Homeschool Update Magazine - 2019, Volume 2, Issue 104

2019 IVOLUME 2 IISSUE 104
T H E H E A R T O F H O M E S C H O O L I N G
Christ Plus
Homeschooling?
Dad to Dad:
Freedom from
Anger
God Knows
Who You Are
Create a Backyard
Sanctuary for
Sensory Play
6 8 12 18
ARTICLES INSIDE THIS ISSUE INCLUDE
JUNE 13-15, 2019
Rocky Mountain
Homeschool
Conference
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CHEC Homeschool Update IVolume 2, 2019 IIssue 104
INSIDE
Family Encouragement
6 Christ Plus
Homeschooling?
BY JULIANNA DOTTEN
8 Freedom from Anger
BY DR. S.M. DAVIS
10 One Year Became
A Decade
INTERVIEW WITH THE LEGGES
12 God Knows Who
You Are
BY MARCIA WASHBURN
14 Trust + Faith + Hope
BY TYLER HOGAN
16 Lemons to
Lemonade
BY KARL SCHNEIDER
CHEC Events
15 Refresh Recap
PRESENTED BY CHEC
17 Day at the Capitol
PRESENTED BY CHEC
31-60 Rocky Mountain
Homeschool Conference
PRESENTED BY CHEC
Columns
4 Director’s Desk
18 Struggling Learners
20 Homeschool Leaders
22 Legislative Liasion
24 Resource Review
26 Partner’s Page
19039 Plaza Drive, Suite 210 Parker, Colorado 80134
720.842.4852 I1.877.842.CHEC (2432) ICHEC.org

Homeschooling
has been
described as an
island of freedom. I
love this island, and
to be honest, there
has never been a
time in my life that I
didn’t plan to live on
this island with my
own family.
My parents began homeschooling me back
in the 1980s. While their reasons for doing
so developed and clarified over time, it was
ultimately a desire to have their children
discipled and educated in the fear of God that
compelled them. Homeschooling allowed them
the freedom to do just that, and they grabbed hold of
the opportunity and poured their life into it. Today,
my parents, their children, and their grandchildren
are reaping the blessings of their decision.
As the father of five children, it is difficult for me to
imagine life without this “island of freedom” we call
homeschooling, especially considering what has
happened to public education in Colorado just in
the last few months. It grieves me to think about the
possibility of my grandchildren not being able to en-
joy the same opportunities and blessings that I and
my children have enjoyed through homeschooling.
Today, the legal threat to homeschooling is real in
Colorado and around the country, and it seems to be
growing in momentum.
But of MUCH greater concern to me is the spiritual
complacency and fatigue that is causing many to
lose focus on what it means to truly give their chil-
dren a Christian education — or to give up on doing
so altogether. Spiritual complacency and fatigue
will lead to the giving up of freedoms that have been
won by those who have gone before us.
And so I believe the true threat to our island of
homeschool freedom is more spiritual and internal
than physical and external.
In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, the journey
of Christian and his traveling companion, Hope-
ful, took them “into a certain country, whose air
naturally tended to make one drowsy ….” It was the
Enchanted Ground. Hopeful was nearly overcome by
the evil power of that country which lulled pilgrims
into permanent slumber. But Christian exhorted his
companion, “Do you not remember that one of the
Shepherds bid us beware of the Enchanted Ground?
He meant by that that we should beware of sleep-
ing.” Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let
us watch and be sober (I Thessalonians 5:6 NKJV).
Christianity in the West — Western Civilization —
has fallen prey to the Enchanted Ground. There are
many indications of this. A significant one is the
ENCHANTED
GROUNDBY STEVE CRAIG
Escaping the
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
C H E C H O M E S C H O O L U P DAT E I Vo l u m e 2 , I s s u e 1 0 4 , 2 01 94
DIRECTOR’S DESK

tool for guarding against the temptation to com-
placency and spiritual fatigue is the “stirring up” of
believers through godly conversation, exhortations,
and fellowship.
The importance of this practical method of escaping
the Enchanted Ground is spoken of in Hebrews
10:24–25, which says, And let us consider how
to stir up one another to love and good works, not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another, and all the more as you
see the Day drawing near.
complacency with which most Christians approach
the discipleship of their children. Sadly, we are far
from seeing the mass exodus of Christian families
from public schools that we might expect given the
pervasive, anti-Christian worldview that is being
aggressively thrust upon Christian children through
these public institutions.
Furthermore, while the number of homeschoolers
is on the rise, data suggests that we are see-
ing a decline in the percentage of those who are
homeschooling for religious reasons. Within the
Christian homeschool movement of today, it
appears that there is a waning of commitment to
the principles that caused my parents and other
homeschool pioneers to blaze the trail of the
modern homeschool movement. Complacency is
setting in as we, too, are succumbing to the effects
of the Enchanted Ground.
Are you battling complacency and spiritual fatigue
when it comes to the discipleship of your children?
Are you being tempted to settle for a shell of
“homeschooling” that does not really embody
a Christ-centered nurturing and training of your
children in the ways of the Lord? Or perhaps your
understanding of what a Christian education is and
why it is important has grown so clouded that you
are not sure that homeschooling is worth the effort?
You are not alone. I think most of us struggle with
these temptations at various levels.
There is good news! Hopeful and Christian were
able to escape the Enchanted Ground of Pilgrim’s
Progress. We learn from their story that a powerful
SPIRITUAL
COMPLACENCY AND
FATIGUE WILL LEAD
TO THE GIVING UP OF
FREEDOMS THAT HAVE
BEEN WON BY THOSE WHO
HAVE GONE BEFORE US.
“
“
husbands to do so (I include myself here) is a major
cause of spiritual fatigue for homeschool moms.
Finally, look for ways for your family to stir up and
be stirred up by other believers that you may not rub
shoulders with on a regular basis. Attending CHEC’s
Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference as a
family or a couple is a great way that you can renew
your passion for the high calling of the discipleship
of your children, be revitalized by biblical teaching
from God’s Word that is directed toward parenting
and family life, and be inspired and encouraged
If you want to escape the Enchanted Ground along
with your family, it is critical that you are getting
encouragement, fellowship, and exhortations from
other believers who will help you be sobered up to
the dangers that surround us and be stirred up to
continue the faithful fight!
First and foremost, your family desperately needs
to be plugged in to a healthy local church. Your
church body is the primary context where Hebrews
10:24–25 should be lived out. While finding a
healthy church may take some real effort, the spiri-
tual safety of your family depends on it!
Opportunities also abound for families to stir up
other family members in the Lord. This is in fact the
main reason that our family homeschools! So that
we can stir up our children towards Christ through
the education that we give them. As a husband, I am
also reminded of my responsibility to stir up my wife
towards spiritual things by washing her with the water
of the Word (Ephesians 5:25–26). I think the failure of
toward faithfulness through fellowship with brothers
and sisters in Christ who are walking along the
same path. If you make this investment into the
spiritual health of your family, you will not regret it.
Friends, we are pilgrims on a dangerous journey.
If we want to escape the Enchanted Ground, if we
want to preserve this island of freedom we call
homeschooling, we must not fall asleep at the
wheel. Let’s sober up and soldier up. Our kids are
worth the fight, and our God is worthy of the glory
that comes through our obedience! 
Steve Craig is the
Executive Director for
Christian Home Educators
of Colorado. He and his
wife Tara are 2nd
generation homeschoolers and have a passion to
inspire others toward biblical discipleship in the
home. Steve and Tara live in
Parker with their five
children: Carson,
Christiana, Angelina,
Jewel, and Ariel.
Rocky Mountain
SPEAKER
Vo l u m e 2 , I s s u e 1 0 4 , 2 01 9 I C H E C H O M E S C H O O L U P DAT E 5
DIRECTOR’S DESK

