Classical Method in the Bush???

[missionarymom]

My husband and I are planning on being missionaries in a very primitive setting. We would be living much like the people, and would only have email access (no internet). Obviously there will be no local libraries :)

 

I would very much like to do the classical method with my children, but am wondering if I'm being too idealistic since we won't have access to a library or articles/research online.

 

I'd like to hear from experienced classical homeschool moms to see if you think:

 

1: It's do-able

2: Tips on how I could make it work

 

Thanks so much!

[SonshineLearner]

Wow... Very Cool! I think you could do it. I have no idea where you think you'll be.... I would stock up on what you are allowed to carry in... And just think of the learning experiences that you'll have!

How old are your children? How will you have email access without internet? Will you have a printer? What area are you thinking of living? Answer these things and you might get even more answers :)

:)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I would consider the Robinson curriculum http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/?gclid=CMWNn_y9naECFRk7gwodAlsyxQ

[Remudamom]

One of my son's college classmates was raised somewhere in Africa, I think. Her mom wrote a book, "At the Edge of the Village" about their experience. I loved it, maybe it'll help you?

[abbeyej]

How old are the children? Would you be doing this throughout their school careers?

 

How frequently (once a year? more? less?) would you be able to order and obtain books? How much space would you have for transporting and storing books?

 

I think you can absolutely provide a classical education without internet or a library. In some ways perhaps more easily than with other distractions of modern life. But it might well look a bit different than it would in other parts of the world, and you might have to set certain priorities that you wouldn't if your access to books and materials easier...

[Susan in KY]

My dh and I are former missionaries, and I send homeschooling materials to friends who live and school in the bush in Mozambique. There are some things that work and somethings that don't. You can feel free to pm me if you need more info. It would help a great deal to know how old your children are.

 

I assume you'll have a generator, or at least solar power to charge a laptop. My friends have an internet connection every three months when they go to the nearest city for supplies (an 8 hour drive). In the meantime, they have all they need to do school. It IS doable. You have to be flexible. You have to plan ahead. Above all, you MUST have a contact here in the States who can get your curriculum to you. You really need someone who will shoulder that for you and do so knowledgeably.

 

Do you have a little time to homeschool here before you go? With what organization are you going? All these things will make a big difference in how successful you will be.

 

My friend uses Sonlight for history and science. She didn't care for language arts Sonlight provides. She is using LLATL for language arts, and I sent her an art program and music, among many other things. I highly recommend that you find a program you like and then stick with it. Don't try to cobble things together from overseas. Expect to have fits of liking something and then disliking it and wanting to change programs. Do the legwork here before you go, get a few used things, test them, and see what you think.

 

You need to think of school as a series of stages. You'll need one program for the littles and learning to read and figure. I would get a ton of books, and a compact learn-to-read program, along with Right Start math. Figure this will take you through first grade. Let science be the things you discover in the great outdoors for those first years.

 

For 2nd-5th grades, get something like Sonlight, especially one that comes with a lot of books. Invest in books as much as possible. Your kids will be dying for reading material, believe me. No matter how much you get, they will read it all and want more. I sent 8 or 10 mailbags filled with books, and my friend's children have devoured them all. Get kit science, like sonlight, because you won't be able to go down to the store for straws or styrofoam plates. This is critical. You really don't want to be in the middle of nowhere and not have the critical element in the experiment! Talk about frustrating!

 

Regarding my friend's LLATL choice, I think that MCT LA would have been a better choice for her, but I didn't know about that then. Emma Serl is perfect because you just have the text book and no student books. Student books add a bunch of weight that can be reserved for other books, so avoid them unless you *must*.

 

Transition to Singapore math for 2nd or third grade, it's more likely to jive with the math taught in local schools. I found math as taught in Mozambique and Singapore math to be comparable, and Singapore math is a great program. Again, it's a program with out a lot of fluff, and leaves room for other books.

 

Finally, consider purchasing a book reader such as SonyReader or Kindle and load books onto them before you go. Seriously, you can not have too many books. If you have an electronic library, you'll be glad you made that choice.

 

Oh! I almost forgot about MP3 players and Jim Hodges. You can get a ton of audio books from him and they fit in a small space because they are not audio cds but MP3 audio.

 

There will be plenty of opportunities for foreign language among the people you live, as well as local instruments, etc. I would seriously consider that as an alternative to carting along a keyboard and Rosetta stone, but that would work as well.

