"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)

Thinking about gardening this summer? Just think of how many lessons your student can learn from this activity! From biology to Bible, gardening provided our family more opportunities to learn truths than any other. Such was the case the year my son prepared to win the grand champion purple ribbon at the county fair with his homegrown vegetables.
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Distance learning through Ignite Christian Academy® is a convenient, enriching learning experience! We're always looking for ways to help ICA families connect, share, and grow. To create this sense of community, we looked for a place where parents and students alike could come together, and we discovered the answer was right in front of us. An official ICA Facebook page is the perfect place for you to get news about ICA, be encouraged as a distance learning family, and talk with other families just like yours!
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What's the point? Sometimes after I've opened a science project to grade it, I find that the student didn't seem to have a clue regarding what the experiment was about.

One of the most important parts of doing an experiment is to identify its purpose. The hypothesis should include the purpose of the experiment in an "If-Then" statement. Basically, the hypothesis is telling us that if we do this, then here's what will happen.

From there follow the directions given in the project. Sometimes tasks are simpler than they first seem. [Read more…]

Describing herself as energized, loving, and adventurous, Kara Fifield officially works as an assistant to Ignite Christian Academy’s dean. Her daily job responsibilities are diversified and range from faculty advising and teaching history, to taking care of academic integrity issues with ICA’s distance learning students. She especially enjoys grading a student’s well-done paper and the conversations she has when advising ICA parents on how to help their child succeed. Using her degree in psychology to provide parents with helpful tips, Kara said, “My job is all about people and making the most of every conversation.” [Read more…]

"I hate history!" How many times have parents and teachers heard that? Sometimes the reason for this attitude may be the way history is taught in secular schools – an emphasis on learning about personalities, dates, civilizations, and wars that seem to have little connection with anything happening today.

History can be taught differently in a Christian school like Ignite Christian Academy^® because Christians have a very different view of history. Christians understand from the Bible that human history had a definite starting point when God created the first couple and told them, "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28). The rise of the Hebrew race, their deliverance from slavery, their segregation from the surrounding nations, and their periods of chastisement and restoration were purposefully orchestrated by God over a period of several thousand years. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that, as Daniel told the mightiest monarch of his day, "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will" (Daniel 4:25). This view of history is perpetuated in the New Testament, as demonstrated when Peter proclaimed that the crucifixion of Christ was part of God's plan (Acts 2:23), and Paul told the intellectuals of Athens that the "God that made the world and all things therein" was in control of the times and boundaries for all nations (Acts 17:26) It is not just being cute to say that "history is His story." [Read more…]

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).

One of our family's favorite springtime activities was visiting the local feed and seed store to see the new baby chickens and ducks. Every year the store converted several small aluminum water tanks into warm, cozy homes for these little creatures. My children never tired of watching their antics and especially enjoyed their baby peeping noises. As my young daughter leaned over the tank to pet their soft, downy feathers, she looked at me with questioning eyes and said, "Mom, can I have one?"

Normally, I would have said no, but this year I sensed the Lord leading in a different direction. Smiling, I said, "Yes, honey, you and your brother can pick one of the baby chicks to take home." My daughter was delighted, and she and her brother set about choosing the perfect new little friend. Before we left the store that day, Hen and Peck were aptly named and adopted into our family. [Read more…]

For the most accurate comparisons, your students should be tested when they are about one month away from completing all courses. For ICA students, that means when they have finished at least through the 8th unit in each subject, which typically occurs in April or May. To ensure that your distance learning student will be able to take the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) achievement test on your preferred date, estimate when your student will be through eight units in all subjects and call your Academy Service Representative (ASR) to schedule either a morning or afternoon session. There's no need to worry about the cost, since you have already paid for your student's achievement testing when you registered with Ignite Christian Academy^®. As your testing date approaches, you will receive clear, easy-to-follow directions.
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If you attended public schools as I did, then you probably remember St. Patrick's Day, March 17, as a day when the classroom was decorated with green shamrocks, and mean kids went around looking for someone they could pinch because he wasn't wearing green. Little was said about the occasion's namesake, "Saint Patrick," artistically depicted in the robe and miter of a Catholic bishop, unless it was a legend about him using the shamrock to teach the Trinity, or driving the snakes out of Ireland.
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A popular baked good, scones are often served for tea time in Ireland and elsewhere on the British Isles. A plain scone is often served with one or more of the following: butter, clotted cream, jam, lemon curd. Cinnamon pecan scones have the flavor of cinnamon rolls, and they have the texture of a traditional scone-buttery and flaky, yet somewhat dense.
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Nothing breaks a parent's heart more than living with a disobedient child. After investing so much time parenting with godly values as well as teaching academics within a loving home environment, parents of distance learning students are especially discouraged when their children refuse to live according to God's Word.
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