BEST OF CHEC.ORG/BLOG
Homeschooling?
CHRIST Plus
BY JULIANNA DOTTEN
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
I know that may sound obvious (after all, we
wouldn’t change our creed to “I believe in the
power of homeschooling …”). But somehow,
this thinking still tends to creep into our lives.
We get so excited about this new life calling
that it begins to dominate everything. We blog
about it. Talk about it. Make friends with those
who do it.
And it becomes all too easy to begin believ-
ing that it’s homeschooling that will save our
children’s souls.
I remember this danger hit home hard when
my family made friends with a Muslim family
at the park. Their middle-school-age daughter
was struggling in school, and finding out that
our family homeschooled, they wanted to learn
more. We, of course, excitedly invited them over
for dinner and gave them the run-down of how
great homeschooling was.
BEST OF CHEC.ORG/BLOG
Visit CHEC.org/blog for
weekly encouragement, with
articles like:
 From One Mom to Another by
Linda Watkins
 Setbacks? 3 Tips to Resetting
Goals When Reality Messes
with Your Plans by Kathy Kuhl
 Loving Your Neighbor:
Bringing It Home by Pete
Olson
 Why Homeschool? by Mike Smith
 Knowing Who We Are, Where
We Are Going by David
Watkins
The only problem was that it soon became apparent
that homeschooling was not what this family needed.
Their daughter’s struggles, though they may have
been masked in academics, were, at their root, at-
titude problems. And tragically, the parents' lifestyles
would have almost made it better for her to be in
school all day than to be at home with them. Ulti-
mately, our family realized preaching homeschooling
was not going to cut it. Only Christ would.
A few months later, God graciously opened up the
opportunity for us to have a long discussion regard-
ing their eternal state and demonstrate that anything
good they saw in our family was because of Christ,
not homeschooling.
But while it might be obvious that homeschooling
won’t result in godly children if the parents aren’t
believers themselves, isn’t it too easy, even as Chris-
tians, to begin trusting homeschooling to somehow
transform our children?
Homeschooling won’t save us.

Rather, Snyder suggests that we come to know the
character of God, we fill ourselves up on Christ,
and then allow the specific applications in our lives
to flow from that. Homeschooling then becomes
an overflow of our excitement about Jesus and
desire to see more worshippers of Him! When we’re
satisfied in Christ, Deuteronomy 6:7 is going to
happen naturally, You shall teach them diligently to
your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in
your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie
down, and when you rise up (NKJV).
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love homeschooling.
I am a homeschool graduate on staff with a state
homeschool organization with a second job of tutor-
ing two students for a local homeschool family …
and I plan to homeschool my own children someday.
But as I’ve watched the children of pioneer
homeschool families grow up and launch out into life
on their own, I have seen tragic results from those
who trusted homeschooling, not Christ, to raise godly
children. Rule-based living breeds antinomianism,
and the results aren’t pretty. However, those parents
that loved Christ first and decided to homeschool
only as a result of wanting their children to love Him
better, often reap an abundance of fruit — multiple
generations passionate about Christ.
As John Snyder discusses in an excellent talk titled
“Christ Our Sanctification,”1
the danger isn’t in reject-
ing Christ altogether but in creating a “Christ-plus”
religion. Yes, we want Christ. But we think we need
something more … be it homeschooling, courtship,
parenting techniques, and the list could go on.
LET US
HOMESCHOOL —
BUT ONLY AS A
MEANS TO POINT OUR
CHILDREN TO
“
“
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Someday, I want my children to look back and say,
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parents’ greatest passion was homeschooling.” Let
us homeschool, but only as a means to point our
children to Christ, not as a formula to automatically
make them godly Christians.
When Christ is the focus, everything else falls into place. 
John Snyder, “Christ Our Sanctification,” audio lecture, October
29, 2015, https://ncfic.org/resources/25315.
[This article was first published on the CHEC.org/blog and is
reprinted here with the author’s permission.]
Julianna Dotten feels very blessed
to have been homeschooled and
discipled by godly parents, Rick
and Patti Dotten. She desires to see
a new generation take hold of the
same vision of Christ-centered education that
CHEC helped instill in her family’s life, and is
privileged to serve CHEC as marketing assistant.
Julianna is currently studying history at Colorado
Christian University and has a passion for
encouraging others through writing. You can find
her at wholeheartedwomen.blog.
Christ.
BEST OF BLOG

PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
ANGER
My wife and I
were visiting
a church in Georgia. A
father with a rebellious
17-year-old daughter
and a rebellious 15-year-
old son asked to take
us to the airport so he
could talk to us along
the way. During our
ride, the man described
the problems with
his children, how he
had tried to deal with
them, and that nothing
seemed to be working. I
asked him, “Do you have
a problem with anger?”
“Yes,” he replied, “and I traced it back to some guilt
from some earlier unresolved conflicts. Then I went
back and dealt with those things.” I replied, “That's
wonderful. So, do you still have a problem with
anger?” He responded, “Occasionally, but not very
often.”
Probing further, I questioned, “What do you do
when you get angry?” His response was, “Well,
I've made myself accountable to my wife and my
children. Any time I get angry I give the children $20
and I give my wife $50.”
I asked, “So how much have you paid out in the last
few months?” He replied, “Well, I'd say I've paid
$150 to $200 to each of the children and probably
$500 to $600 to my wife.”
I looked at him and said, “Part of your problem is that
you’re not taking your anger seriously enough.” I read
to him Galatians 5: 19-20 (KJV), Now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornica-
tion, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath … .
Then I said, “There are some things in life you must
get victory over because you know, you just can’t
keep doing them. The consequences are far too
great. There are some things you just don’t do at
your house:
1. You don’t bring X-rated movies into your
house and watch them as a family.
2. You don’t bring an idol into your living room
and bow down before it.
3. You don’t have a witch come into your house
and hold a seance.
4. And you don’t get angry in your
house.”
Dads, what I said to him also applies to you. Notice
in these following passages of Scripture which
states that anger and wrath are to be avoided, that
they are in the same classification as blasphemy and
filthy language, and it declares that the wrath of man
is always wrong (unrighteous):
• Ephesians 4:31, Let all bitterness, and wrath,
and anger ... be put away from you.
BY DR. S.M. DAVIS
Freedom from
DAD TO DAD

8. Purpose to enter the presence of family
members and business associates with
praise.
9. Ask God daily to fill you with His Spirit and
to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in
your life.
10. Make yourself fully accountable. 
A nationally known speaker, Dr.
Davis speaks at churches and
conventions across the USA and
abroad. His ministry, Solve
Family Problems, comprised of
over 100 DVDs and CDs, gives biblical
solutions to critical family and church
problems. He will be presenting several
workshops at the Rocky Mountain Homeschool
Conference including more teaching on how to
overcome anger. As a preview, be sure to check
out his website, where you
can also contact him,
www.solvefamily-
problems.org. Rocky Mountain
SPEAKER
• Colossians 3:8, But now ye also put off all
these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication.
• James 1:20, For the wrath of man worketh
not the righteousness of God.
Begin with these steps to
conquer an angry spirit:
1. Recognize the problem and its seriousness.
2. Desire victory enough to cry out to God.
3. Repent of the sin.
4. Confess the sins of forefathers and ask God
in the Name and through the power of the
blood of Jesus to break any curse coming
down the generations.
5. Ask God to take back the ground Satan has
taken because of anger.
6. See the connection between anger and lust
in Matthew 5:21–32.
7. Watch out for people and things that are go-
ing to come your way to make you angry.
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Did you know CHEC collects Box
Tops for Education? Each qualifying
box top is worth 10 cents to CHEC,
and every little bit helps us return the
investment to Colorado families. Sim-
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them off at a CHEC event or the office
(or mail them to us). Learn more at
CHEC.org/connect/support.
SAVE YOUR
BOXTOPS!
DAD TO DAD