 

Hope that helps! :001_smile:

 

Susan

Edited April 23, 2010 by Susan in KY

[missionarymom]

Wow... Very Cool! I think you could do it. I have no idea where you think you'll be.... I would stock up on what you are allowed to carry in... And just think of the learning experiences that you'll have!

How old are your children? How will you have email access without internet? Will you have a printer? What area are you thinking of living? Answer these things and you might get even more answers :)

:)

 

My children are 3 yrs and 3 months. By the time we get to the field, my oldest will probably be 6 years. Currently, the government only allows certain groups to have internet freely, otherwise it's VERY expensive, so our group can only afford email via satellite (which also is very expensive). We are planning on serving in the oceanic region.

[missionarymom]

I would consider the Robinson curriculum http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/?gclid=CMWNn_y9naECFRk7gwodAlsyxQ

 

Thanks! I'll look into that!

[missionarymom]

One of my son's college classmates was raised somewhere in Africa, I think. Her mom wrote a book, "At the Edge of the Village" about their experience. I loved it, maybe it'll help you?

 

Thank you! I looked it up on Amazon. I've actually been looking for a resource like this for a long time!

[missionarymom]

How old are the children? Would you be doing this throughout their school careers?

 

How frequently (once a year? more? less?) would you be able to order and obtain books? How much space would you have for transporting and storing books?

 

I think you can absolutely provide a classical education without internet or a library. In some ways perhaps more easily than with other distractions of modern life. But it might well look a bit different than it would in other parts of the world, and you might have to set certain priorities that you wouldn't if your access to books and materials easier...

 

Yes, we would plan on doing this throughout their schooling career, coming to the US for a year furlough every four years (approximately).

 

We would be able to access and order books via the internet when going to town (which would probably be every 3-6 months). Books would need to be transported in by airplane. We wouldn't have much space in our living quarters, but books will be one thing that we'll TRY to make as much space for! :)

 

The one thing that makes me think I'm being too idealistic is that I also have to "live" in that setting which will be harder and more time-consuming than in the States - washing clothes by hand, gardening, no convenient foods, etc.

[SonshineLearner]

I would take a look at the Latin Centered Curriculum by Andrew Campbell, as it's simple and great in my opinion. It's what to do... I'd take 4 years of books at a time, and the Latin Centered Curriculum, a copy of The Well Trained Mind, and a copy of The Bluedorn's Teaching the Trivium. I would take The Well Trained Mind, because it's great on how to implement some ideas. For where you will be, I think book wise... Campbell's book would be good to use as a base... Since your kids will be young, I'd look at taking 1 or 2 sets of Beeswax crayons... because they last... forever!! I'd take the blocks, kinda chubby looking ones and "pencil" looking ones. http://www.oliebollen.com/detail.aspx?ID=9637&Code=MUR004&loc=related&cc=go something like these. And journals for your children to draw the nature around them. Be sure to purchase one or two sharpeners. (Our crayons have last 8 years with some pretty decent use.) And, while I like the simplicity of the Robinson's curriculum... and think you could gain lots of encouragement about keeping it "simple", I wouldn't think that'd be the best... just my opinion...

 

:)

[SonshineLearner]

Oops... yes.. if you'll have electricity... all the Jim Weiss cds you could... and The Story of the World cds and volumes 1-4 of the softcover...

 

:)

[missionarymom]

My dh and I are former missionaries, and I send homeschooling materials to friends who live and school in the bush in Mozambique. There are some things that work and somethings that don't. You can feel free to pm me if you need more info. It would help a great deal to know how old your children are.

Our two boys are 3 yrs and 3 months. The oldest will most likely be around 6 by the time we raise support and get there.

 

I assume you'll have a generator, or at least solar power to charge a laptop.

Yes, this is what we'll have.

 

My friends have an internet connection every three months when they go to the nearest city for supplies (an 8 hour drive).

This is most likely what we'll have available as well. Ours would be about an 8-10 hour drive to the nearest city, but we recently got an airstrip, so it's only a 15 minutes flight, but still expensive. I think we'll plan city visits every 3-6 months.

 

In the meantime, they have all they need to do school. It IS doable. You have to be flexible. You have to plan ahead. Above all, you MUST have a contact here in the States who can get your curriculum to you. You really need someone who will shoulder that for you and do so knowledgeably.

 

Do you have a little time to homeschool here before you go? With what organization are you going? All these things will make a big difference in how successful you will be.

Since my oldest one is too young, we really won't be doing much of anything before we go.

