poem with appropriate expression.
* Study the meaning of the poem.  See poem and link to "poem
   explanation" at http://Captain.notlong.com.

16.  Listen to, learn to play, or sing "Hail to the Chief."
   http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/hail_words.html

17.  Visit the White House.
   http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/life
* Tours and activities for younger and older children.
   http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/whlife/index.html
* White House and Washington, D.C. information and activities.
   http://WhiteHouseWashingtonDC.notlong.com
__ Check your local library or video store for videos on the
White House (by A&E).
____________________________________________________

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Pray for Our President

     "Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
          intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
          for kings and all who are in authority,
     That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life
          in all godliness and reverence.
     For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
          Who desires all men to be saved
          and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
          (I Timothy 2: 1-4)

     We can thank the Lord for a president who is bold in
acknowledging the Lord.

     "From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every
man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and
matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of
Heaven and earth.
     "May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States
of America."
     President George W. Bush, Inauguration 2005

     "Our second great responsibility to our children and
grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that
sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long
journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined
to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the
source of these values, but government should never undermine
them.
     President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address

 *  Pray for President Bush that he will:
     Seek, know, and follow the Lord's will in leading our nation.
     Be protected, and be strong physically and spiritually.
 *  Pray for members of the Bush administration and his family.

     For daily prayer requests and updated information see:
The Presidential Prayer Team
     http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org
Intercessors for America
     http://www.ifa-usapray.org
____________________________________________________

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Sunnyside Up:  Voice of Reason
     While reading Black Beauty to our children ages 10, 5, and
3, I asked them to pay attention to the details and try to figure
out who was telling the story.
     After listening to several minutes of reading, our
3-year-old jumped up, shouting, "Pick me, Mommy! Pick me!
I know who's telling the story. It's you!"
     Submitted by Nancy T., North Carolina
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God Loves You.
     Because we have been separated from God by sin, Jesus Christ
died in our place, then rose to life again.  If we trust Jesus
Christ as our Savior and Lord, He will give us eternal life.
     "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of
works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
     http://www.TeachingHome.com/about/Salvation.cfm
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