Is there any content you would insist on teaching to a 2nd grader?

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ok, here is the first of what I feel certain will be many questions about teaching my dd7, who is just starting her homeschool career as a 2nd grader this year.  I've homeschooled dd10 for 2 years now, but as with everything with these two, I feel that nothing I've learned with dd10 will prepare me, in any practical way, to work with dd7.  

 

She is a strong-willed, stubborn, yet incredibly sensitive small human.  She has strong opinions - mostly negative - about many things, her first word was literally "no", and she had terrible twos for a solid 2+ years.  Yet at the same time, she is very perceptive about other's emotions and her feelings are easily hurt.  She is one of those people who will not take life easy, or let life be easy, ever . . . 

 

My non-negotiables with her are the skill subjects:  we will do math, writing, and language arts every day.  She doesn't have to like it (she mostly doesn't), but she has to do it, just like I have to clean the bathroom and cook meals even when I don't feel like it (an analogy that I feel will get pretty worn out at our house the next few weeks!  ;) ) I've chosen things that are efficient and don't take a lot of time, no wasted effort, but she has to do them daily.

 

So this part is fine, I don't really have a question about that.  What I'm wondering about is the content areas - specifically lit, science, history, etc.  I had planned to do this whole cool world geography thing, where we read about different countries, found them on the map, read nonfiction & stories from the cultures, cook food, etc.  She's basically not interested in anything but the cooking part.  So, ok.  I can let that go.  We can cook meals from around the world and maybe soak up a little culture while we're at it.

 

I've asked her if there is anything she wants to study - and no big surprise, it's horses.  She's all  :001_tt1: about horses.  So, ok, we can read about horses.  But can we just read about them, or do I need to try and turn this into something more complicated and "educational?"

 

I'm also thinking of doing the SWB suggestion and taking her to the library each week and telling her she has to pick out nonfiction books she's interested in, and just reading those together.

 

Does this seem ok?  No specific science topics, no 4-year classical history sequence . . . just reading lots of great literature and reading from a book basket of nonfiction she picks out?  I know that some of you who I greatly admire generally do interest-led content studies in the elementary years, so I'm feeling kind of brave about this, but not sure if what I'm thinking is "how it's done".

 

Obviously, if she develops an abiding interest in something, we can follow it up! But am I ok just letting this be it for now?  

[alisoncooks]

I think it sounds fine...

 

She is a strong-willed, stubborn, yet incredibly sensitive small human.  She has strong opinions - mostly negative - about many things, her first word was literally "no", and she had terrible twos for a solid 2+ years.  Yet at the same time, she is very perceptive about other's emotions and her feelings are easily hurt.  She is one of those people who will not take life easy, or let life be easy, ever . . . 

 

You have ABSOLUTELY described my oldest (7 yo DD, 2nd grade).  Just ... wow.

 

Our non-negotiable subjects:   reading/spelling & math (daily)

 

We're trying to hit writing 2x a week (easing into it since she's still a very beginning reader with previous anti-pencil sentiments).  

 

Other than that, we're loosely doing a world geography year (focusing mostly on habitats & animals since DDs is animal-crazy).  We're watching the Magic School Bus dvds to round out our science topics.  Lots of non-fiction from the library, which she naturally does.  

 

Because *I* prefer fiction, we're also reading through some Caldecott winners, as well as a list of 25 picture books with accompanying art/craft projects (so 1-2 a week).

 

 

What you're doing sounds close to what I've got planned... so I hope it's okay! :D

[TracyP]

Yes, it sounds great! My 2nd grader will be doing interest led science - just reading and oral narrations done in a laid back conversational way. He will also be studying Ancients with his big sister, but that was by his choice. He overheard the word 'mummies' and wanted in. ;)

[kiwik]

If you really wanted to get more if you went into horses in a big way you could get a fair amount of history, biology, botany, nutrition and geography in without her noticing.