 

My friend uses Sonlight for history and science. She didn't care for language arts Sonlight provides. She is using LLATL for language arts, and I sent her an art program and music, among many other things. I highly recommend that you find a program you like and then stick with it. Don't try to cobble things together from overseas.

That's what I've been wondering! I kind of would like to find a program that doesn't have to be pieced together, but still offers an excellent education for the kids.

 

Expect to have fits of liking something and then disliking it and wanting to change programs. Do the legwork here before you go, get a few used things, test them, and see what you think.

Good advice! I'm going to be camping out in these forums.

 

You need to think of school as a series of stages. You'll need one program for the littles and learning to read and figure. I would get a ton of books, and a compact learn-to-read program, along with Right Start math. Figure this will take you through first grade. Let science be the things you discover in the great outdoors for those first years.

Wonderful!

 

For 2nd-5th grades, get something like Sonlight, especially one that comes with a lot of books. Invest in books as much as possible. Your kids will be dying for reading material, believe me. No matter how much you get, they will read it all and want more. I sent 8 or 10 mailbags filled with books, and my friend's children have devoured them all. Get kit science, like sonlight, because you won't be able to go down to the store for straws or styrofoam plates. This is critical. You really don't want to be in the middle of nowhere and not have the critical element in the experiment! Talk about frustrating!

Yeah, that's something to definitely remember! :)

 

Regarding my friend's LLATL choice, I think that MCT LA would have been a better choice for her, but I didn't know about that then. Emma Serl is perfect because you just have the text book and no student books. Student books add a bunch of weight that can be reserved for other books, so avoid them unless you *must*.

 

Transition to Singapore math for 2nd or third grade, it's more likely to jive with the math taught in local schools. I found math as taught in Mozambique and Singapore math to be comparable, and Singapore math is a great program. Again, it's a program with out a lot of fluff, and leaves room for other books.

 

Finally, consider purchasing a book reader such as SonyReader or Kindle and load books onto them before you go. Seriously, you can not have too many books. If you have an electronic library, you'll be glad you made that choice.

My husband mentioned this idea to me. Thanks for suggesting this as well.

 

Oh! I almost forgot about MP3 players and Jim Hodges. You can get a ton of audio books from him and they fit in a small space because they are not audio cds but MP3 audio.

 

There will be plenty of opportunities for foreign language among the people you live, as well as local instruments, etc. I would seriously consider that as an alternative to carting along a keyboard and Rosetta stone, but that would work as well.

I have NEVER thought of learning music from the people. Great idea! How fun :)

 

Hope that helps! :001_smile:

 

Susan

 

Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! You really gave me a lot to think about and some great resources! I'm so encouraged that I can most likely do it!

[mom2tbcnm]

Ooooh cool! My dh and I are also in the same "boat" (or canoe :)). I have been researching homeschool options especially options that are not electronic or library intensive. There are some, but not that many. My kids are older than yours, so I am looking at high school and junior hi mostly.

For my youngers I plan:

Spelling Power (1 book for all no computer needed)

R&S English(each need their own, but I already have 3-6 grade)

MUS (not completely convinced on this because we always use the dvd, I am not sure I can teach without it)

BJU reading (this isn't classical, but it works with my kids. It is 1 book and a workbook for all their reading, so easy to transport. I will suppliment some other classical reading in small paperbacks as well)

IEW (this is what we have been using for a while,so I will not need the dvd)

Story of the World (without the extras)

Apologia Science (or ABEKA if I can borrow a friend's)

Art and Music ?

My older will be using SMARR publishing for Humanities and upper level Apologia for science and I am still working on this one.

 

That's my plan. I will have friends send me things as needed. Almost everything requires no electricity or internet access, as we may not have easy access to either. I will be plugged into WTM whenever I can get on to the internet, so, my kids won't have time to use it;).

 

Which organization are you going with? We are New Tribes Missions folk.

Have a great day,

Katty

[Susan in KY]

Oops... yes.. if you'll have electricity... all the Jim Weiss cds you could... and The Story of the World cds and volumes 1-4 of the softcover...

 

:)

:iagree: :D

[Angel]

I have a dear friend in Africa. She is not as remote because she does have internet when it is working. However, there is no library. She chose to go with Tapestry of Grace, even though her younger two were 7 & 6 when they went. She spent six months before she left buying all the books she would need to school along with extras she wanted to have as enrichment. It was a huge chunk of money but she knew what she was going to need and made sure she took it all with her. Many of us went through our own bookshelves and sent books with her so the kids (and she) would have plenty to read both for school and for pleasure. She didn't school for the first 6 months because of language school and then the wait for their container (with the school books) to arrive. Then she set up a schedule for herself and the kids.

