What are Speakables?
Speakables are writing activities which we publish from time to time for home schoolers and other students.
In this time in which we're finding ourselves, we join the ranks with others who want to hold on a little longer to having our younger generation take time to appreciate some of the valuable literary work of days gone by. We especially want to encourage them to consider good sound moral and biblical thinking from the early days of our heritage. We would like to see them think about the things they read and consider the value and worth of those things. We know there are many today who are still producing good literature that can help our children, but we don't want to turn our noses up at what many people consider "antiquated" thinking.
With that in mind, we are presenting these "Speakable" pages to you, where you'll find quotations and written expressions of men and women, and sometimes children, of past days. Please feel free to use these writings in your home in any way you choose. After each one, you'll see a requested response or choice of responses. These are just samples, of course; you might have something else that you would rather your child or student do. Whatever works best for you, do it. We particularly have home schoolers in mind for these, but everyone could benefit. All we care about is that young folks of today get some benefit from something worthwhile that was said or written in past times. Forgive us if we seem old-fashioned. We think that the poetry, stories, and other writings of the past helped (along with other factors) to produce some pretty decent kids who grew up to live some pretty remarkable lives. Some of these people are our children's grandparents and great- grandparents.
These are the six subjects for the Speakables:
Poems
Quotes (or sayings)
Aesop Fables
Hymns (or traditional songs)
Stories
Scriptures
There is a separate page for each one, so just click on the respective tabs to see the current readings and requested responses so you can see if you want your child(ren) to do any or all of them.
So use and enjoy! And we welcome any questions or suggestions.
Our contact email address is speakablegifts@yahoo.com.
Below are some suggestions we have for using these written activities:
Homeschool Parents
Maybe you could consider using our Speakables in
some of the following ways in your schooling:
1. POEMS: Of course, these are perfect for language
arts. Most of the suggested responses have the
purpose of helping children apply character traits to
themselves or to life itself. Responses could be used
for handwriting or typing assignments. Also, at some
point we may sneak in a poem which could be used in
health or phys ed!
2. QUOTES: Many of the quotes we use will have
national or historical significance. They would do well
for social studies assignments. Some quotes could also
be useful for Bible or logic.
3. HYMNS: Oftentimes there is biographical info here
that could be used in English studies. Or you could
have your children do research on a particular hymn or
hymn writer. Most requested responses help dig into
the meanings of the words from a biblical/ moral
standpoint. Always they may be a tool to develop
understanding of Bible truths in young people.
4. STORIES: Some of the old familiar stories illustrate
moral values in ways that get to the hearts of young
folks as preaching to them never will. Often we try to
bring kids into the story by a response that puts them
right there. Of course, these responses would be a
resource for reading and English, but primarily you'll
want to incorporate character building as they study.
5. AESOP FABLES: Virtues and vices are pitted
against each other so that hopefully our rewritten
versions of these old tales will give the children some
literature work that will inspire, not just entertain them.
Sometimes a little art could get thrown in as well!
6. CHILD OF COURAGE: While our primary purpose is
to instill compassion, these articles would work well in
your geography class. Bring in missions whenever
possible as you study the plights of these dear children.
(Note: The Child of Courage articles will appear as posts
on this blog rather than as a separate page.)
7. SCRIPTURES: Obviously, these would be helpful
for Bible and memory work, but be on the lookout for
ways some might be used in science or language.
School Teachers
Come visit us from time to time during the school day.
Perhaps you could make use of our Speakables during
your students' computer times. They could serve as
extra-credit work for literature, writing, reading,
typing or social studies. Even though it will probably
be alright, we do ask that teachers contact us for
written permission before using these activities as
classroom assignments. (See Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.)
