New Product New Logo

I wanted to share with everyone today as we are working on designer new product lines to go with what we are already offering. Our new product idea for this upcoming conference is the "pouch plus" organizer. It comes with a lanyard (for pin trading), and has easy convenient pockets for your activity cards, fastpasses, key cards and even includes an autograph book and pen! Everything you need to take into the park in one handy pouch - hang it on the lanyard or carry it in your pocket.

We'd love to hear comments about this new product idea. We are introducing it to the public for the first time next weekend, even though we've been working on the idea for nearly two years, to get it just right.

We've also been working on ideas for a company Logo. We would put this on our marketing materials, on our supplemental products, on t-shirts, etc. It includes our new company slogan "Whole Family Education Focused on God"

I'd love to hear what you think of it!

The author of this blog, Corinne Johnson, is a Christian homeschooling mom, help meet to her husband Don, and the author of Vacation Education Books!
www.vacationeducationbooks.net

Animal Kingdom; my favorite page so far

As I am working on the finishing touches for Vacation Education destination Animal Kingdom, I came across this page and decided that it is by far my favorite.

It is the introduction page for the section on Dinoland

There is a great controversy surrounding dinosaurs and their history. There is a theory of evolution that is commonly reported as factual.
I am not a scientist, and I can not scientifically prove or disprove the ideas that make up the theory of evolution. However, I can tell you that it is not possible to believe in the Bible and believe in evolution. They can not both be true. Here’s why.
Genesis Chapter One. On day 6, all land creatures were created, including man. This would have to include dinosaurs. According to evolution, dinosaurs were all dead before man even existed, so to believe in evolution, we would have to say that the book of Genesis is a FALSE account of history, therefore saying that God’s Word is not true. I am unwilling to do that, therefore I must say that there is a flaw in the theory of evolution. But, there’s more.
Let’s look again at Genesis Chapter One, verses 29 & 30, then Romans chapter 5, verses 12—14, and First Corinthians 15: 20-22.
What brought death to this earth? It was sin.
If sin (done by man and woman) caused death upon the earth…
This I believe is foundational to Christian faith
If the wages of sin are death, and Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins, and to defeat death, giving us the gift of everlasting life, which I can claim by Grace through faith (see Ephesians chapter two verse eight), then my salvation depends upon that being true in its entirety.
If the theory of evolution is correct and the dinosaurs were dead before man even existed, then what brought death to earth?
If death and bloodshed existed prior to man, then sin did not cause death, and Christ’s payment for my sins can not save me from death, and my eternal salvation is hanging in the balance…
So, as I said above, I can not scientifically prove the theory of evolution to be false, nor can I prove the Bible to be true; these are tasks for much more learned minds than mine. But, my faith rests in Christ, and I believe that the history of this world happened just the way that God says it did. I pray that you do too.


All of that being said, Dinosaurs are very cool and we can enjoy learning about them! So, come on with me on a Dinosaur Adventure! First, to the Boneyard...


The author of this blog, Corinne Johnson is a Christian homeschooling mom to six, help meet to her husband Don, and author of Vacation Education Books.
www.vacationeducationbooks.net

Words of Wisdom for parents

These are not my words, but a poem given to me. As I organize my homeschool supplies this spring, I came across this and wanted to share it with others.

If I had my child to raise over again by Diane Loomans

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I'd run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd teach less about love and power, and more about the power of love.


This has been a reminder to me of the honor placed upon me by God to raise and teach these children. It can be easy to see their faults as we focus on correction and training; easy to see their faults as we focus on skills that need work; but, I sometimes need reminding that they are perfectly and wonderfully made in the image of their Creator; exactly as He intended them to be. It is my honor and privilege to spend my days with them.
Your children are a reward from your Heavenly Father; you are blessed to be with them as they grow into the men and women that God intends for them to be.

The author of this blog; Corinne Johnson is a Christian homeschooling mother of six, help meet to her husband Don, and author of Vacation Education Books.
www.vacationeducationbooks.net

seeing the Animal Kingdom up close

We were invited to the Wildlife Center at Ferris State University (about twenty minutes from our home). This is a free exhibit, and someplace near you probably has something similar (ask around).
This gave us a chance to see many animals up close. They were stuffed of course, but they were real, and we got to see them very closely. We attended a tour, presented by one of the students there. It was fun and informative.
By the grace of God, it was nearly free. Don used the day with an empty house to work on his Haggadah, and we got a free parking pass for showing up early, then after lunch, the lady at the cafeteria told us the kids were free. The whole day cost us just $2.85 (my lunch), plus the gas to get there.
Since we are the only homeschooling family in our church, the activity was attended by adults only, except for our children. When we were leaving, several of the women commented to me on how impressed they were with how much the kids knew about the animals we saw, and how well behaved they were. Because homeschooled children tend to act more mature (they are influenced more by adults than by their same age peers), I often get complimented on their behavior (they interact and converse well with adults). But, even I was impressed by how much they knew about the animals. The tour guide asked lots of questions and they knew almost every answer, which the adults didn't.
We are currently working on Vacation Education destination Animal Kingdom, and so we are learning a lot about animals for our science this year, but they knew things even I didn't know.
Proverbs 10:1 tells us "A wise son brings joy to his father..."
I was proud to come home and share with my husband (their father) the joy brought about by the wisdom of his sons (and daughters too!)
What a blessed day it has been!