a support group and
volunteers their time, it has a great impact lo-
cally and statewide. There is no better way to get great
advice and connect with like-minded people than to
spend time in any capacity as a volunteer. We abso-
lutely love going to the Rocky Mountain Homeschool
Conference and helping with the Used Curriculum
Sale each year. The amount of information I have
gleaned there has tremendously helped us to excel in
our ability to homeschool. I absolutely love the fact
that I get to pray with and encourage the new moms
who are in tears believing it’s just too overwhelming,
returning the blessing I received so many years ago.
May God richly bless the homeschoolers of Colorado
and CHEC year-round and at the conference. 
Living in the Grand Junction, CO area, the Legge
family is a part of the SPICE homeschool com-
munity group, with Geoff and April serving on the
board. Their family enjoys Civil Air Patrol, Irish
Step Dancing, and volunteering at food banks.
Feel free to contact them at GeoffandApryl@
yahoo.com, or through the website, www.
SpiceAtHome.org.
Q CAN YOU SHARE SOME
BACKGROUND REGARDING
YOUR FAMILY?
AGeoff was born and raised in Denver.
I, April, grew up in a non-Christian home and
moved to Denver soon after graduating from
college. Trusting God for my future which I
hoped would include a godly husband, one day
I walked into the singles class at church and
there sat Geoff — the only man not in a suit! We
were married later and eventually moved to the
western slope area of Colorado. Geoff works for
the State of Colorado prison system.
Q WHAT LED YOU TO
HOMESCHOOL?
AGeoff was the first to have a vision for
homeschooling. Our daughter, Naomi, was
turning 5 years old. She could already read, so
we thought to enroll her in kindergarten. The
school district told us they would NOT allow her
in as she missed the cut-off date by 5 days. Geoff
asked me, “Why not just homeschool her for
kindergarten?” I replied, “Ok, but just one year.”
Q HOW DID IT GO WHEN
YOU FIRST BEGAN?
AThinking Naomi was behind in the
curriculum we were using, I made the mistake of
pushing her all the way through second-grade
work. However, this error worked to our advantage,
for because of it we decided to attend the CHEC
conference to speak with the curriculum representa-
tives. When we arrived there it was like drinking from
a fire hose, and I came out of the exhibit hall crying
my eyes out, believing I was not smart enough to do
homeschooling correctly! A more experienced mom
came up to me, prayed with me, and gave me the best
advice ever: “God will lead you through it!” If you are
that mom reading this article, thank you for the great
peace you shared with me!
Q WHAT IS THE OUTCOME
TEN YEARS LATER?
ANaomi, our now 15-year-old daughter, has a
heart of gold and deeply desires to homeschool her
own children someday. Nathaniel, our 13-year-old son,
is excited to enter the military after graduation. Andrew,
our newly adopted son, is the surprise blessing of
our lives. Although my health issues force me to take
homeschooling one day at a time, we still all enjoy the
exciting opportunity of learning together as a family.
Q BASED ON YOUR
HOMESCHOOLING EXPERIENCES,
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO
SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
AThe series of events at our first CHEC
conference led us to our greatest revelation — the
importance of being involved with the homeschool
community at large. When a family becomes part of
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK,PERFCTIMPRESSIONSPHOTOGRAPHY
One Year
Became
A DECADE
Nathaniel flying a plane
with Civil Air Patrol
INTERVIEW WITH THE LEGGE FAMILY
FAMILY INTERVIEW

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God knows who
you are. He knows
where you live.
And He knows
what you need.
How often we forget these truths! We get bogged
down in the daily details of making meals and
making a living, teaching kids and training
the dog. God seems like some remote being,
removed from our daily lives. We call on Him
only for emergencies — sickness, accidents,
wayward children — and figure He’s busy with
the rest of the world the rest of the time. It’s
as if we think we only get a limited number of
requests, so we’d better save them up for when
it’s really important.
might spill or melt. Other than that, they respect the
integrity of the box — whatever the giver places in the
box stays in the box. As the boxes are delivered, the
Gospel is shared and many come to Christ.
The guide told three stories about the shoeboxes. One
shoebox had seven toothbrushes in it. It was given
to a little boy who had never owned a toothbrush
before. And he had exactly seven people in his family.
At the distribution sites, no one knows what’s in any
individual box. They are divided by age and gender
only. God knew who he was, where he lived, and what
he needed.
The second box was stuffed with a tape player and
a few music and Bible cassette tapes. The child who
“just happened” to receive that box was blind. He
would have had no use for crayons or other things that
most of the boxes were stuffed with. God knew who he
was, where he lived, and what he needed.
God
BY MARCIA WASHBURN
How little we understand our loving Father. Just as
He was there forming our tiny bodies in the womb,1
so
He is as close as our next breath. He knows when we
are too weary to keep going. He knows when we are
at our wits’ end in dealing with our family. He knows
when our relationship with our spouse is deteriorating.
And He cares.2
He cares about the tiniest details of our
lives. And His care shows up in some very interesting
ways.
When I visited the headquarters for Christian relief
agency Samaritan’s Purse3
in Boone, North Carolina, I
was fascinated to learn some of the details involved in
shipping millions of Operation Christmas Child boxes
around the world each year. People all over the country
fill shoeboxes with school supplies, personal hygiene
items, and toys for children who have very little.
Volunteers inspect each box of items before shipping,
removing any inappropriate items including those that
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
knows
WHO YOU ARE
MANAGEMENT FOR MOMS

But of course he wasn’t in his office; he was at a phone
booth in Ohio.
Realizing that only God could have arranged for her to
reach him, Ken counseled her and led her to the Lord,
suggesting a local pastor to follow up. As he walked
back to the bus he realized again how, in His amazing
way, God had met the needs of both of them — the
suicidal woman’s need for salvation and hope, and his
own need to know that God knew where he was.
A musical homeschool mother with several children
gave birth to a disabled child who needed constant
nursing care. Exhausted from months spent caring for
her child, she asked the Lord, “Will I ever be able to
use my music again?” Meanwhile, the director of the
statewide homeschool choir became too ill to conduct
their concert. The accompanist knew both of these
women and invited the weary mother to substitute for
A little girl living in an orphanage in Kazakhstan
received a shoebox full of gifts. When she received
the gift, she was happy, but she confided to her house
mother, “I appreciate the gift, but what I really need
is parents.” This Christian caregiver simply replied,
“Well, just pray and ask God for parents.” When the
girl opened her shoebox, along with the wonderful
assortment of gifts there was a card and a photo
of the people who had given the box, a couple with
no children. After praying, the little girl wrote to the
donors, thanking them for the gifts and telling them
how she was praying to God for parents. The American
couple, touched by this little girl’s faith, found their
way to her village in Kazakhstan to meet her and ended
up adopting her. God knew who that little girl was,
where she lived, and what she needed. Out of all the
shoeboxes distributed that day, this box was given to
her. And in meeting her need, He also met the yearning
for a family in the adoptive couple, building a family in
a most unexpected way.
Richard “Little Bear” Wheeler shared a story years ago
about traveling evangelist Ken Gaub (found in God’s
Got Your Number).4
While driving down I-75 south of
Dayton, Ohio, Ken and his family pulled off for pizza.
He was exhausted from ministering to everyone else,
wondering if God even knew where he was. He sent his
family into the restaurant and went for a walk, hoping
to unwind a bit.
After buying a coke, he started back toward their bus.
A pay phone was ringing in a phone booth at a service
station as he walked by. He figured he’d tell the caller
that he obviously had a wrong number so he answered
the phone. The operator said, “Long distance call for
Ken Gaub.” Astonished, he hardly knew what to say.
He even considered that he might be on the Candid
Camera TV show.
When the operator connected the caller, she was
weeping. Through her tears, she told Ken that as she
was writing a suicide note, she began praying and tell-
ing God she really didn’t want to die. She had seen Ken
on a TV show and thought if she could talk to him, he
might be able to help her. Not knowing how to contact
him, she just wrote down the numbers that came to her
mind. She decided to take a chance that the numbers
would connect her with his office in Washington state.
JUST AS HE WAS
THERE FORMING OUR
TINY BODIES IN THE
WOMB, SO HE IS AS
CLOSE AS OUR NEXT
BREATH. HE CARES
ABOUT THE tiniest
detailsOF OUR
LIVES.
“
the director. God knew the needs of both women —
one for a replacement, and one to realize that during
this time of sacrifice for her child, He hadn’t forgotten
her emotional need to again make music with others.
Joseph was just another slave in Egypt, but God knew
where to find him. Moses was just another Hebrew
baby, but God knew his name and raised him from a
basket in the bulrushes to lead the Exodus. Mary and
Joseph were just another young couple in a crowded
town, but God met their need for shelter.
To a government census taker, you are only a number.
To your phone company, you are only a number. But
God knows your name. Like the Good Shepherd that
He is, He calls you by name. You’re not just another
sheep in the flock.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your
care upon Him, for He cares for you.4
God knows who
you are. He knows where you live. He knows what you
need. And He cares. 
1
Psalm 139; 2
I Peter 5:7; 3
www.samaritanspurse.org; 4
God’s Got
Your Number by Ken Gaub (New Leaf Press, 1994).
©2007, 2019 by Marcia K.
Washburn who homeschooled five
sons for nineteen years. Check out
her website for more articles and
resources at MarciaWashburn.com.
For more encouragement, request Marcia’s free
downloadable, Encouragement for Homeschool
Moms, here: https://marciawashburn.com/
Encouragement-for-Homeschool-Moms/
“
Dana Doherty Clay, M.Ed.
(720)891-8487
dana@ignitedlearninghomeedresources.com
MANAGEMENT FOR MOMS

