Each summer, my darling (helpful, hard-working, loving, amazing) husband and I take the Red Couch Reading Room on the road to various homeschool conventions. We have a booth in the exhibit hall, I generally teach a few workshops on homeschooling, or literature, or both; we breathe deeply of the amazing fellowship of the kindred spirits of homeschooling mamas and dads who are so genuinely working to try to provide the very best education they can for their families. They are inspiring, and we are always so happy to share what we have learned, as parents down the path just a little way.
One of the highlights of every convention, however, is the Exhibit Hall! What a joyous, fun, amazing, inspiring, WONDERFUL place a homeschool Exhibit Hall is! We love each one and especially look forward to the unique vendors from each geographical region. Of course, we love the big, nationwide exhibitors too – what would we do without them? But the niche vendors really catch our fancy. Often, their products are truly wonderful opportunities for the unique educational realm that is home education.
However, Steve and I have said more than once that we feel a little bad that some of these incredible local vendors don’t have the kind of nationwide exposure that they deserve. That is how I started doing my annual “Convention Treasures” series! Each year as we go to conventions, we look for those stand-out vendors that may be regional or local…but deserve much broader attention!
As we attended the CHEA of California Homeschooling Convention in Pasadena recently, our very first convention treasure for 2019 caught my husband’s eye immediately. He urged me to go check out this new book "How to Change a Tire" by Norm Whan. Wow - was I ever glad I did!
One of the highlights of every convention, however, is the Exhibit Hall! What a joyous, fun, amazing, inspiring, WONDERFUL place a homeschool Exhibit Hall is! We love each one and especially look forward to the unique vendors from each geographical region. Of course, we love the big, nationwide exhibitors too – what would we do without them? But the niche vendors really catch our fancy. Often, their products are truly wonderful opportunities for the unique educational realm that is home education.
However, Steve and I have said more than once that we feel a little bad that some of these incredible local vendors don’t have the kind of nationwide exposure that they deserve. That is how I started doing my annual “Convention Treasures” series! Each year as we go to conventions, we look for those stand-out vendors that may be regional or local…but deserve much broader attention!
As we attended the CHEA of California Homeschooling Convention in Pasadena recently, our very first convention treasure for 2019 caught my husband’s eye immediately. He urged me to go check out this new book "How to Change a Tire" by Norm Whan. Wow - was I ever glad I did!
What a pleasure to meet the phenomenon that is author Norm Whan! While this is Dr. Norm’s first “homeschool” or “parenting” book, he is already an established author. His books “Canning Hunger thru Neighborhood Connections,” and “The Phone’s for You!” have long been used to develop leading national ministries. As founder of “Canning Hunger,” Norm put into action a simple concept, namely, “Hunger is Complicated; Helping is Easy.” Now, with his new book “How to Change a Tire ...and 132 Other Basic Life Skills I Should Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home” Dr. Norm has proved once again that he is a man of action, taking something we all "know" and making it practical.
How to Change a Tire…” is genius. Honestly, it is a FRAMEWORK for an entire Life Skills course, a series of life skills in every imaginable area. How many times have you read that young adults are struggling “to adult” because they don’t know how to do things that are second nature to us as parents? They don’t know how to make dinner, to check the oil, to plunge a sink? “How to Change a Tire…” is a guide to turning that ship around. Let’s make sure the NEXT generation knows how to be independent…and we may even learn something along the way ourselves!
After looking through the book at the convention, I had to smile. I know exactly what I would do with this book! I would make it a contract – a contract between our kids and us, their parents, “These are the things YOU NEED TO KNOW. We are going to do our best to teach you – or to find someone or some way to teach you! – every skill in this book before you graduate. YOU have to approach every lesson as if your life depended on it. (Because, in some cases, it might!)” I think once you look through this book, you will grab a couple of families to co-op it with and set out on the great adventure that “How to Change a Tire…” can be for your students! I would suggest doing it over several years – maybe as a four-year high school co-op course.
Now. What is this book…NOT? It is NOT a step-by-step “how-to” book for every skill. Rather, it is inspiration. It is a gathered series of goals. It is accountability. It is a journal. It is a trove of memories waiting to be made. Do not expect this book to tell you how to teach each skill; that is not its purpose. “How to Change a Tire…” is gathering of purpose, an outline for a life skills course you will never regret teaching and your students will benefit from for the rest of their lives.
As you might have guessed, a portion of the proceeds of this book goes to “Canning Hunger,” the national non-profit Dr. Norm began back in 1992. Once again, here is the LINK where you can see more pictures and examples from the inside of the book and purchase it online! It is currently only available from their website. In addition, don't miss the video below, where Dr. Norm explains his motivations for writing the book!
Not all Rigor is Mortis!
After looking through the book at the convention, I had to smile. I know exactly what I would do with this book! I would make it a contract – a contract between our kids and us, their parents, “These are the things YOU NEED TO KNOW. We are going to do our best to teach you – or to find someone or some way to teach you! – every skill in this book before you graduate. YOU have to approach every lesson as if your life depended on it. (Because, in some cases, it might!)” I think once you look through this book, you will grab a couple of families to co-op it with and set out on the great adventure that “How to Change a Tire…” can be for your students! I would suggest doing it over several years – maybe as a four-year high school co-op course.
Now. What is this book…NOT? It is NOT a step-by-step “how-to” book for every skill. Rather, it is inspiration. It is a gathered series of goals. It is accountability. It is a journal. It is a trove of memories waiting to be made. Do not expect this book to tell you how to teach each skill; that is not its purpose. “How to Change a Tire…” is gathering of purpose, an outline for a life skills course you will never regret teaching and your students will benefit from for the rest of their lives.
As you might have guessed, a portion of the proceeds of this book goes to “Canning Hunger,” the national non-profit Dr. Norm began back in 1992. Once again, here is the LINK where you can see more pictures and examples from the inside of the book and purchase it online! It is currently only available from their website. In addition, don't miss the video below, where Dr. Norm explains his motivations for writing the book!
Not all Rigor is Mortis!
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