Question of the day- What is your homeschool style?
SO, after reading all the different homeschool styles, and finding I was a failure at all of them.... I made up my own. Now, just to clarify the word "failure" I mean, I couldn't stick with doing all of the ideas of any one theory of education, and my kids... were no help. My little free spirits find the idea of unschooling great, but it turns out, they still expect me to help them figure out how to feed their brains tons of interesting stuff each day. And if I had to put in all the work to come up with what we were going to do, I was just going to do it.
This, below, is the first draft of my new theory of education, based on child development, and not making myself or the kids insane. Because really, at the end of the day, my goal is to not be made crazy, or to have to pay for tons of therapy for the kids later. Please feel free to post suggestions for what to name this new theory of education in the comments.
Kindergarten-
Read great books to your child. Read easy readers with your finger under the words, read harder books out loud, read picture books, and if your child will listen, chapter books.
Read books and then do things that go along with the books- a craft, food, map or game all make books come alive.
Go on adventures- the library, the zoo, museums, a pet store, the bank, any outing can be an adventure to a small child.
Make things with your hands- paint, use clay, glue things together, string beads, finger knit, whatever.
Sing songs- learning to memorize and sing songs strengthens memory skills.
Do a lot of playing.
Have playdates and let your child learn to get along with other people.
Play with learning some words in a foreign language, keeping doing some of this every year, just so the brain gets the idea and is ready to learn more languages later. This will also show your child that there can be many ways to say the same thing, and prepare them to have a great vocabulary.
First grade:
Learn to write all the letters - not just draw them.
Once she can copy all the letters, have your child copy sentences and point out the punctuation and capitalization and everything.
Have your child tell you stories, and help him learn to do it in a way that makes sense, so he learns to communicate clearly. Write down those stories so he can see his words in writing.
Learn to add.
Have a wall calendar with dates, classes and events on it, help your child start to find the date.
Do things your child is interested in, whether that is math, history, art, science or cooking, but be sure you are doing it a few times a week, at least.
Learn to loom knit.
And keep doing everything from the Kindergarten list.
Learn to recite simple poems or nursery rhymes, at a rate of one every week or 2. This prepares the brain for further memorization later.
Second grade
Keep working on nice handwriting. Start the year with more copy work. Add in having your child write something as you tell it to them- dictation, when your child is ready. Hopefully, by the end of the year they will be ready to write their own sentences, but if not, they can tell you a sentence, you write it, and let them copy their own words.
Keep reading lots of cool books to your kid, kids never get too old to be read to, and the huge number of random things your child can learn from books is amazing.
Have your child read out loud to you from a book that isn't too hard for him, a few times a week. I am an expert in handwriting, but not in teaching reading, here, it seemed to happen by magic. If your child hasn't learned to read yet, this is the year I would really start working on that skill, but there is nothing wrong with reading out loud to your child until he or she is able to do it well.
Learn to subtract, and keep practicing adding. Experiment with larger numbers and interesting math terms and symbols.
Do art appreciation by looking at cool art- I take apart calendars to hang up the art work.
Do music appreciation by listening to lots of different kinds of music, and talking about it.
Add one formal subject- whatever works for your child- I do History and like the program from Story of the World. We read the lessons and do go along activities from the activities book, or from Pinterest.
Do random, real life science- like grow plants, read books about the human body, have science experiments and kits. There is nothing wrong with random, real life science of watching the seasons change, and melting snow with a hair dryer.
Keep doing everything that was working from kindergarten and first grade, but don't overwhelm yourself. If your history project has to double count as your art for the week, no big deal.
Third grade
Learn to write in cursive (can put this off a year, if your child needs to), but please don't skip it. Learning to write in cursive will allow your child to write faster, possibly neater (learning to write for the second time sometimes goes better), and be able to read all the amazing documents of history that are written in cursive. You should plan to start again with copy work, working toward dictation and then self writing in cursive. Allow your child to continue to print until they have the hang of cursive.
Learn spelling as a subject- I like Spelling Power, but you may find something else that works for your child
Learn to multiply.
Learn to tell time, if you haven't already.
Keep doing whatever was working from last year in art and music, or find a new way to explore those, a well rounded education involves the arts
Keep doing History
Keep learning about whatever your child wants to
Add some household skills, like basic cooking
Memorize and recite a few longer poems
Fourth grade
Keep working on handwriting- cursive takes practice.