Parenting is complex,
and parenting teenagers
brings about its own set
of special challenges.
While homeschooling has many benefits, it
can also inadvertently heighten tensions when
teens and parents spend so much time together.
Fortunately, it’s also filled with opportunity. How
can parents help prepare teens for adulthood
while building positive relationships that last after
they’ve left the nest?
When I was 17, I had big plans for a summer
road trip. I would travel between Dover, Delaware
and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, working at two
Christian camps and then would visit some close
family friends in different cities. Each stop would
be about a week long, and I was stoked. My
parents could have stopped it. I was young, I was
not an experienced driver, they hadn’t even met all
the families I was staying with, and I was asking
to borrow their car! Each would have been a valid
reason to cancel my plans (or at least tone them
down). But instead they said, “Yes!”
Their “Yes!” was part of a pattern they had been
building for years. My parents had made a habit
of extending trust to me, even before I had earned
it. From the time I was 12 they had started treating
me like an adult by listening to my ideas, allowing
me to help pick out curriculum for my school year, and
letting me travel on missions trips all over the country
and even outside the USA without them. They gave me
plenty of opportunities to earn their trust, so when I
made a big request like, “Will you let me borrow your
car for a month?”, they didn’t hesitate. The respect they
showed taught me to take my responsibilities seriously.
We generally assume it’s supposed to be the other way
around, but parents often need to incrementally —
with discernment — take the risk and extend trust first.
Of course, my parents would never have extended
their trust to me had they not been firmly grounded in
their trust in God. Their faith superseded their worry
and fear for their boy (of which there was plenty). They
knew God’s character, His mercy, His providence,
His love, and all the many other reasons to trust Him.
For example, they trusted Him for my life one autumn
when I was on a mission trip in Baltimore during the
sniper attacks of 2002. Another example involved them
trusting God for my older brother’s life when he was
deployed to drive an armored personnel carrier north
from Kuwait into Baghdad during the Iraq War. At some
point, parents have to realize that their children are in
God’s hands and trust Him to take care of them.
[God also gives parents wisdom and discernment if
they seek it. This allows them to decide when their
child is to be trusted in small things, then in larger
things. Trusting our children doesn’t happen overnight
but incrementally through the years. Fear of the future
should not hold parents back in allowing their maturing
children to take on responsibility and calculated risk.]
Two lovely byproducts of faith and trust are a sense of
the peace of God which surpasses all understanding
(Philippians 4:7 NKJV) and the ability to be optimistic.
My parents were quick to see opportunity and possibil-
ity. They helped me think through, “How can I achieve
this goal?”, rather than getting bogged down in the
difficulty and roadblocks. The way they modeled faith,
hope, and love, as well as the way they thought and
talked with me, deeply shaped my own faith today.
My prayer is that parents’ relationships with their
homeschooled teenager(s) will be deepened and
blessed by gifting them with trust, coupled with faith in
God, and a deep sense of hope for the future. 
Tyler Hogan is the president of Bright
Ideas Press. He and his wife, Helen, are
both homeschool graduates and now
homeschool their five children. Tyler is
the author of North Star Geography and
Demystifying Learning Styles, head cartographer of
WonderMaps, and game designer of Civitas. He is an
elder at Grace Church. When not at home, he speaks
and teaches about homeschooling, geography, the
arts, worldview, entrepreneurship, and other topics. He
will be presenting workshops at the Rocky Mountain
Homeschool Conference.
Preview his books at
brightideaspress.
com.
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
TRUST+FAITH+HOPEBY TYLER HOGAN
Rocky Mountain
SPEAKER
GEN2

2019 EVENT RECAP BY AMY PENTIMONE
On March 16th, CHEC hosted Refresh Ladies' Day.
Over 100 women from across the state
gathered for a day of refreshment—a
time to lay aside the burdens of daily
life and renew their strength in the Lord.
Speakers Andie Davidson and Lisa Wilson shared from God's Word on
soul-care as part of a day filled with worship, biblical encouragement,
and fellowship with sisters in the Lord.
Thank you to the hundreds of families who participated by
donating, attending, and praying! Here are some snapshots
of the day from attendees:
This was my first time going, and I have to say I had no
idea what to expect. So I went with an open heart and
mind, and it was just awesome. I love that the speakers
shared from their hearts. I was truly blessed to be a part
of Refresh.
I can't wait to come next year and bring some friends
along!
I came home and said this was the best conference I’ve gone to
by far. Probably because I’m coming out of a season where I’m hurt
and depleted and God spoke to me through the teachings. But also
the breakfast and snacks and table decor ... it was obvious so much
love and thought and service went in to all of that! 
PHOTOGRAPHYBYTOBIASSTEEVES(AWAAPHOTOS.COM)
Refresh....A DAY OF ENCOURAGEMENT
FOR LADIES
CHEC EVENTS

