{"id":9019,"date":"2015-04-19T20:19:49","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T01:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=9019"},"modified":"2015-04-19T20:19:49","modified_gmt":"2015-04-20T01:19:49","slug":"book-review-the-brainy-bunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=9019","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: The Brainy Bunch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"brain_bunch_book_cover\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Check out the Harding Family “The Brainy Bunch” on the Today Show
\nhttp:\/\/www.today.com\/popculture\/brainy-bunch-familys-homeschooling-method-sends-7-children-college-age-2D79663142<\/p>\n

The Brainy Bunch<\/i> is an interesting account of the choices that Kip and Mona Lisa Harding have made in raising their family. \u00a0It is truly remarkable what some of their kids have accomplished at a young age and it seems to fit their family goals. \u00a0While I don\u2019t see this meeting the goals of every family, this really is quite impressive. \u00a0The main thesis of the book is to outline what it takes to have your kid college ready by the age of 12. There are also a number of other banners they are waving including homeschooling, attached parenting, and stances regarding extracurricular activities\u00a0during high school.<\/div>\n
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In the end, this is an interesting story demonstrating the outcome of some choices these parents have made. \u00a0There are definitely strong points that are to be considered about nurturing curiosity and passion that is demonstrated at a young age. \u00a0Academics and spirituality were discussed in the book, but there wasn\u2019t a lot of talk about social and emotional development. \u00a0In fact, some statements were made that lead the reader to believe that there may be deficits in those areas. \u00a0If you graduate from college at age 16, there are going to be some things in life that might not be readily available to you or even appropriate.<\/div>\n
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As a parent, I do not desire the same goal as the Hardings to rush my kids through school. \u00a0I personally enjoyed my own middle and high school experience and all the ups and downs that came with developmentally appropriate situations that came up along the path.<\/div>\n
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I applaud the efforts\u00a0of the Harding family and congratulate their children for their accomplishments. \u00a0I don\u2019t see this plan being a fit for every family. \u00a0A family that is committed to this plan would most likely be more comfortable with a homeschooling route.<\/div>\n
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Below I have pasted a number of things that I highlighted while reading…<\/div>\n
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  • There is no school equal to a decent home, and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent. \u00a0Mahatma Gandhi<\/li>\n
  • Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. \u00a0Psalm 19:14<\/li>\n
  • Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge no wisdom. \u00a0Ecclesiastes 9:10<\/li>\n
  • We motivate our children to find what they are good at, and then we help them improve in this area. \u00a0We inspire in the areas where there is already much inspiration, and this sparks an interest in other things.<\/li>\n
  • Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion has no hold on the mind. \u00a0Therefore do not use compulsion, but let early education be a sort of amusement; you will then be better able\u00a0to discover the child\u2019s natural bent. \u00a0Plato<\/li>\n
  • Confidence can be contagious.<\/li>\n
  • Your confidence will give your child confidence.<\/li>\n
  • You have decided the length of our lives. \u00a0You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer. \u00a0Job 14:5<\/li>\n
  • Parents should be aware of what their kids are learning in school.<\/li>\n
  • Take\u00a0the time to know who your child\u2019s friends are.<\/li>\n
  • An eternal question about children is, how should we\u00a0educate them? \u00a0Politicians and educators consider more school days in a year, more science and math, the use of computers and other technology in the classroom, more exams and tests, more certifications for teachers, and less money for art. \u00a0All of these responses come from the place where we want to make the child into the best adult possible, not in the ancient Greek sense of virtuous and wise, but in the sense of one who is an efficient part of the machinery of society. \u00a0But on all these counts, the soul is neglected. \u00a0Thomas Moore<\/li>\n
  • We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. \u00a0If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach. \u00a0Romans 12:6-7<\/li>\n
  • Helping to build character into your child is your first parental duty and is one that cannot be delegated to the state or their peers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Check out the Harding Family “The Brainy Bunch” on the Today Show http:\/\/www.today.com\/popculture\/brainy-bunch-familys-homeschooling-method-sends-7-children-college-age-2D79663142 The Brainy Bunch is an interesting account of the choices that Kip and Mona Lisa Harding have made in raising their family. \u00a0It is truly remarkable what some of their kids have accomplished at a young age and it seems to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14,25,16,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-book-review","category-education","category-family","category-leadership"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9019\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}