As the year closes and we reflect on the events and experiences of 2020, I’m left with overwhelming gratitude to the One who has held all things together despite the circumstances surrounding us. Not only have I suffered from a strange sort of writer’s block all year long (how can words be so hard to come up with?), but we faced unexpected production delays, shipping dilemmas, general confusion & illness, concern for loved ones, and the assorted crises that seemed to fall out everywhere. We weren’t sure if our small, family-based business would make it through the seasons of uncertainty that gripped our nation. This year it has been especially easy for us all to be governed by fear, panic, confusion, and dread. It reminds me of a time when our homeschool had become governed by fear, panic, confusion, and dread. It stripped the peace and joy from our home.
It was then that we prayerfully reconsidered our vision and our purpose in learning, in homeschooling, in parenting, in life. As we followed God’s leading, peace and joy returned to our learning. I didn’t realize the bondage we were in until I handed our choices, plans, and expectations all over to God and sought His will above all else. I had to stop letting what others think play such a large role in our educational decisions. Now that we face our first son graduating in a few short months, I’m so thankful that we walked away from that environment to pursue kingdom things.
There’s a lesson learned for me here. Our family has such peace and joy in homeschooling, but what about outside of homeschooling? What about in our business endeavors? What about during times of civil unrest? What about in politics and media? God’s not just to lead our homeschool, but we are to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
So, here we are, midway into our school year. We wanted to share a glimpse of what morning time (aka, Mission: Lasting Liberty) has looked like in our home with four boys ranging from first to twelfth grade, since some have asked for more details about what it looks like in action.
Morning Time: Mission Lasting Liberty (in real life!)
Mission: Lasting Liberty curriculum is an integrated study of U.S. history and geography, fine arts, and scripture/hymns with an underlying theme of the liberty that is found only through Christ. Our family starts together with this morning time plan which currently takes us around 45 minutes (more depending on how long they take for portfolio entries). This is our most special time, and our teenagers enjoy being involved. (They offer so much to our family discussions – such a treasure!)
History & Drawing Portfolio Entries
Thus far, we’ve completed America’s Story Volume 1 and half of America’s Story Volume 2, along with biographies on William Bradford, Olive Oatman (Ransom’s Mark), and Harriet Tubman.
To highlight specific people and events from American history, our boys enter notebooking entries into their journals along with a sketch.
We also incorporate related picture studies featuring famous artists, which our older boys attempt to imitate.
Mission: Lasting Liberty also introduces the following hymns which are related to the history and biographies we’ve studied:
- Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
- God Moves in a Mysterious Way
- This Is My Father’s World
- The Star-Spangled Banner
- He Leadeth Me
- Battle Hymn of the Republic
- When They Ring the Golden Bells
Our family has also focused on reading the Gospel of John together, memorizing several scriptures along the way. All of this is scheduled out in our Mission: Lasting Liberty plan.
Geography “Homemade” Atlas
In addition to memorizing states, capitals, and features of the USA, our sixth grader has also traced each state, highlighting specific cities and features as it corresponds to our history readings and/or read-alouds.
Although he prefers tracing the borders and features, another option provided within Mission: Lasting Liberty is to label blackline maps of each state.
By highlighting features of each state as we read about them in history, our children notice more about the geography and tend to remember more details of the events from U.S. History.
Science – Human Body
During the fall semester, we completed a study of the human body from God’s Design for Life. Our sixth grader practiced defining, sketching, and labeling (from memory) the different body systems.
We also enjoyed many experiments and activities featuring major body system, genetics, forensics, blood type, and more…
As we concluded our study, our younger two boys pieced together a life-sized human body…
…and we celebrated with a “human body cake” at the request of our six-year-old. (To clarify, this cake was made from Sara Lee Pound Cake!)
More Fine Arts
While I do know a bit about color, balance, blending, and technique (always learning!), other moms have not only spent years practicing and perfecting techniques but also embrace a passion for teaching the subject. This is when an art course like those from Yellow Spot:Sun can take my children much farther than I would have on my own. So… in addition to the history/drawing portfolio entries, we’ve also enjoyed Trailblazing Transit from Yellow Spot:Sun as a supplemental art course that corresponds with Mission: Lasting Liberty. Thus far, we’ve completed a Native American Canoe…
Lewis & Clark’s Keelboat…
…and a Pioneer’s Wagon.