LEMONADE
blessing in disguise. It was an opportunity to create
something better and less expensive. Have you ever
made lemonade from real lemons?
In many honor societies, a student’s GPA is consid-
ered significant. There are even organizations that
consist of little more than a list of students with a
certain GPA. Yet, how easy it is to obtain an A grade
varies from one school to the next, from one teacher
to the next. ESA instead turned to standardized test
scores as a way to compare students nationwide.
A qualifying score is required of all applicants and
a non-relative must administer the test. Examples
of qualifying scores are 1200 on the PSAT or 97
on the CLT-10; CLT stands for Classical Learning
Test. (The CLT is a relatively new test that some
feel offers a better experience for homeschoolers,
although it depends on the student.)
However, ESA also goes well beyond academics
with an emphasis on student leadership and com-
munity service. The idea caught on, and over the
past 20 years, ESA has served 44 out of 50 states.
Colorado joined this honor roll in 2011 when the
“Iota Xi” chapter of ESA was founded.
The Iota Xi
experience
includes your
son or daughter
getting to meet
some very bright
homeschooled
teens in Colorado,
like the ones you
see in the photos
above. Along the journey, he or she will help serve
others in community service. Iota Xi is limited to
students of high school level who are schooled at
home by their parent(s). The attendance require-
ment does not exceed six Iota Xi functions per year,
and applications are accepted each year beginning
May 1. To learn more about Iota Xi, please email
iota.xi.esa@gmail.com and mention this article. You
can learn more about the national organization at
EtaSigmaAlpha.com. 
Karl Schneider is the co-founder of the Iota Xi
Chapter. He began homeschooling his sons
in California and continued after moving to the
Denver area. Two sons graduated from college
with honors. The Iota Xi Chapter of ESA may be
contacted at iota.xi.esa@gmail.com.
Lemons to
It was 20 years ago, in
1999, that Joanne Juren,
a former public school
administrator turned
homeschooler, founded
the nation’s first honor
society exclusively for
homeschooled students.
Joanne had contacted the National Honor
Society (NHS) with the intent of forming a
homeschool chapter for her sons and others.
The NHS replied that they did not accept
homeschool students.
Well, that answer didn’t sit well with Joanne.
She did not want to see homeschooled
students put at a perceived disadvantage to
those from public or private school who were
members of the NHS. Working with the Home
Education Partnership of Texas, Barbara
Gorman, and Terry Arnold, the idea for a new
organization, Eta Sigma Alpha (ESA), was
refined. Rejection by the NHS was actually a
“
BY KARL SCHNEIDER
FAMILY ENCOURAGEMENT

Our speaker, Bill Jack, gave a resounding speech on how we need
to get louder! and not be ashamed of bringing our faith into every
sphere of life. Earlier in the day, families participated in interac-
tive booths and the opening of the House and Senate inside the
Capitol. Here's what a few had to say:
The kids really liked seeing the Capitol and how the sessions
worked. I enjoyed that but I also loved marching around the Capitol
and praying over every part of that block!
It was encouraging to see other homeschooling families and know
that CHEC and others are working to protect our freedom.
This was our first time and we LOVED IT SO
MUCH.
I love how you invite the legislators out to en-
courage and pray for them and to thank them for
their support of this freedom.... I love that you
all are UNABASHEDLY bringing glory to God
through
it all!  PHOTOGRAPHYBYTOBIASSTEEVES(AWAAPHOTOS.COM)
2019 EVENT RECAP BY KATIE WARD
The 26th annual CHEC Homeschool Day at the Capitol was a
resounding success — thanks to YOU! Over 1,500 homeschoolers
attended the rally on the West steps of the Colorado State Capitol,
joining together to express our gratitude to God for our homeschool
freedom and commitment to fighting for that continued freedom.
CHEC EVENTS

PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
Children of all
abilities and needs
should have room
to play and explore
their world. Making
your home a place
where a child with
special needs can be
active takes more
than just a quick
look around — it
takes planning!
You’ll want to brainstorm ways the outdoors
can be an inclusive sanctuary for children
of all abilities too. Getting outside improves
• Noodle Boats: Use foam noodles to create
boats that your child can sail or two can race.
• Rainbow Bubbles: Combine soap, food
coloring, and water with a hand mixer to make
colorful foam, which also helps to teach colors.
You can also use a plastic or metal hoop to help
your child create bubbles.
Water isn’t the only sensory play you can bring into your
backyard. You can create a tactile experience and help
nature by creating a bird sanctuary with an outdoor bird
seed bin. Your child can get their hands on different tex-
tures of seeds while also exploring the sensation of using
buckets, cups, and shovels. Those very same tools can
also bring heaps of fun to another easy outdoor sensory
activity: a sandbox. You can make castles, roads, and
anything your child’s imagination can concoct.
Active and Engaged
Kids of all ages and abilities can get active outdoors.
Exercise and outdoor activities are especially impor-
vision, builds social skills, lowers stress, increases
attention spans, and boosts vitamin D levels — all
of which are essential for strong, sustained, healthy
development.
Outdoor Sensory Play
Sensory play is a wonderful way to stimulate a child’s
mind and body. Kids can develop fine motor skills
and work on improving critical thinking skills with
outdoor water play. Water materializes in any number
of textures, which is a huge bonus for kids with low
or impaired vision since they often explore their world
through touch. It’s also a great way to distract an
overstimulated child by directing their energy into one
calming activity. Here are a few outdoor water sensory
activities you can do with your child:
• Working at the Car Wash: Fill a tub [toy pool
or oversized water container] with water and
soap, and have your child drive a few toy cars
into the wash.
BY JENNY WISE
STRUGGLING LEARNERS
BACKYARD
SANCTUARY
Create a
for Sensory Play
STRUGGLING LEARNERS

tant for kids with special needs. Focus not just on your
child’s disability, but on their abilities. You can engage
them in activities that they enjoy, which will help them
expel some energy as well as develop and grow. Some
of these activities include:
• Swinging: Swings are very calming for children,
but they also stimulate circulation and muscle
tone. There are many adaptive swings for children
with special needs:
• Cocoon swings help soothe and calm
overstimulated children with behavioral
challenges and sensory overload issues.
• Wheelchair platform swings let your child
with mobility issues roll onto the platform
and securely swing.
• Safety harness swings allow your child
with a physical disability or balance
issues, like cerebral palsy, to swing com-
fortably and safely.
• Drawing: If your child loves to color, you can
occupy them outdoors with washable paint or
sidewalk chalk. Small chalk can be hard to grasp
for children with fine motor control issues, but
large chalk can help them develop that skill.
• Nature Observation: Put out water and natural
food sources for squirrels, birds, rabbits, and
other common, local wildlife. Together, you and
your child can plan how to attract small animals,
watch for them, observe and track their behav-
iors. Build brush piles to give them a warm place
to sleep in the winter.
• Picnics: Plan and prepare meals together to eat
outdoors. Not only can backyard picnicking be
a fun way to change up the normal routine, but
it also creates a safe space for your child with
special physical needs to stretch out or try new
positions that work muscles differently.
Accessibility and Safety
You can help children who use mobility devices enjoy
your backyard by offering accessible paths, surfaces,
and play equipment. Even if you don’t create specific
activities that boost development and engagement for
special needs, creating an outdoor space that is ac-
cessible can still help them with easier access to fresh
air, sunshine, exercise, and nature — all of which
are important childhood experiences. To make your
backyard more accessible, you can:
• Create wide sidewalks at least 60 inches wide
for wheelchairs and walkers.
• Build wheelchair ramps with a 1:12 slope.
• Provide handrails or holds along paths, on
decks, and play areas.
• Surround play areas with fencing or a rail for
children with low vision or hearing impair-
ments.
• Label play areas with braille or textures to help
children with low vision find the activity.
• Install a secluded safe space, like a tube large
enough for a child to sit in [or crawl through],
so that overstimulated children can find relief
from overwhelming sights and sounds.
It’s important to design your play areas where children
of all abilities can play together. Inclusion not only
builds social skills, but it also helps children learn
to be more comfortable playing with kids who are
different.
Children love playing outdoors, and children with
special needs are no different. Even just bringing
their favorite toys outside to play can boost their de-
velopment, not to mention create an added element
of excitement to familiar routines. When your child
is outside playing, it’s essential that you properly
supervise the activities. Playing with your little one
is a wonderful way for you two to bond, and it also
gives you an idea of the progress they are making
with certain skills. The most important fact is that
you are giving your child every opportunity they need
to have fun outside. 
Jenny Wise is a mom to four
children who began homeschooling
when the oldest was 4-years-old.
She created www.SpecialHomeEdu-
cator.com as a forum for sharing her
adventures in homeschooling and connecting with
other homeschooling families. This article is
excerpted from a blog post; you can read more of
her blog posts on her website.
GETTING OUTSIDE
IMPROVES VISION,
BUILDS SOCIAL SKILLS,
LOWERS STRESS,
INCREASES ATTENTION
SPANS, AND BOOSTS
VITAMIN D LEVELS.
“
“
STRUGGLING LEARNERS