The author of this blog, Corinne Johnson is a Christian homeschooling mother to six, help meet to her husband Don, and the author of Vacation Education Books
www.vacationeducationbooks.net

We're unschooling again

Today was another one of those days when I appreciate unschooling. I had envisioned us quickly working through our textbook materials this morning and then moving onto free time (they could play, I could work). But, we are still searching for our lost digital camera - an item essential to our source of income. So, everyone worked on organizing the inventory room, in hopes that it had fallen into a box in there.
Note: it's the end of the day and we still haven't found it!
But, back to this story. We sorted, researched, priced, packaged and stacked boxes and boxes of inventory. Anyone who has ever worked for any retail business knows that this is training for real life.
Then, our midwife stopped by and invited us to a local church that was having a hymn sing and potluck dinner. Of course, we had to go. So, Caitlin learned to make cupcakes for our dish to pass, and brought her hymnal in case she got a chance to solo. Of course she did!
After dinner, we drove Tyler over to his Cub Scout Lock In. As the winner of a "What I want to be when I grow Up" contest, he was one of the boys who got to have an adult in their chosen field come and speak to the whole group. Tyler wants to be a missionary and the leader was able to get a youth pastor to come and speak about shepherding a flock for Christ. We left the church after Caitlin sang, and arrived at the Scout House just in time to hear the pastor speak.
I can't imagine what we could have possibly learned from our textbooks that would have been more beneficial to our children's futures both here on earth and in Heaven.

The author of this blog: Corinne Johnson is a Christian homeschooling mom to six children, help meet to her husband Don, and the author of Vacation Education Books; travel guides for families who love to learn, unit studies for families who love to travel. Learn more at www.vacationeducationbooks.net

It's all about the journey

What are we learning about this week? Trusting God!
Last weekend we attended a conference that had less people than we had hoped and we sold less than we had hoped. On the way home, the RV broke down on the side of the road about thirty minutes from home.
If we had made a bunch of money, then we would have called a tow truck, but since we didn't have any money to pay for one, we didn't call. We called on God instead. Quietly and patiently we talked about what we thought might be wrong with it, and we prayed.
As it began to get dark, we decided that we would try to reach our midwife (she had borrowed our minivan while we were away) to see about getting a ride home. We couldn't get through to her phone. So, Don called his friend Marty, who offered to call his dad and get us a ride (it would take both of them to haul all 8 of us).
Within an hour, Marty (who couldn't get through to his dad) had called a friend, who called another friend, who called another friend and soon there was a crowd around our RV. One guy showed up with a big truck and pulled us off the highway, and two other guys climbed into the engine area and began to work.
They were determined not to abandon us. It took a couple of hours, but with a wire coat hanger and a butter knife they managed to figure out the problem, rig up a temporary fix and get us home safely.
There is work to be done and parts that have to be replaced, but the RV is in our driveway and will be ready to go before our next big trip.
What are we teaching our children this week? When things don't go the way we planned them, we go to God first; not to our own earned dollars, not to the AAA service department, not to the Visa card, but to God.

The author; Corinne Johnson, is a Christian homeschooling mother of six, help meet to her husband, and author of Vacation Education Books; travel guides for families who love to learn, unit studies for families who love to travel.

First 2009 convention God's plans, not mine

Wow! What an adventure we are on! We are sitting here at the booth in Evansville; our first day of this conference. We left Thursday morning (we planned to leave at 8am, but didn't get out of the drive until 11:30). Many things did not go as planned, like the RV not starting. We just started praying, "Lord, I know your plans are greater than ours and we believe that you have the best for us in mind. But, right now, we don't understand, we don't see the plan and we are a little bit scared. So, just show us what to do and we will trust you." We gave it another try and sure enough, she turned right over. God is Great!
We were on our way. We planned to be at our first night camp site by dinner time, but didn't arrive until after 11pm, another unplanned delay. We got lost, missed a turn and drove through many downtown areas that we wouldn't have dared take the Midas into on purpose. More adventure!
I'm now convinced that we NEED a GPS!
We finally pulled into our spot for the night and Thanked God for friends like Tim and Tina who told us to take extra blankets (we couldn't figure out how to light the furnace and we really needed those extra covers).
We were up early, and on our way. We arrived at the convention center with plenty of time to spare. We unloaded, cleaned up, changed clothes, set up our booth, ate lunch, had family devotions, relaxed over a cup of coffee and were at the booth with minutes to spare before opening.
Now, we are praying for successful sales today and tomorrow.
We were pleasantly surprised to find out that we could connect here at the conference. We had planned to stop along the way at a "hot spot" and use the free internet to check emails and such, but never had time because we were so rushed. Then, we arrived and couldn't get any networks in the parking lot, but once we got inside, we logged on no problem.
Thanks God! Your ways are the BEST!