To round out our fine arts studies, we’ve also studied Debussy, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg along with the string and woodwind sections of the orchestra using the book A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra.
And that’s just a glimpse of what we’ve been studying in Mission: Lasting Liberty, but the most important part has been the amazement and wonder we’ve shared together reading about how God has worked through creation (the human body) and mankind to reveal Himself to us. It has been a wonderful journey – and we look forward to continuing our study this semester! (If you have questions about this curriculum, feel free to comment below or contact us at support {at} halfahundredacrewood.com.)
You can download a sample of the Mission: Lasting Liberty Teacher’s Guide by clicking on the button below.
Homeschooling high school? Check out our corresponding scope and sequence and recommended resources for Mission: Lasting Liberty.
Questions? Be sure to check out our Mission: Great Commission FAQ.
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Mission: Lasting Liberty Teacher’s Guide PDF Version
Instant access to the Mission: Lasting Liberty Teacher’s Guide eBook will be granted upon completion of the check-out process.
Format: PDF Download (Mac & PC Compatible), 145 pages. Access to our exclusive Mission: Lasting Liberty Supplemental Resource Webpage is included with purchase. After purchasing the PDF download version, you will receive instant access to the ebook version of the Mission: Lasting Liberty Teacher’s Guide. Download a sample.
Suggested grades: 2 to 8
PDF Version Price: $39.95
Mission: Lasting Liberty Full Curriculum List
The resources needed for Mission: Lasting Liberty include:
- Mission: Lasting Liberty Teacher’s Guide. PDF.
- America’s Story Volume 1. Softcover. (Student text only.)
- America’s Story Volume 2. Softcover. (Student text only.)
- America’s Story Volume 3. Softcover. (Student text only.)
- Don’t Know Much about the Presidents. Softcover.
- Our Constitution Rocks! Softcover.
- Desk Atlas of the United States. Softcover.
- States & Capitals Audio Memory CD & Map. Audio CD + Map.
- Draw the USA. Softcover.
- God’s Design for Life Set: Student Book + Teacher Guide. Softcover. (Mission: Lasting Liberty uses The Human Body which is now available only within this single combined volume of all three titles from the God’s Design for Life series.)
- God’s Design for Chemistry & Ecology Set: Student Book + Teacher Guide. Softcover. (Mission: Lasting Liberty uses Properties of Matter which is now available only within this single combined volume of all three titles from the Chemistry & Ecology series.)
- Draw Write Now Book 3. Softcover.
- Draw Write Now Book 5. Softcover.
- A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra. Hardcover. (This is a new edition of the book formerly titled Story of the Orchestra. Page numbers and information remain the same, but instead of an audio CD, this new edition provides a link to download the audio tracks and also includes a removable poster of an orchestra seating chart.)
- Then Sings My Soul. Softcover.
- William Bradford: Plymouth’s Rock. Softcover.
- Ransom’s Mark: A Story Based on the Life of the Pioneer Olive Oatman. Softcover.
- Harriet Tubman: Freedombound. Softcover.
- D. L. Moody: Bringing Souls to Christ. Softcover.
- George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist. Softcover.
- Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies. Softcover.
- Ben Carson: A Chance at Life. Softcover.
Mission Lasting Liberty: Build Your Own Bundle
You can purchase the Mission Lasting Liberty Teacher’s Guide separately and grab the books you need a-la-carte from our store. The more you purchase, the more you save!
- Orders $200-$299 receive a 10% discount
- Orders $300-$399 receive a 15% discount
- Orders over $400 receive a 20% discount
These discounts are activated when your subtotal reaches that amount in your shopping cart and applies to all items in our store, including our cursive program and digital products.
Also take advantage of FREE media mail shipping for orders over $100! (Free shipping will automatically update when your sub-total reaches $100.)
Mission: Lasting Liberty is the third volume in our Mission: Great Commission Curriculum Series, which takes students through a study of the entire world. Mission: World Wonders is available at this link, and Mission: Faith Forgers is available at this link.