 

She can have books shipped to her but it's not always easy. She just recently bought a Kindle. It's her new best friend :) She doesn't have to wait to receive books. If you will have access to the internet every couple months, a Kindle might be a good investment because you could load up with new books for everyone every couple months if you can't rely on shipping.

 

I believe that being on the field is education in and of itself. Don't brush aside the rich education the kids will receive just by being immersed in another culture.

 

Good luck.

[Rosy]

Yes, we would plan on doing this throughout their schooling career, coming to the US for a year furlough every four years (approximately).

 

We would be able to access and order books via the internet when going to town (which would probably be every 3-6 months). Books would need to be transported in by airplane. We wouldn't have much space in our living quarters, but books will be one thing that we'll TRY to make as much space for! :)

 

The one thing that makes me think I'm being too idealistic is that I also have to "live" in that setting which will be harder and more time-consuming than in the States - washing clothes by hand, gardening, no convenient foods, etc.

 

I have a friend who is a missionary in the region you mentioned, they have "house helpers" come and help with some of the chores. She explained it all in a letter recently--she said it helps them save on groceries because being white drives up the price at the market, and the house helpers do a lot of the things we have machines for at home (laundry, dishwashing, etc.) and frees her up to help her husband and homeschool the kids...sounds like there are still plenty of chores to go around! Just a thought--not sure if that will be an option for you. But that person could also probably tutor your kids in language, etc.

[Barefoothomeschooler]

Hi, I am not in the bush but on an island with no Library system. We do have internet. I have used Sonlight over the years because they send all the books in one box! I did take 2 years off of Sonlight to "do it myself" and it took so much time and money in the long run I should have just stuck with Sonlight. I love TWTM guide and use their LA suggestions (FLL, WWE, Spelling workout, just started with Imitations in writing) but use Sonlight for History, Geography, Science and Literature. They might not follow the classical model of 4 year history cycles but you can't beat their books. Their international delivery is amazing! I do often think about doing the whole planning thing by myself, but my sweet husband reminds me of all the work I did for the 2 years took off from Sonlight. If I was in a different part of the world (ie not a 3rd world country) I would do things a little different. But I am not and Sonlight was created for people like US:D

[Susan in KY]

I'm so encouraged that I can most likely do it!

 

You can most assuredly do this! It's just going to take a lot of effort and preplanning. You also need to figure out from your mission what their expectations are of *you* while you are serving. You will find it a chore just to run the house, let alone be the teacher. To add to that load would be burdensome. So make clear before you go what expectations are.

 

You say your eldest will be about 6 when you go. That gives you a good bit of time. Your youngest will also be 3. So you need basic literacy materials as well as upper elementary stuff. Fortunately, you will be returning at age 10 for the elder, and you have a little flexibility there in that 10 years old is not too late to catch up any loose ends you missed at the earlier level. Go read the Bludorns, like someone else suggested. Their list of 10 things to do before age 10 is very liberating, and likely to empower you to do this.

 

There was a suggestion for My Father's World (MFW), and I agree that that is good in terms of the book lists if you can get them. HOWEVER, I use that curriculum myself. Having been in the bush, I think you would have to gather a lot of things to make the projects and whatnot work. That's so difficult and time consuming to do on the front end. Sonlight was developed *for* missionaries, so they have already done all that for you. On the other hand, if you have the time, by all means go for it.

 

Someone else suggested Tapestry of Grace. I have heard it is excellent and have been drawn to it myself. On the pro side, it's literature based, so loads of good books, like Sonlight. On the con side, it may be too old for your kids. Do a search on the k-8 boards and see what people say about it.

 

I would consider carefully the extras that MFW suggests. They're excellent choices, IMO. Spelling Power (already mentioned) is a great all-in-one package. There are other spelling programs that are more compact in that they can be downloaded to your computer—Spelling Wisdom is one Charlotte Masonesque example. Choosing between the two in the bush, I would go with the former on the "keep-it-as-simple-as-possible" principle. If you have ALL your stuff on laptop, something is bound to go haywire with it, and kablooey, there goes spelling. :tongue_smilie: Don't underestimate the difficulties you may have there. We know a man in Moz who is a Christian businessman. He sells frozen chickens and uses his business to help the locals get in on a piece of the action. Every time he makes a move to do something positive for the local population, it's as though he paints another big target on himself. In one week, all his freezer compressors blew up and then his neighbor's dam broke and his operation flooded. Whatever you can do to keep it simple will be one less thing that can be messed up. Back up everything!