Corinne Johnson is a Christian homeschooling mom to six, help meet to her husband Don and the author or Vacation Education Books: travel guides for families who love to learn; unit studies for families who love to travel.
Learn more about their products and their conference schedule at www.vacationeducationbooks.net

God is growing us into something new!

We have been so blessed through the journey with this business, and the more we grow, the more we realize that God is growing us into something more than we had ever imagined.
We began with an idea for a curriculum that fit our family situation, and found that it worked for many of the homeschooling families that we met. We expanded our offerings to include music, drama, and units of subjects other than vacation destinations.
Our motto when we started was; Vacation Education Books; travel guides for families who love to learn; unit studies for families who love to travel.
But, as we grow, we are realizing that our little idea has become so much more than that.
"The Gospel According to St. Olav" began as a skit to help our children retain a piece of Christian history, then it grew into an advertising campaign (just one of the many exciting ways to use our books), soon it became a ministry as we presented the Gospel message in every showing, and today we are learning how to make DVD's because we have had requests to put this presentation in a form that others can keep and share. God just keeps on growing our ministry.
Don's teaching on the Passover began as a lesson for us and our children during a Bible study on Exodus. As our children began to understand and question elements of our faith practice (like communion), we have returned time and time again to God's Word for guidance. After teaching our children how God used the Passover to point to Christ; we shared this with family and friends and last year Don taught it to a crowd of a hundred at our church. Now, he has been invited to teach fathers attending homeschool conferences how to take this information back home and teach it to their children and their churches. Again, we are learning how to make DVD's as people ask for this in a form that they can keep and share.
We have every intention of continuing to write Vacation Education Books, and to research and present materials on more destinations, but as our children grow and become more active in this business, we are giving them opportunities to use their talents to bless others.
Caitlin has been singing (check her out on YOUTUBE -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTs0qSFqlbQ&feature=related
Our name is dcscte if you want to see all of our uploaded videos
Summer is a born actress; she learns her lines as fast as I can write them, and she can learn to sign a new song for her sister just as quickly.

Our philosophy of education has not changed, but it has grown, and we find more and more that our mission is to encourage families to learn and grow together in God's Word; something that is very difficult to do in the current secular educational culture. We look forward to all that God has planned for us and feel honored that He has given us this opportunity to share our lives and faith with others.
God's blessings to you in your journey.

The author: Corinne Johnson is a homeschooling mother of six, help meet to her husband, and the author of Vacation Education Books; travel guides for families who love to learn; unit studies for families who love to travel.
www.vacationeducationbooks.net

Animal Kingdom Introduction

I've been busy getting things together for this years conferences, and working hard to finish up the details on our THIRD book; hoping to get it out in the next few months. Sharing here the introduction for Vacation Education destination Animal Kingdom.

The time has come again… time to plan your family vacation. Where will you go? What will you see? What will you do? How will you spend your hard earned money? Will you learn something from this trip? Will it provide memories to last a lifetime?
You are probably wondering how a book about Walt Disney World could enhance your children’s education. Every time we plan a new title, I have to ask that same question; over and over again. I also ask how does this vacation destination bring our family closer to God? Then, I set out to answer those very questions. For my family and for yours.
How much do you remember from your sixth grade textbooks? You read them, didn’t you? You were even tested on the material, right? So, what do you remember? Isn’t that what we are asking our kids to tell us on a regular basis? You read this book, why don’t you know the information that is in it? You were here when we talked about that, why don’t you remember it? If your kids are forgetting the information a few months later, or days, or sometimes even minutes… then how much of what you are devoting your time and energy to teaching them do you think they will retain into adulthood? About as much as you have.
Do you remember your family vacations, summer trips, family reunions, every detail of your grandmother’s house, your first baseball game, the first time your dad took you fishing…? How about the rules to the card game you played every time your aunt came to visit, even though you haven’t played it in over twenty years? Of course you do. And, these are the kinds of memories your kids will hold onto as well. It’s called experiential learning. We retain the things that we learn through our experiences more than any other format. The kid who can’t master his fourth grade math book, can remember the stats of every major league player for the last thirty years. The kid who can’t remember a single thing from the assigned book he just read, can recite play by play details of a video game he defeated a year ago.
Memories become ingrained when they are part of an experience. If you’ve told the kids about your plans for the next family vacation; they are probably already eager to know more about it. Eager students are a teacher’s best friend. Use that and the materials you’ll find within this book to plant seeds of learning that will stay with your children throughout their lives. Seeds that will not be easily forgotten.
If you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, or if you’ve ever been to Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, then...
YOU NEED
VACATION EDUCATION
destination
ANIMAL KINGDOM

Vacation Education is exactly what the name implies, a vacation from traditional education. Every destination we explore as a family provides a platform from which to build a learning experience. It’s time to take advantage of these. It’s time to let your vacation destination provide the education. This book will give you everything you need to do just that.

The author; Corinne Johnson is a Christian homeschooling mother of six, help meet to her husband Don and the author of Vacation Education Books; travel guides for families who love to learn; unit studies for families who love to travel.