Spelling
Grammar- a formal lesson on this is new this year
Learn to divide, and practice all previous math skills. Learn about graphing or other random interesting math skills
History
Science- could be done any way that works for you- lap books, co-op classes, experiments, etc. but this is the age I make sure I have added a formal study. For us, that means asking my child what science topics interest her, and finding a program that focuses on things she is interested in.
Fourth grade is when I feel it is important to start to be more formal about my kid's education, but I still don't want to have an overwhelming day. Most of our subjects are done on a rotating basis, so we never do all our subjects in a single day. I generally opt to do Science on Tuesdays and Thursdays, History on Mondays and Wednesdays, and use Friday for experiments or hands on projects from one or the other. Spelling and Grammar alternate with each other as much as possible. Even math is not an every day subject for us, I find a few times a week is enough at this age.
Fifth Grade
Hand writing
Spelling
Grammar
History
Science
Math- review all the basic stuff, then move on to fractions, decimals, graphing, etc.
Loom knit a hat- or try another hand work task, beading, crochet, knitting, and sewing.
Add music lessons if you can- I got lucky and could add a band program for homeschoolers.
Memorize something that is a little challenging- like the preamble to the Constitution.
Also of note, I never, ever, do all these subjects in one day. My weekly schedule breaks up most of the subjects into having only about 3 subjects each day, and subjects rotate. I also feel free to take time to do whatever other things I think will help my children learn about their world, themselves, or just seem fun and worthwhile. Most of us remember very little of what we learned in elementary school. We learned to read, write, and do basic math. Sometimes we did some cool stuff that stayed with us, but much of the days were full of random stuff we no longer recall. Don't sweat all that stuff. And know that they really only have to know how to read, write and do math, by the time they are done with elementary school, so if it takes longer than other kids, they are still just fine.
For handwriting, I have used and like the program by Handwriting without Tears, for my 2 reluctant writers. The work books review how to make each letter, helping to develop good writing habits, and the letters are made simple and straight, without fancy slants or curlicues to confuse a child. My youngest child has a stronger interest in writing, and I may choose to teach her a prettier form of cursive when the day comes, because HWT is not pretty, but very functional handwriting. Most people, only need functional handwriting.
In history, science, grammar and writing, we don't always finish the book we start in a single school year. If the book is still working for us, I just roll it over and continue it the next school year. The 4 year cycle of Story of the World took me about 6 years to do with my oldest, partially because we took extra time to explore some of the time periods, partially because at one point, she was too young for the material (we started it earlier than I recommend above) so we put it on the shelf a while, and partially because I kept misplacing the darn book. I am now starting the cycle for the second time, and all 3 of my kids are doing it with me. I have no regrets about it taking longer last time, and the only thing I hope to really do differently is to loose the book less. Personally, my goal is never about finishing a book, it is about making sure my kids are learning all the foundational skills they need to develop, so that when they start middle school- they can write a good sentence with proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Middle school is when I want my kids to start writing short essays and understand higher level math. The elementary years are just about laying a foundation to put a higher level of education on top of. Their understanding of history and science are also a foundation, created to put higher level concepts on top of. When, as an older student they see a story about Vikings, I want them to have an idea who the vikings were and where they lived, not already know all the stories. And I expect my middle school age kids to do middle school age work, that prepares them for high school. I never want to push down skills from a higher level onto younger children. I want to create a knowledge base and set of skills that my children can climb up and stand on when they get to the next level of their education.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Homeschooling styles, what I learned from each one
Question of the day: What is your homeschooling style?
When my oldest child was much smaller- I went through a time of being obsessed with homeschool styles, I read them ALL- or at least all that I could find, looking for the perfect fit for us. It turned out none of them was my perfect fit, but I did learn a lot of great ideas. So, I did what so many homeschool websites told me "Take what you like, and leave the rest." This is a list of things I decided to take, and what I didn't take, from some of those styles. These summaries are WAY too short to explain an entire theory, so if you are new, and see something interesting, do you own research and learn more.
Charlotte Mason-
Read lots of great books- GREAT
Go for walks outside and appreciate nature- I can do that!
Have short class periods for small children, working on longer ones when they get older- Makes sense.
Be a super teacher, make the kids talk about art a lot, teach them to draw EVERY DAY- Um, no
So, what I got from Charlotte Mason, was a wonderful book list, which we often worked from. A goal of getting outside, and trying to experiment with drawing. I also loved her idea of teaching fine artists, however, her method just didn't work for me. So, what I do, is I get a calendar of the art of a famous artist. I take it apart, and hang up anywhere from 3 to all 12 of the pictures on the wall of our homeschooling space. We talk about which pictures we like best, and why. I change the calendar as often as I feel like it- anywhere from 2-6 times a year.