[crazyforlatin]

We sort of had that kind of 2nd grade year but with cats. I was fortunate to find a free elementary anatomy/physiology PDF about cats and borrowed every book that I could find featuring a cat as a main character and dozens of nonfiction books about wild cats, leopards, cheetahs, bobcats, snow leopards, etc.

 

As a rising third grader, we are now about to study dogs, because she loves the Disreputable Dog featured in the Old Kingdom series. I'm about to borrow many, many books.

 

I had these great plans for the last 2 years for science, but it doesn't matter because DD will inevitably latch on to an animal and want to study and read about it for weeks. It's the same with history - for several years now, we haven't truly left Ancient History. But I'm thinking that the Renaissance will change that this year.

 

I have insisted on a systematic study of math and Latin (and modern languages), but this year, I will add in more writing with CAP, IEW, and WWE3 because somehow 3rd grade just seems to be on a different level, perhaps? And mainly, I noticed that DD seems to tire less from writing.

 

I wish DD would get interested in horses. I want a reason to buy WP. I just have to find a book that features a lovable, but slightly rebellious, horse.

[EKS]

I would do lit every day and history and science on alternate days. By doing lit I mean you reading classic lit aloud to her.

[MrsH]

It's what I intend to do w/ ds7 next year, so fingers crossed!  I will offer read-aloud time for history (SOTW) since I'm pretty sure my girls will be happy to just sit and listen.  It won't be worth a big fight for me though, just an attempt in case he goes along w/ it. 

 

Similarly, we'll do reading, spelling, and math daily.  I intend to work towards doing some writing daily.  I want to have him do a daily notebook to do things like record the date and the weather, but am not sure whether it'll fly.  And lots of books. 

 

We are changing how we do screen time around here though.  Last year, he could earn it for completing his homework, and he could pick any age-appropriate show.  This year, I think we'll have only mom-chosen shows on during the week.  Think Magic Schoolbus, Liberty's Kids, Bill Nye, documentaries, etc.  I hope to get him wider exposure that way than he would if I just let him watch Littlest Petshop over and over and over.

[abba12]

When I was a child being homeschooled we didn't do any formal science or history until high school. Now, don't get me wrong, we certainly did it through reading and life experience, but it never felt like I 'did' it, but I didn't pick up a biology or ancient history book until about 8th grade. I think it prepared me because my experiences with science and history were positive, interesting, fun ones, and helped me to get into it when it came down to actually studying it formally. Now, that method isn't for everyone, but she is in second grade, it won't hurt to put off formal content studies this year, or even for the rest of elementary school in my opinion.

 

Lets look at horses. Get out some horse books, good, classic literature on the subject, and some equestrian science and horse history books. Let her go with it! Is she interested in wild horses? Maybe you can progress into other wild animal herds. Is she interested in competition horses? you can work a lot of history and science/biology into that. 

 

Also, have some general science and history books around. The magic school bus series is great (practically everything I know about outer space and the human body came from two of their books!) Do you do read alouds? Throw in some historical fiction.

 

Definitely work it in there, but don't stress about covering it formally if she refuses. She will learn more if she 'begins' learning about science at 13 with excitement and motivation, or at least a positive outlook, than if she learns it from 7 but hates it every time and associates it with boredom.

 

And finally, my sister was much like your daughter. Very negative, rebellious and opinionated but sensitive inside. She also adored horses and read everything horsey she could get her hands on, though she never really excelled at school in general and quit in 10th grade. At 15 she had the opportunity to volunteer at a local stable. That grew and grew until now, at 20 years old, she is working at a racing stable, trusted with some pretty high value horses, and on the way to getting her licence to drive in the trots (the races with the carriage at the back I think :D I was not a horse person!) - My point is, most kids will never do the sort of indepth study of horses my sister did in school, but she followed her interests and it has served her very well now. A child who hates history is never going to end up as a historian, but a child who loves plants may well end up as a biologist. We need to focus on their interests (while making sure they have some appropriate general knowledge of course)

[mommymonster]

I totally agree with kiwik. You could just go big with horses as your theme/cornerstone and give her a school year that tips your hat to her. Last year my son wanted to learn about the American Revolution (he was in first grade), so I just went big with it. We did the Revolution for a good hour a day for I think 12 weeks... DS7 is still re-watching Liberty's Kids). In any case, just have fun with it. Write down a ton of questions and each week answer one of them (you can prompt the questions, of course)...

