Homeschooling- Things I've Learned (part 4)

In previous posts I told my history and philosophy of homeschooling, more or less. A little bit of formal basics, and lots of free time (to dig pits and such).

It always helped me when folks mentioned the actual STUFF they used in homeschooling, so I'll mention a few things I like here.

My youngest is on about the second grade level (though we don't really do "levels" or "grades" here). Over the years, I've wandered about the Phonics Product World, never really finding a reading/phonics program that I was happy with.

Early on, I was at a huge curriculum fair in Pennsylvania (CHAP in Harrisburg), and I met the woman who designed Sing, Spell, Read and Write. I also heard speaker Debra Bell laud this program. I also saw the dang thing cost nearly $200. And I'm cheap. I had spent $400 on a full service curriculum the year before, but heck, I got a lot of books and "subjects" for that price! $200 just for Phonics and Reading? Bah.

Well, sometimes cheap is expensive, if you follow me.

With my youngest I got Sing, Spell, Read and Write. It's clearly the BEST program for Language Arts in the early years. Because of the songs, games, and books, even a squirmy child can get into this one. And they LEARN it.

By the time I got to this last child, I knew how to adapt a lesson plan... they give you a very clear structured daily plan with this program. However since I'm usually unclear and unstructured, I adapted it to the "chaos model" of homeschooling, and it still worked fine.

I wish I'd used this with my now college aged eldest daughter, when she was young! She struggled with reading, but I think this would have worked really well.

And I ended up spending far more than $200 over the years on programs for all of them.
For homeschoolers with kids just learning to read, I'd strongly recommend this program.
I'd also recommend keeping in mind kids learn to read at different ages, so keep it fun, let them progress at their own pace, and they'll 'get' it.

The only addition I'd add to this Language Arts program is some good books read ALOUD to the child, separate from reading "classes". Reading aloud to my kids did wonders as far as getting them interested in reading (if you are not a read aloud person, books on tape are good too).

Eventually the phonics lessons, and love of books they learn from the read-alouds, will click together (PLEASE don't read aloud and then give them tests and worksheets! Nothing worse to kill a love of books... just ... read. For fun).

... to be continued....

Pits for Peace

My youngest son dug a pit in the backyard. A big pit. If he stands in it just his head sticks out, and he's tall for his age.

He and his older sister (my youngest girl) fight like cats and dogs.

I just looked out the window. They are happily working together in the back yard, deepening the pit.

No fights, no arguments, just digging. That's good!

I just have to make sure both come back IN again.

Winter Burnout

It's coming early this year! Normally February is my 'down time' when I'm in desparate need of a curriculum fair, when I contemplate flagging down the yellow bus and throwing them on.

But it's only November and I'm having trouble focusing. Any suggestions?
(Other than a nice bath and a hot cuppa tea.... actually, that sounds good... I think I'll at least get the tea now!)

Funny, it was easier when I had LOADS of kids at home. My little guy is nine... my eldest ones are in college and my others are teens, and relatively self sufficient. I almost feel like I'm homeschooling an only child. Which is more difficult than homeschooling a batch of battling siblings.

Perhaps we'll have a side of Poetry with the tea. Poetry is great for focus.

Homeschooling: things I've learned part 3

Below I spoke of trying to find a balance between the duplication of the classroom at home (aka School-in-a-box or full service loads o' texts curriculum), and the learn-from-life-around-you "unschooling" style of homeschooling.

I've found both work, blended.

For the younger children, we needed some formal education, in reading, writing, phonics, and math. That was it. Keeping it simple was the key.

AND blending it all in with what the child was interested in, being alert for those "teachable moments", and leaving lots of time to learn from life itself. If we held off learning from the world around us, because the lesson planner said we had to do page 57 of the History Book, it was a mistake. The child was unlikely to remember what was in the history book, and the lesson they'd remember- perhaps the hummingbirds in the backyard, or measuring ingredients for cookies, was lost.

But those reading and math lessons are important! So what, after years of homeschooling, do I find works?

A bit of time, maybe on the porch in good weather, or in the yard, or around the kitchen table, with the reader, phonics book, or math book (Some children need to avoid distractions, so a regular desk just for school probably is helpful in that case)... Just as much time as was needed to cover a simple lesson for the day, and making sure that time was provided each day (at least as a norm)... But also making sure the time was not excessive. Keep it Simple, keep at it, and don't do too much.

Then read: good books, good poetry that is fun and age appropriate. And take walks. And visit museums. And play with Legos. And dig in mud and collect worms and don't be afraid to get dirty. Talk talk talk with each other. Be alert for the teachable moments. Don't leave your child to be raised by the TV ... be there, be a part of it, model learning yourself, look things up together if someone Wonders.

Blending those two things... a dash of formal education, in limited but consistent amounts, and lots of exploration of truth and beauty... and you've got it.

Homeschooling: Things I've learned part 2

Balance.

That's a biggie when homeschooling. And in life in general, I'd guess!

I began homeschooling by trying to reproduce school at home. I drove myself nuts, and the kids didn't "progress" as far as "we were supposed to" (that is, we got only halfway through the assigned year).

I lived in a state that required homeschool evaluations each year, and our evaluator- a public school teacher who homeschooled his own children- said while there was nothing wrong with the canned curriculum, there were other ways do to this. He encouraged me to venture away from the Lesson Plan Book.

