Trivium Pursuit Blog
The Reasoning Railroad – Mystery Train (continued)
NOTE: The first installment of The Reasoning Railroad – namely, Chapter 1a: Mystery Train – originally went out on our Blog email list, but due to a programming error, the link did not appear on our front page or on our blog page. We have since posted the link on our...
The Reasoning Railroad — Mystery Train
Adult Introduction We all know intrinsically how to reason – it is part of our created being. Nevertheless, the powers of reason, like other innate abilities, can be strengthened and refined through exercise and instruction. Our purpose here is to teach formal...
HE WHO LIVES BY THE COURT, DIES BY THE COURT
Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus says to him, “Return your sword into its place, for all those who have taken a sword will die by a sword.” Before an imminent physical threat, any responsible person would provide for physical protection for himself and those close to him, and...
AGAIN, THE RETURN OF THE BLOG
Delay & Re-posting, Product Prices, Trivium Pursuit Logo, This blog, Special Sales DELAY & RE-POSTING I am re-posting the (slightly updated) substance of this blog because the renovation of the website caused some problems with the blog so that the original...
Recommendations and Reviews of Trivium Pursuit Products
Hello Harvey and Laurie, I wanted to tell you something of encouragement. I know you likely followed the plan of your own book, Teaching the Trivium, and we did, too, as best we could. Our daughter, Cara, first won our county spelling bee and then our regional bee...
Aaron Auberg and Helena Bluedorn Wedding March 26, 2011
Officiated by Michael Rudolph, Calvary Church, Muscatine, Iowa PROCESSIONAL: Psalm 45:10-17 sung by Leah Seydel WELCOME: Friends, Welcome, and thank you for coming today to share in this important celebration in the lives of Aaron and Helena. We are gathered here...
Hans Bluedorn and Desi Flickinger Wedding September 11, 2010
Reception following at West Liberty Community Center, West Liberty, Iowa Wedding Toast by Harvey Bluedorn I would like to offer a little counsel to Hans and Desiree. When I was first married, I had this idea of radical honesty – just say what you’re thinking, be...
Adam Stanford and Johannah Bluedorn Wedding August 26, 2007
Welcome to the celebration of Christian Marriage for Johannah Bluedorn and Adam Stanford. They have chosen to share with you, their families and friends, this newest step of joy in their lives. We rejoice with them in their solemn commitment before God as we share...
Salvation by Grace: John 5-6
Philippians 2:1-30 The Pattern of Humility — Resetting the Direction of Your Mind
James 4:1-10 The Cause and Cure of Conflict among Brethren
Matthew 5:19
I have a question about some scripture. It is Matthew 5:19. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom...
How to Use Webster’s Speller to Teach Spelling, Handwriting, Grammar, and Vocabulary
Noah Webster graduated from Yale College in 1778, at age 20, and commenced teaching in several small American schools. He came to dislike these schools due to their being overcrowded, poorly staffed, and poorly equipped. His American Spelling Book (first published in...
A Few Words About the Sin of Hasty Conclusions
The Wrong Idea Imagine yourself in one of these scenarios: 1) Somebody criticizes what you have done, but you know he has no understanding of the situation, and if he did, you are certain he would have a different opinion. 2) A report comes back to you that represents...
The Trivium Pursuit Story
Thank you, Old Schoolhouse Magazine, for allowing us to tell your readers about how our family launched a book writing and publishing business. It was shortly after our first child was born in 1975 that we latched onto the idea of homeschooling. After some...
On Family Worship: Biblical Facts, Biblical Foundations, and Practical Suggestions
Introduction Ask for the Old Paths Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. The picture which...
The Homeschool Movement in Germany
In September, 2004 we interviewed Sebastian and Kathleen Engelhardt, a young couple homeschooling their son in Germany. Q: What is homeschooling like in Germany? A: The Americans who live in Germany on the military bases have no problems in homeschooling. It's the...
Nehemiah 1-2
PASSAGE TO READ: Nehemiah 1:1-11 & 2:1-8 A Selected portion: 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are...
Learning Logic at Home
Inductive and Deductive Bible Studies
The labels inductive and deductive may be applied to several things, including methods of reasoning and methods of studying. A deductive approach moves from the rule to the example, and an inductive approach moves from the example to the rule. I will first...
Two Methods of Reasoning
An Introduction to Inductive and Deductive Logic Fixing Flawed Thinking We often suppose that the other guy's thinking is flawed, without even considering whether the real problem is actually with our own thinking. We tend to elevate our limited observations and our...
Formal and Informal Fallacies
Logical Fallacies A fallacy is a defect in an argument which misleads the mind. The defect may be intentional or unintentional. If the defect is intentional, we sometimes call it a sophism. One's understanding of fallacies may be used for good, in order to avoid or...
Logic — A Suggested Course of Study
I am preparing to teach an introduction to logic course to my seventh graders this fall, and all four of them are excited about it. I have never taught logic, and all that I have learned came from Martin Cothran’s Traditional Logic. I’m trying to go through...
Logic Comes in Two Flavors
Why Study Logic?
Why Study Logic? Perhaps the most important thing to give your child to prepare him to confront this world is a firm grasp of logical thinking skills. Without this refined skill — the ability to reason correctly — his thinking is not firmly anchored, but is "tossed to...