TO GRATITUDE
My wife Naomi's upcoming Rocky
Mountain Homeschool Confer-
ence workshop, From Grumbling to Gratitude,
addresses one of the pitfalls that can steal the
joy of homeschool group leaders. For many
of us, there's a gap in our gratitude. What do I
mean by a gap? I mean the space we allow to
exist between the reception of our blessings and
our response to those blessings. It might even
be more accurately called a gulf — a gap of
huge dimensions!
How is it we so easily allow ourselves the privi-
lege of enjoying so much from the goodness of
God, even soaking in the abundant goodness
and multitude of gifts that He has poured into
our lives, without appropriate responses of
thankful gratitude? You'll notice I didn't merely
say responses of gratitude, but appropriate
responses — because the blessings and gifts
flow constantly! Which means that it's only
fitting our gratitude be constant also. In light of
that, it makes perfect sense that the Apostle Paul
exhorts us, in everything give thanks (I Thes-
salonians 5:18 NKJV). He didn't mean that every
single event or incident that happens in our lives
is something we can be thankful for. But rather
that, at all times, in all events, we can still find
reasons or matters over which to be thankful.
For even those events or incidents which are
BY DENNIS GUNDERSEN
From Grumbling
painful or even miserable — we have other blessings
that remain — over which we can give thanks, mak-
ing the situation more bearable.
I'll outline for you three things that we allow to
become obstacles to our gratitude, so that even while
we keep finding ourselves on the receiving end of the
blessings, we fail to give thanks. They are: problems,
people, and pride.
1. We let problems block our vi-
sion, so that the clear view to see
the blessings is obscured.
Mingled with our blessings are problems. Why would
we expect it any other way? If there were only an
unmixed flow of good things coming our way, would
we even sense our need for God anymore? So, He
allows the presence of situations, crises, needs, and
problems to keep us seeking Him. But we allow these
trials to crowd out our view of seeing the blessings.
Remedy: don't get tunnel vision that only looks at the
problems and fails to see the blessings.
2. We let people block our
vision, so that the clear view to
see the God who blesses us is
obscured.
It might seem humorous to say so, but unfortunately
for each of us sinners, God is not the only Person
we know and the only relationship we have — we
also know other sinners and have relationships with
them, too. And while many of those people contribute
wonderful features to our lives, they can also clutter
and complicate our lives. Sometimes they sin against
us, do us wrong, or do themselves harm in their own
walk with God and we have to help clean up the mess.
These are moments when people clutter the direct
line of view we have to see God and His blessings.
Remedy: no matter how people around us behave,
remember that our loving God is always active, too.
He's active in His gifts and He's even active in the
trials, doing us good through them. There's no reason
to allow people and their faults to obscure your view
of God and His goodness!
3. We let pride block our vision,
so that the clear view to see the
hand of God who blesses us is
obscured.
This is perhaps one of the most ungrateful forms of
ingratitude: when we receive the blessings of God, but
don't give thanks because we see our own efforts as
more of the cause for the good things in our lives than
God! We more vividly see our own efforts than we see
His hand! And yes, this may be because some good
things in our lives are partly due to our own efforts.
Our diligence in our work, faithfulness in our respon-
sibilities, and even children we raised well, have a
part in the blessings that fill our lives. So we take the
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
HOMESCHOOL LEADERS

credit. When you allow this kind of thinking to
creep into your heart you cease to bring glory to
God. Remedy: in everything, give Him all the glory.
So in June, please come hear my wife Naomi's
workshop From Grumbling to Gratitude as she
shares many more reasons to move from one to
the other. I can assure you that you'll be well-
rewarded for the time spent. 
Dennis Gundersen is
president and owner, along
with his wife Naomi, of Grace
and Truth Books. Naomi is a
veteran homeschool mother
of four sons. She and Dennis have been
married 42 years and have six grandchildren.
Christian publishers of over 100 books, their
primary focus is on reprinting 19th-century
children's stories. Both will present workshops
at the Rocky Mountain Homeschool
Conference. To contact
them go to www.
GraceAndTruth-
Books.com.
Rocky Mountain
SPEAKER
There's a lot to think of when you are just
getting started.
That's why CHEC hosts our Homeschool Introductory
Seminars — to give you the vision, legal background,
and scheduling/curriculum/record-keeping help you
need to homeschool with confidence.
Join us for our all-day seminar on June 12 in Denver
at the Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference or on
August 4th in Castle Rock!
NEW TO HOMESCHOOLING?
Sign up at
CHEC.ORG/EVENTS
AWAAphotosCapturing Creation’s Light
A 2016 Colorado homeschool graduate, Tobias J. Steeves
would be honored to serve your photographic needs.
• Exquisite Portrait, Wedding,
Event Photography
• Award-Winning Photographic Art
awaaphotos.com719-679-7228 | awaa@comcast.net
HOMESCHOOL LEADERS

HOPE
BY CAROLYN MARTIN
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
The Colorado State
Capitol seems to have a
bull’s eye target on the
hearts and minds of our
children.
As legislators attempt to solve the serious problem of
youth suicide, they trample over the only real hope,
Jesus Christ. Biblical beliefs rooted in the Word
of God are seen as outdated and the source of the
problem.
Hundreds of moms and dads came to the Capitol
from all over Colorado to speak out against the
latest attempt (via a proposed bill) to indoctrinate
their children through the public school system. The
proposed bill (HB19-1032) mandates a version of
sex education that denies God’s design and instead
preaches the normalization of homosexuality and
transgenderism. As believers in the inerrant Word of
God, these parents were reprimanded by legislators
for being purveyors of supposedly false information
and labeled haters.
As those parents testified, the most quoted Bible
verse during the committee hearings was Matthew
18:6. Looking at the parallel passage in the book of
Luke, we are given a fuller picture of the Lord’s heart.
He said to his disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling
blocks come, but woe to him through whom they
come! It would be better for him if a millstone were
hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea,
than that he would cause one of these little ones to
stumble. Be on your guard! (Luke 17:1–4 NASB)
We live in a time where the stumbling blocks put
before our children are everywhere. At the public
school children are a captive audience and, because
of their innocence, are easily manipulated. Sex
education is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes
to transforming children into the image of the state.
Several bills dealing with the mental health of youth
were merely thinly veiled attempts to undermine
parental rights and silence any opposition to the cur-
rent deviant morality. Other bills increased the role of
government “experts” in children’s lives and lessened
the roles of their parents.
We must not only be on our guard for our children’s
hearts and minds, but we must also bring the hope
of the true Gospel to this broken and lost generation.
Many parents are concerned about what is being
taught in public schools and are awakening to the
threats against their children and their parental rights.
We, as Christian homeschoolers, have an opportu-
nity now to provide a lifeline to those looking for an
alternative to government-run schools. Now is also
the time for us to shore up our own beliefs based on
what God says concerning the morality the culture
is pushing — and to take heed to Jesus’ warning in
Luke to not cause a little one to stumble.
Jesus is the answer to the problems of the day, but
because of the old adage to not talk about religion
and politics in polite company, the truth has literally
been stymied in our time. Let’s not shy away from
religion and politics! Jesus didn’t; neither should we.
Reach out in humility and love to lead those around
you with the hope that is found only at the cross. Our
children’s future depends on it.
This legislative session, parental rights and religious
liberty have taken deep hits, as well as free speech
rights, gun rights, and the future economy of the
State of Colorado. If you want to stay up-to-date
on what is happening at the Capitol, please join the
Colorado Homeschool Freedom Team and
subscribe to the CHEC blog by signing up at
CHEC.org/freedom. 
Carolyn Martin and her husband,
Todd, began homeschooling their
three children in upstate New York
before moving to Colorado in 2004.
Her passion is to see
homeschooling remain
free from govern-
ment intrusion for
future
generations.
for a Broken World
Rocky Mountain
SPEAKER
LEGISLATIVE LIAISON