Waldorf
Do lots of handwork (knit and stuff)- COOL
Let your child help do tasks like bake bread and make snacks- Awesome
Read sweet little fairy tales- Can do
Do art, music, drama, dancing, and foreign languages all teacher led- Uh, oh, not so sure I can handle that
Play outside every day, no matter what the weather- Crap- I am a weather wimp.
So, what I took from Waldorf- we tried to play outside in the rain sometimes- which isn't as bad as I thought it was. I try to foster my child's ability to do things for herself (Montessori is into that one too). I also try to do a lot of "handwork." The Waldorf version of this, did not really work for us. Have you ever tried to felt wool into a baby chick? Or mold beeswax into ANYTHING? That stuff is amazingly hard. Instead, we found crafts and activities that worked for us. My kids learned to loom knit, instead of knitting with knitting needles, for example.
Montessori
Do lots and lots of hands on stuff with TONS of materials- Um, that gets expensive, but cool
Do lots of practical life skills- Sounded good, but kid #1 hated it, while #3 loves it
Teach reading and math in a special way- Crap, more things I didn't know how to do
I did purchase and make some Montessori materials, and there are lots of good ideas on line. But my oldest child only wanted to do any given activity about once, and move on, so investing in the stuff, just wasn't a good way for us to go. I picked and chose materials that worked for us, and left the rest. I still look for good montessori materials for my kids, but just can't do it whole hearted.
Unschool
Let your kid learn at her pace about whatever she wants to, it will all work out in the end, no worries.
Turns out this gave me TONS of worries. I am sorry, but some people need to actually be taught some things, or they don't learn them. My child needed to be taught the right way to form her letters, though I waited until later than the usual to do it, and she HAD to be taught spelling, she just didn't absorb it magically. However, honoring her as a learner, going at her pace, and letting her have the ability to choose as much as was reasonable, worked well for us.
Classical Education
Read lots of great book- OK- great, I was already on board
Do a 4 year history cycle, staring with ancient times and going through modern- COOL
Teach Latin- Crap
Teach your child to read and write at a pace that works for them, but here are a lot of easy to follow suggestions- Awesome! I needed that.
Actually, I have used the Story of the World history books all the way through the program now, and have just loved them. They made history engaging, and actually taught about the whole world, not just Europe and the US. I also liked the methods of teaching writing, by staring with the child doing copy work, and stating narrations that the parent writes for the child, so the child gets to separate the act of handwriting from thinking of what to write. I have used various writing and grammar books that are from "classical education" but we used them at the pace of my own child, not the one on the cover (Writing with Ease and Writing with Skill.) I also have ended up teaching latin to my oldest child, but not because the program suggested it, but because she asked to learn it. I don't actually know Latin, so we had to search for an interesting curriculum that we could learn together. As a middle schooler, she will be doing the program Visual Latin, which is video based, and I don't have to know anything to teach it. However, the Classical Education model, has some pretty firm ideas about what, how and when children should learn certain things, and that part, just didn't make sense to me, or my kid, so we took what worked, and left the rest. I also found the huge number of things to teach, overwhelming, so I didn't do it.
I read lots of theory books, and then would spend time testing things out on my child. For us, sticking 100% to any individual theory, made us miserable, so I would then switch to another. Eventually, I figured out my own style, mixed from high lights of all the many things I read, but that will be a separate post. The oddest thing about making my own style, is that as I educate my kids, I have found that each of my kids would be happiest doing more things from one style or another. The oldest would rather unschool, the middle child would be a great Waldorf student, and the youngest Montessori style is a fit for. But as a mom, I can't manage to do all that. Finding a style that works for your family, has to mean finding a style that works for both the teacher and the student. As my children grow, I try to pick and choose things we will all enjoy and learn from, no matter which theory they fit into. For us, its about having a great educational experience, not about following anyone's rules of how to do it.
When my oldest child was much smaller- I went through a time of being obsessed with homeschool styles, I read them ALL- or at least all that I could find, looking for the perfect fit for us. It turned out none of them was my perfect fit, but I did learn a lot of great ideas. So, I did what so many homeschool websites told me "Take what you like, and leave the rest." This is a list of things I decided to take, and what I didn't take, from some of those styles. These summaries are WAY too short to explain an entire theory, so if you are new, and see something interesting, do you own research and learn more.
Charlotte Mason-
Read lots of great books- GREAT
Go for walks outside and appreciate nature- I can do that!