 

When were horses first domesticated? 

How did horse domestication impact civilization?

How did horse domestication impact warfare? (because I have two boys and that is all they really care about!)

How did horses adapt to different areas in which they lived? 

What are horses' closest living relatives?

...

 

So much fun to be had! Good luck. 

[umsami]

For handwriting, check out the Draw Write Now books.  I'm sure one of them must deal with horses. :)  

 

Here's a bunch of horse related books for that age.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/709250-horse-books-authors-for-2nd-and-4th-grade-girls

 

 

[....]

I think your plan sounds great!  I had a 2nd grader last year and she basically did math, All About Spelling and we read through the Magic Tree House series.  We also planted a garden, read a gazillion books together, worked thru 4 animal dissections (it's what they wanted to do) and went on a ton of field trips (several zoos, a science museum, a WWII reenactment, a fort from the 1800s, etc).  She did some unit studies with the older kids.  We spent an entire month reading My Side of the Mountain and studying survival skills, first aid, weather and we went hiking.

 

You guys could even go horseback riding one weekend (if it wouldn't be too scary for her) or at least go visit some stables.

[8filltheheart]

I think doing it exactly the way you have described sounds great.  

[Soror]

Just go with it! Especially considering her resistance I think this year is a great time to try and let her find some passions and interests, or just follow the passion she already has. Last year when we went to the library I'd often tell ds (then 2nd) to go pick out some interesting science books. We'd watch documentaries after lunch time. We had discussions as topics and issues came up, we had field trips here and there, and we just lived life.

[MotherOfBoys]

If you really wanted to get more if you went into horses in a big way you could get a fair amount of history, biology, botany, nutrition and geography in without her noticing.

Totally agree! like see if you can sneak in the other animals in the same family: zebras, donkeys, rhinos, mammoths, etc.

 

You can also do cooking geography. take a picture of the food and stick it on a map. do memory work of the countries and capitals while cooking. discuss why they cook this way (usually because of what resources are available in their area)

 

What a great fun year!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Thanks for all the great ideas, and for the support! I'm feeling pretty good about this idea now.

 

So how our day kind of goes is that dd7 and I do math, first thing, then we do WWE.  Then I read to her from a literature book - we just finished The Trumpet of the Swan, now we're reading Hitty, and I have a stack of things for her to choose from next.  This is reading focused just for her, of high-interest, age-appropriate, classic-ish children's books.  Then she has a break while I work with her sister till lunchtime.  She is allowed 30 min. of screen time (she plays a horsey computer game, usually), then she can play or listen to audiobooks.  I have a ton of great audiobooks loaded on an ipod for her, she listens to things like Peter Pan, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Raggedy Anne stories, and Charlotte's Web.  So she's getting no dearth of literature exposure! We also do a read-aloud at bedtime, the three of us together, and this is usually something higher-level that interests both girls - we've been reading Joan Aiken's Wolves series recently.

 

Then after lunch, we do LOE, which covers phonics, spelling, & grammar, with copywork.  Then she reads aloud to me, I gave up on the classic reader, because she resisted that so much, and I just let her pick from her book-box of appropriately leveled readers and chapter books.  Then it's content reading time.  I've made 3 stacks on our floor, which a library visit will add to:  a Horses stack, a Science stack, and a World Stories stack.  I'll see how it goes, at first I'll just let her choose but eventually I might have her pick one from each stack, or rotate days, or something.  And we'll read it, and talk about it.  It sounds lovely.  

 

A late-afternoon favorite activity here, after dd10 is done with her work, is watching science videos - they love Bill Nye and anything else they can get from the library.  They've also watched all of Liberty's Kids.  I have to remember not to discount all the science and history she's learning from those videos & docos.