The homeschool freedom we enjoy today
in Colorado must be guarded carefully.
WE NEED YOU!
Every family in Colorado has an opportunity to get involved,
either onsite at the Capitol or from home. You can:
 Help read and review proposed bills for their potential effect on home education,
parental rights, and religious liberty
 Donate to help with costs for legislative liaison work
 Subscribe to the CHEC blog for regular legislative updates from Carolyn
Martin every two weeks
 Subscribe to our email list for prayer updates and join the private Facebook
prayer group
Learn more and sign up for updates
at CHEC.org/freedom
BusinessStructure
• Practical full year study on establishing and operating a business enterprise built on
a biblical foundation.
• Easily teachable – just follow the steps with simple level assignments
• Relevant – learning occurs through application
• Instruction from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes on wisdom, character, and work
• Study through the process of starting and running a business while building
an actual business plan
• Grasp and understand basic economics, money management, and personal ﬁnance.
• Use the knowledge gained to ACTUALLY start and operate a REAL family business.
• 17 lessons divided into 36 weeks at four hours per week, about 45 minutes per day
• 136-140 hours of study
• Includes reading, research, follow up tests, worksheets, and quizzes
www.AMEprogram.com
See a sample and
to purchase online:
generations.org
ameprogram.com
The Curriculum/Study Guide for the Book,
One with Everything: anatomy of a hot dog stand and other great family businesses
The Curriculum/Study Guide for the Book,
anatomy of a hot dog stand and other great family businesses
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the younger kids often out-performing their elders.
This year, a 5th grade B team student along with her
8th grade partner, won the gold medal in Anatomy
and Physiology at the Southern Regional Science
Olympiad tournament.
Most public school-based Science Olympiad teams
are offered as a regular class or an after-school
club that students can join. They work in well-
stocked laboratories with professionally trained
teachers and coaches. For homeschoolers, home
kitchens are laboratories and parents are coaches.
Instead of buses, homeschool students arrive at
competitions in an armada of minivans. Instead
of meeting in classrooms at the school the team
attends, homeschool students congregate at the
library for bi-monthly meetings. And yet, all around
the country, homeschoolers are gaining Science
Olympiad victories over their publicly-schooled (and
publicly-funded) counterparts.
Homeschool Science Colorado (HSC) is the
longest-standing homeschool Science Olympiad
team in Colorado. They began in 2008 with just a
B team. The following year they began a C team as
well, and they have been dominating the southern
region of the state since their inception. The HSC
within the state of Colorado, and these teams
are consistently scoring at the top of the Science
Olympiad tournaments.
Science Olympiad
is a national
organization in which
teams of up to 15
students can compete
in 23 STEM events such as chemistry lab, battery
buggy, and elastic launched glider. Celebrating their
35th anniversary this year, Science Olympiad was
started in 1983 by Dr. Gerard Putz and Jack Cairns
to increase interest in science as an alternative to
traditional science fairs. Most states, including
Colorado, have around 150 teams. The majority
of these teams are based in public, private, and
charter schools, but anyone can register a team if
they are willing to pay the registration fee, which
in Colorado is about $150. Teams are broken into
two categories: middle school or B teams which
typically include 6th through 8th graders, and high
school or C teams which include 9th through 12th
graders. Homeschool teams are often far from
typical, as it’s not uncommon to have 5th graders
on B teams and 7th and 8th graders on C teams;
Homeschool parents
quickly realize as they
work with their children
that God has given them
unique and diverse
gifts and abilities.
Some are artists, some
are musicians, some
are writers, some are
speakers and debaters,
and some are STEM
inclined (science,
technology, engineering,
and mathematics).
Opportunities abound within homeschooling
circles to develop artistic, musical, and liberal
arts talents, but it is much harder to find
opportunities for budding scientists and
engineers to be mentored and challenged. To
meet the needs of the scientifically inclined,
enterprising homeschooling families have
started homeschool Science Olympiad teams
CURRICULUM REVIEW
PHOTOGRAPHYBYISTOCK
SCIENCE
BY CINDY PUHEK
Olympiad
RESOURCE REVIEW

middle school team has consistently won their
region — over about 30 schools — for the past 7
years. The high school team has won the region 6
times out of the last 8 years. These homeschoolers
have also done very well at the state competition,
with both teams consistently placing in the top 3.
When asked the secret of success, most of the team
members will say that the parent coaches are their
strength. Homeschooling parents are accustomed
to being very involved in their children’s education,
so it is natural for them to oversee their students’
events such as Science Olympiad. Instead of
having only a few coaches like most schools,
homeschoolers often have 30 coaches on each team
— two for every team member!
While Homeschool Science Colorado (HSC) is the
longest existing homeschool Science Olympiad team
in Colorado (HomeschoolScienceColorado.
com), several other teams have now been started.
National Science Olympiad rules require the
homeschooling teams to accept team members from
up to only two adjacent counties. HSC is based in El
Paso County and has team members from Douglas
County on both the B and the C teams, although the
second county can vary depending on the year. A new
team, Park and Teller Homeschoolers, was started
this year; their B team placed 7th at the Southern
Colorado Tournament which earned the team a trip to
the state tournament. Another team in Colorado, Front
Range Science and Technology Club, draws students
from the Denver metro area (Denver County) and from
Castle Rock (Douglas County, frstc.org). Some of
these teams also offer STEM classes for elementary
students too young for the Science Olympiad so the
whole family can be involved.
There are numerous benefits to becoming involved
with Science Olympiad. The first benefit is
teamwork. Most events have two or three adults
assigned to help kids learn to take tests, conduct
labs, and build devices with team members outside
of their families. This gives kids the opportunity
to learn to work with different personalities and
cooperate with others towards a common goal.
Additionally, the team provides deadlines and
accountability as competition dates are fixed
and every person on the team wants to do their
very best for the team. Another benefit is getting
science experiences that are difficult to attain in
a typical homeschool. Most Science Olympiad
competitors have raced a device they’ve built across
a gymnasium floor, completed experiments in a
laboratory wearing lab coats and goggles, taken
science tests that would challenge most college
students, and have learned more than they ever
thought possible. A final important benefit is that
Science Olympiad challenges students to learn
in-depth nontraditional science subjects such
as protein modeling, material science, forensics,
experimental design, and meteorology.
The current families involved in the homeschool
Science Olympiad teams are very grateful for the
opportunities the teams give to maximize their
children’s science education. My own family has
been involved with HSC for 3 years, and it has given
my son a vision for the future. He was a typical
11-year-old kid when we joined the team, without
many future goals. But his experience competing
with HSC has helped him realize he is probably a
future scientist or engineer.
The alumni from the team have done amazing
things. One earned a perfect score on the biology
SAT subject test; he credits all of his Science
Olympiad tests with his success. Several alumni
have attended Colorado School of Mines and one
alumnus is currently in graduate school doing
cancer research. Even team members who don’t
go into STEM careers have great experiences with
the team. Not only do they receive amazing STEM
experiences, but they also make lifelong friends.
Genesis Family
Church
GOD-CENTERED.
GOD-FEARING.
genesisfamilychurch.org
“When my kids come home from college, it’s their
friends from the Science Olympiad team that they
call and hang out with,” one mother of long-term
team members stated.
Homeschool Science Olympiad teams are always
looking for new members to join their ranks. If you
have a science-minded child, or if you’re looking for a
deep and comprehensive science education, contact
one of the homeschool teams listed above. As one
mother states, “Joining the Homeschool Science
Olympiad team is the best thing we’ve ever done.” 
Cindy Puhek resides in Colorado
Springs and has been married to
Peter for more than two decades.
They are well into their second
decade of homeschooling their six
children. Cindy holds a Master's Degree in
Cemistry and has written dozens of articles to
encourage others in their homeschooling
journeys. You can visit her blog at www.
homeschoolenrichment.com/blogs.
RESOURCE REVIEW