Have short class periods for small children, working on longer ones when they get older- Makes sense.
Be a super teacher, make the kids talk about art a lot, teach them to draw EVERY DAY- Um, no
So, what I got from Charlotte Mason, was a wonderful book list, which we often worked from. A goal of getting outside, and trying to experiment with drawing. I also loved her idea of teaching fine artists, however, her method just didn't work for me. So, what I do, is I get a calendar of the art of a famous artist. I take it apart, and hang up anywhere from 3 to all 12 of the pictures on the wall of our homeschooling space. We talk about which pictures we like best, and why. I change the calendar as often as I feel like it- anywhere from 2-6 times a year.
Waldorf
Do lots of handwork (knit and stuff)- COOL
Let your child help do tasks like bake bread and make snacks- Awesome
Read sweet little fairy tales- Can do
Do art, music, drama, dancing, and foreign languages all teacher led- Uh, oh, not so sure I can handle that
Play outside every day, no matter what the weather- Crap- I am a weather wimp.
So, what I took from Waldorf- we tried to play outside in the rain sometimes- which isn't as bad as I thought it was. I try to foster my child's ability to do things for herself (Montessori is into that one too). I also try to do a lot of "handwork." The Waldorf version of this, did not really work for us. Have you ever tried to felt wool into a baby chick? Or mold beeswax into ANYTHING? That stuff is amazingly hard. Instead, we found crafts and activities that worked for us. My kids learned to loom knit, instead of knitting with knitting needles, for example.
Montessori
Do lots and lots of hands on stuff with TONS of materials- Um, that gets expensive, but cool
Do lots of practical life skills- Sounded good, but kid #1 hated it, while #3 loves it
Teach reading and math in a special way- Crap, more things I didn't know how to do
I did purchase and make some Montessori materials, and there are lots of good ideas on line. But my oldest child only wanted to do any given activity about once, and move on, so investing in the stuff, just wasn't a good way for us to go. I picked and chose materials that worked for us, and left the rest. I still look for good montessori materials for my kids, but just can't do it whole hearted.
Unschool
Let your kid learn at her pace about whatever she wants to, it will all work out in the end, no worries.
Turns out this gave me TONS of worries. I am sorry, but some people need to actually be taught some things, or they don't learn them. My child needed to be taught the right way to form her letters, though I waited until later than the usual to do it, and she HAD to be taught spelling, she just didn't absorb it magically. However, honoring her as a learner, going at her pace, and letting her have the ability to choose as much as was reasonable, worked well for us.
Classical Education
Read lots of great book- OK- great, I was already on board
Do a 4 year history cycle, staring with ancient times and going through modern- COOL
Teach Latin- Crap
Teach your child to read and write at a pace that works for them, but here are a lot of easy to follow suggestions- Awesome! I needed that.
Actually, I have used the Story of the World history books all the way through the program now, and have just loved them. They made history engaging, and actually taught about the whole world, not just Europe and the US. I also liked the methods of teaching writing, by staring with the child doing copy work, and stating narrations that the parent writes for the child, so the child gets to separate the act of handwriting from thinking of what to write. I have used various writing and grammar books that are from "classical education" but we used them at the pace of my own child, not the one on the cover (Writing with Ease and Writing with Skill.) I also have ended up teaching latin to my oldest child, but not because the program suggested it, but because she asked to learn it. I don't actually know Latin, so we had to search for an interesting curriculum that we could learn together. As a middle schooler, she will be doing the program Visual Latin, which is video based, and I don't have to know anything to teach it. However, the Classical Education model, has some pretty firm ideas about what, how and when children should learn certain things, and that part, just didn't make sense to me, or my kid, so we took what worked, and left the rest. I also found the huge number of things to teach, overwhelming, so I didn't do it.
I read lots of theory books, and then would spend time testing things out on my child. For us, sticking 100% to any individual theory, made us miserable, so I would then switch to another. Eventually, I figured out my own style, mixed from high lights of all the many things I read, but that will be a separate post. The oddest thing about making my own style, is that as I educate my kids, I have found that each of my kids would be happiest doing more things from one style or another. The oldest would rather unschool, the middle child would be a great Waldorf student, and the youngest Montessori style is a fit for. But as a mom, I can't manage to do all that. Finding a style that works for your family, has to mean finding a style that works for both the teacher and the student. As my children grow, I try to pick and choose things we will all enjoy and learn from, no matter which theory they fit into. For us, its about having a great educational experience, not about following anyone's rules of how to do it.
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