Moderation not being my strong suit, I did.

I went to a curriculum fair... a huge one... and my brain exploded. I think I probably have multiple personalities anyway, and putting someone like me in a room full of ALL THESE KEWL THINGS just caused me to shatter from about three personalities to 132.

It was fun, though!

But we swung too far in the "cool stuff" direction... I lost the idea of Keep It Simple. Actually, I didn't have that my first year, either, with the BIG LESSON PLAN BOOK with Way Too Much in it.

I followed up with a move to the very simple side... virtual unschooling. Also very good, and it was productive for my one child... BUT... after all these years and quite a few 'mistakes' which my children all successfully survived...

I have found that Balance, Simplicity, and a Joy in God's Creation is what "works".

more specifics in the next post... assuming this personality is still in control... :)

Homeschooling - things I've learned, part 1

I have no idea how many "parts" this will have. I just know that after years of homeschooling, and some kids "done" and in college, and some still at home... I'm starting to get the hang of this.

I've gone from canned curriculum to no curriculum to workbooks to unschooling. Sort of the "Sybil" method of homeschooling (and if you get that reference, you're old, like me).

What have I learned? I've learned there are aspects to all those "styles" that are good. I've learned that a total focus on any one is not the best thing (though if I had to err, it would be in the 'unschooling' direction).

Last weekend, my little guy (the last remaining little guy I have! The others are teens or adults now) was looking in a lake. He hung over the edge, hanging onto a branch, looking at the life in the water. He speculated. He thought. He learned.

He didn't know he was "doing school." But he was. And he'll remember that longer than he'll remember chapter 10 of a wordy science book.

more later...

Book Fair!

Last weekend I found myself wandering around a book fair on the streets of a small artsy town nearby.

The town was interesting... I used the term "bohemian" when describing it to my husband. He said no... this town was "redeveloped" and planned as a "bohemian" town, and therefore it was not. "You can't plan bohemian" he said.

I guess he has a point.

I did find some cool books though.

An illustrator/children's author I like, Dar Hosta, was there. You can see some of her stuff HERE I love her use of color. Plus I've always been partial to those metallic gold and silver pens, since about sixth grade when they were all the rage. :)

I also found some interesting ABC books... homeschoolers are always on the prowl for books that cover more than one subject... boy that sounds formal... "cover more than one subject" ... how can I reprhase? Books about lots of cool stuff?

Well, whatever. I picked up Marcie Aboff's "Guatemala ABCs" The author has a series of ABC books telling about different lands. I flipped open this one to see if they got the Catholic Culture correct- and they did. For example, "D is for Day of the Dead." And they are pretty accurate (but quite simple) in telling about it. "H is for Holy Week" too! It's not a Catholic book... they touch on some Mayan folk lore/mythology.. which is fine by me but I know any hint of folklore or mythology gives some people the vapors.

Did you know the Guatemalan National Bird is the QUETZAL? I do now. And now I have something other than "Queen" and "Quilt" to use for the letter Q when doing alphabet cards.

Which brings me to the second most important letter in an alphabet book.

X

I always liked the Richard Scarry ABC book because he didn't use XRAY for X. (you'll have to pick up his book if you want to know what he used. Hint: It's Aquatic). The Guatemala ABC book has Xelaju.

What's that?

Buy the book and find out! :)

I did say X was the second most important letter. The first, is quite obviously "C".

"C is for Coffee"


The books are put out by picturewindowbooks and also have ABC books for Australia, Canada (eh?), China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Israel,
Italy,
Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States. I didn't check the other books so I can't speak for their content, but I plan to learn more about them. My youngest is past the learning ABC stage, but he read the Guatemala ABC book simply because it was interesting.

publisher web site here

Discovering the Greek Myths

A few weeks ago my little guy used the term "Greek Myth" to mean something made up. I had picked up a copy of D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths , and we cracked it open yesterday for a read aloud. He did not want me to stop. He LOVES the myths. He thought Argus was pretty cool, what with all those eyes.
Monsters and weird looking creatures are ALWAYS cool.

He's writing his own 'myth' now. It started to explain how caterpillars got little bitty legs, and now involves a whole complex cast of characters, only one of whom has realized the "gods" are not real. He eventually becomes a priest (of the one True God, whom he realizes must exist).

So we're wandering out of "myth" territory, but that's where his story went...

Are Skeleton Keys Real, Mom?

Today my youngest child asked me if skeleton keys were real. I told him yes, and explained what they were and that we had a couple in our old (very old) house.

He was quite impressed, and said he hadn't realized such keys truly existed. "I thought they were Greek myths" he said.

He has an older brother in his twenties. When that child was young, I'd have corrected such a comment, explaining what Greek Myths were and how he'd used the wrong term. I'd have given him more correct alternatives. I'd have launched into a retelling of at least three actual Greek Myths. I'd have gone on and on about it, long after the child had tuned me out and was probably thinking about how to defeat King Koopa in Mario II.

How do our eldest children survive us? I think the oldest children are "practice kids".

I knew, today, that by "Greek Myth" my youngest son just meant something that wasn't real, but was pretty darn cool to think about. I understood him, and didn't need to "correct". Instead, I could listen and maybe really hear.