Ibecame a Christian
in my mid-20s, and
one of the things I have
come to love most
about God is the myriad
of ways He proves Him-
self faithful.
Having been raised in a secular home,
my dreams and goals were established
on worldly principles — make a lot of
money, drive a fancy car, rule the world.
When I came to Christ, my goals shifted
but I would never have envisioned myself
homeschooling. God changes everything.
I first looked into homeschooling at the
request of my husband, Todd. Hon-
estly, I did the research to show him that
homeschooling was just not a good option
coordinator for the CHEC Used Curriculum
Sale held at the annual CHEC homeschool
conference, and she asked if I would be willing
to volunteer a few hours for the sale. I agreed
and volunteered every year thereafter; I enjoyed
it so much that each year I took on a slightly
larger role. At one point, a position on the
CHEC conference committee came open and
she recommended me for the job. So, I began
my service on the conference committee in
the role of Facilities Assistant. I helped the
Facilities Chairmen (at that time Bob and Lisa
Coruzzi) with daily operations during the con-
ference, but my primary role pre-conference
was planning, placing, and maintaining all
on-site signage. After many years of faithful
service to CHEC and the homeschooling com-
munity, the Coruzzis retired, and last year I was
asked to fill the role of Facilities Chairman.
This year, as we move the conference to the
Crowne Plaza Hotel, I will be working closely
for us (for me, really). However, God used
the information I found on the CHEC website
(thanks CHEC!) to clearly impress upon my
heart that He was calling us to homeschool.
After a few years homeschooling on our own,
we found a Christ-centered enrichment group
and have been embedded in that community
ever since. A friend from that group was the
EVERYTHING
God Changes
BY LINDA KIDDER
Now to Him who is
able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according
to the power that works in
us, to Him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus to all
generations, forever
and ever. Amen.
—Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV
“
“
PARTNER'S PAGE

This classic go-to compendium
used by countless families in Colorado is now
completely updated and streamlined for you!
Whether you are just getting started, or you have years of
experience, don’t miss out on this fantastic resource!
NEED A MAP FOR YOUR HOMESCHOOLING JOURNEY?
For 29 years, CHEC has been at the forefront of the battle for home education and discipleship.
CHEC serves thousands of families every year through our events, Homeschool Update magazine,
widows fund, special needs fund, the CHEC Independent School, and more. We receive phone
calls throughout the week that give us a chance to provide advice, encouragement, and an extra
“boost” to homeschoolers when the going is tough. CHEC depends on your generous donation to
both continue and expand our mission.
Go to CHEC.org/donate to donate to any of these funds:
• General Fund
• Colorado Homeschool Freedom Fund
• Event Scholarship Fund
• Sign Language Interpreting Fund
• Casterline Single Moms
• Struggling Learners
with the hotel staff to make the conference
experience as enjoyable as possible for ev-
eryone who attends — speakers, exhibitors,
and homeschool families alike. Essentially,
I am responsible for the logistics of the
conference facility. This includes overseeing
items such as reserved parking, signage,
room set-up, securing and transporting
needed equipment, and even monitoring
how hot or cold the meeting rooms are. My
role is made easier because I work with the
talented and capable team of Karen Lipman
and John Martin who help with planning and
implementation. I thank God for them! And
I thank God for leading me from a position
of volunteering just a few hours to one of
being deeply involved in an organization and
event that provides training, resources, and
encouragement to homeschool families! 
Linda Kidder, her husband, and their three
children reside in the north metro Denver area.
With her oldest son now attending college and
the next heading to college after his recent
graduation, their daughter will graduate home
high school in just a few years. She has been
involved with CHEC as a volunteer for nearly
a decade, and this year stepped up to become
the Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Facilities Chairman. She can be contacted via
email at lindakidder@comcast.net. Get yours at CHEC.org!

YOU!
WE
need
VOLUNTEER
SUPERSTARS
Your whole family can
make new friends and enjoy
serving together by volunteering
onsite at the conference. Lots of
opportunities from Used Curriculum
Sale setup to exhibit hall hosting!
Our new volunteer program is easy
to get signed up, easy to get trained,
it’s fun, and it won’t distract from
the important things you want to
do at the conference. No prior
experience is needed. Learn more at
rockymountainhomeschoolconference.
com/volunteer.
SILENT AUCTION
DONATIONS
The CHEC Silent Auction (held during
the Rocky Mountain Homeschool Con-
ference in June) features great gifts,
resources, and products from the prac-
tical (curriculum) to the fun (restaurant
gift cards) and more. We accept new,
quality items for the silent auction, and
donations are eligible to be tax deduct-
ible. Email silentauction@chec.org for
more information.
Want to join in behind the scenes with the conference?
We have a tremendous team of volunteers who
keep things going — and with lots of openings now,
we'd love for you to become a part!
COMPENSATIONAND BENEFITS!

CHEC BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
Bill Roach, President
George Sechrist, Vice President
Brenda Kelly
Chad Roach
Ian Serff
Steven Vaughan
CHEC DIRECTORS:
Steve Craig, Executive Director
Kevin Swanson, Director of
Generations
Mike Cheney, Director of AME
The CHEC Homeschool Update is published
triannually by Christian Home Educators of Colorado,
19039 Plaza Drive, Suite 210, Parker, CO 80134.
The purpose of the Homeschool Update is to
provide information, resources, and leadership
for home educating families while effectively
communicating the activities, opportunities, and
needs of Christian Home Educators of Colorado.
The Homeschool Update is free to all who
request it. Donations are gladly accepted.
The views expressed by contributors and
advertisers in this news magazine do not
necessarily reflect those of CHEC.
Permission is granted to reprint any portion of
this magazine, except where noted, provided
the following credit is given: “Reprinted from the
CHEC Homeschool Update, Volume 2, Issue #104,
2019; 720-842-4852, CHEC.org.”
Editor:
Shari McMinn, sharimcminn.com
Creative Designer:
Sarah Lee Bryant, sarahleephoto.com
Advertising Policy:
Ads are published on a space-available, first-come,
first-served basis and are subject to approval.
Payment must be made by the deadline to reserve
ad space. New advertisers must include complete
product description. We reserve the right to refuse
any ad submitted.
CHEC’s mailing list is not sold or rented.
Advertising in this magazine provides an excellent
opportunity to reach homeschooling families
likely to be interested in your product or service.
Questions may be directed to
admanager@CHEC.org.
Circulation: V1 V3: 5,500  V2: 6,500
Next Advertising Deadline: July 15, 2019
For advertising opportunities with CHEC,
go to CHEC.org/advertise.
Copyright © 2019 by CHEC
NEXT with CHEC
Rocky Mountain
June 12-15
Homeschool Intro
Seminar
August 10
Online Homeschool
Summit
October
Spelling Bee
January 18, 2020
Father Son
Retreat
August 29-September 2
Casterline Widows'
Banquet
November
HOMESCHOOL FAMILY DAYS
View more events at CHEC.org/resources
 Saturday, May 11, free calligraphy class by
the Parker Art Guild
 Thursday, May 30, Bird Banding Bonanza
homeschool day
 Sunday, June 2 “Age of the Earth” confer-
ence by the Denver Society of Creation
 Sunday, June 2 Denver Museum of Nature
and Science free day
 Tuesday, June 4, Denver Botanic Gardens
free day
 Friday, June 14, free day at the Four Mile
Historic Park
 Tuesday-Thursday, June 25-27, SEMI High
Tech U day (a day for high school students
to explore STEM careers)
Visit CHEC.org/events to learn more!

Homeschool Update Magazine - 2019, Volume 2, Issue 104

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Homeschool Update Magazine - 2019, Volume 2, Issue 104