 

We have tons of horse books, one in particular that she got for her birthday is a beautiful DK horse book that she's been wanting me to read to her, so that's what we'll start with.  Dd10 is also obsessed with horses, and did WP's Equine Science last year, so we are overflowing with horse resources.  We'll start there and see where it rambles.  We have a close connection with a local stable, the owner is a major mentor for dd10, who has been able to trade work for riding lessons this summer (I can't currently afford riding lessons for either one of them).  Dd7 is too young for that now, but she does get to visit the stable frequently and she got a week of horse camp this summer as a birthday present from the grandparents.  I'm so grateful to have this resource so close by, I just hope at some point that our finances allow us to make more use of it.  But for now, it's good, it's exposure to horses in the real world.

 

Thanks, guys, I'm feeling more excited about this plan than I was about the other.  It's amazing how the passive (or not so passive) resistance of a small child can drain the joy out of your day.  I consider that nipped in the bud, for now, so thank you all for your comments!

 

[ajaabney]

I think it sounds fine.  That's great that she's got an interest in horses.  I would just be careful not to ruin it for her by trying too hard to make it educational.  You can always add in more things later, but it sounds like right now the most important thing is making this adjustment to homeschooling in the most positive way possible.  

[Carrousel]

I think your plan to insist on core and follow her lead for content sounds like a great approach. It is what we will do this year too. We are also doing a loose world geo with focus in animals and habitats. Would you be willing to share your picture book list? I'd love to see it of you wouldn't mind, as I'd love to incorporate something similar here!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Hah, I was just re-reading this thread of mine from the beginning of the year because it was also tagged with interest led and out of the box - see how consistent I am?  ;) and I thought it would be fun to share how our year has gone, which is pretty awesome!!  Morgan has finished MM 2 and is now working through BA 3A.  She really likes it.  She did the first 26 weeks or so of WWE, and then we switched to CAP W&R Fable, and we've done the first 6 lessons.  She loooooooooooooooooooves it!!  We're alternating LOE with spelling dictation using How to Teach Spelling, and this is working really well - variety is key for this child!  Those were my non-negotiables.  Oh, and for skills, she's started cursive and almost finished dance mat typing.

 

The big miss with her for language arts was Grammar Island - we did the first two chapters, but she found it really dull so we dropped it.  I do think we'll do Sentence Island next year, because if she doesn't like Mud I will have to disown her  :glare:  but I feel like I tried to introduce formal grammar too soon.  She has learned all her parts of speech and the parts of the sentence, I learned from 8FilltheHeart to teach that stuff using copywork, and that worked out much better for her.

 

As far as content subjects, we've been all over the place, and it's worked out.  We did some ancient history and she fell in love with ancient egypt, so we read every book in the library, got a mummy-making kit, egyptian god coloring books, and generally immersed ourselves there for awhile.  For science, she watched every episode of Magic Schoolbus and has read all the books, and has watched all of Bill Nye, Wild Kratts, and The Way Things Work.  We're working through Magic Schoolbus science kits now, which is fun.

 

The big excitement has been reading - she's totally taken off as an independent reader! She started out by reading The Cricket in Times Square and all its sequels, and she read all the Mrs. PIggle Wiggle books, and the Moomintroll books, and several of the Little House books, and now she's reading Harry Potter.  It's been so great to watch this develop! She has also listened to tons of classic stories - Treasure Island right now.  We also did lots of great read alouds, including the Children's Bible, Norse Myths, and lots of wonderful fantasy literature.

 

it's been a great year!   She loves homeschooling and for the most part has settled in without complaints. She's had fun with Brownies and gymnastics, and is excited to do horseback riding camp and theater camp this summer.  Despite all my fears, it's been fantastic!

 

 

[La Texican]

Ha! I got to the end before I realized it was an old thread. I was going to say I would totally get her to try some "how to draw horses" step by step stuff. And also that I just ordered "trumpet of the swan". I hope it's as good as the cartoon.