 

MFW also suggests Emma Serl for language arts. Serl is perfect for a school situation in the bush. There are two volumes covering 4 years of language arts, and they're not large. When you come back on furlough, you can graduate to Michael Clay Thompson or IEW and something else, if you wish. Your 10 y/o won't be behind if s/he doesn't start formal grammar until 10. Serl is perfect up until that age, and easily implemented.

 

Honestly, at those ages, less is often more. If you have a ton of really great books and some hands-on science, and if you teach both your guys to read and cipher by the time you get home, you'll be doing great. Just taking in two cultures is going to give them a lot more than keeping them inside doing formal English grammar would. Also check out Ambleside Online. It's free, simple, low tech. You'll have to do the scheduling yourself and put together all your extras. A lot of work, yes, but if money is an issue, perhaps it's worth a second glance.

 

Don't know if this is helpful to you, but it's another pair of pennies at any rate.

Susan

[Angel]

 

Someone else suggested Tapestry of Grace. I have heard it is excellent and have been drawn to it myself. On the pro side, it's literature based, so loads of good books, like Sonlight. On the con side, it may be too old for your kids. Do a search on the k-8 boards and see what people say about it.

 

Just wanted to say that I didn't suggest Tapestry, I just said that my friend chose it:D I thought her kids were too young ;) But she liked the layout and how she could plan for all the books she would need. She could have done the planning with any of the curriculums SL, MFW, HOD, etc. I wouldn't use TOG with littles. She also had a chance to try it out BEFORE leaving the States.

 

I would want to make sure before I go that I do like the curriculum. My friend bought all three years she'd need before heading to Africa. But she was pleased with Tapestry. I had one year with Sonlight and hated it. I would not have liked to get to the field with three/four years of a curriculum that I hated.

 

Just a thought I had after watching my friend go through all of this. :grouphug:

[stripe]

One other thing about Ambleside is that they do make suggestions about, for example, collections that provide many books in one or in a shorter format. Also from a Charlotte Mason angle is Higher Up and Further In; the author lives in Turkey (I think) which is hardly the bush, but she does discuss some of the restrictions on having quite so much stuff easily available.

 

Having help around the house would be very helpful for some time consuming tasks such as washing clothes or getting the cooking fire started or other cooking preparations, and is also does help the person/people involved as it is a legitimate and respectable way for a person who may not have many other skills to make a living without turning to crime or immoral activities.

[Susan in KY]

One other thing about Ambleside is that they do make suggestions about, for example, collections that provide many books in one or in a shorter format. Also from a Charlotte Mason angle is Higher Up and Further In; the author lives in Turkey (I think) which is hardly the bush, but she does discuss some of the restrictions on having quite so much stuff easily available.

 

:iagree: That's exactly what I was thinking when I suggested it. She's back in the USA now and has been for a couple years, I think. She used Ambleside Online with her youngers and House of Education for grades 7-12 (which is also from Ambleside Online). At any rate, it's a great blog for seeing how AO is fleshed out, and from all appearances, she did a fantastic job. I bet if you wanted to give AO a shot and emailed her, she'd be happy to help you prepare for life in the bush. :001_smile:

[Caribbean Queen]

You can do it!

 

Here is what you might do. Let the children's clothes soak in soapy water while you go to the garden. Let your children help garden (which will probably turn into them just playing in dirt while you garden). Then have them wash their own clothes and put them on a low clothesline while you cook breakfast and prepare the children's snacks for later. If they do a bad job washing their clothes it won't be a big deal because their sweat doesn't stink. The soaking and the wind and sun will do a lot of cleaning for them. They can put your clothes to soak. Then everybody can bathe and eat breakfast. Then you can do lessons. Your kids will get dirty, get clean, and do meaningful work. They'll love it.

 

After lessons they can have play time while you wash clothes and cook. If they can get along and amuse themsleves things will be a whole lot easier for you. See if you can get away with cooking your biggest meal early and not cooking again for the day. Try to get all your work done early, perhaps, 4:00p.m. so you can have time to relax in the evenings, and get to bed early, if you feel tired.

 

Ambleside Online is a classical curriculum that doesn't require a boatload of books or cutsey crafts that require materials you won't have handy. It is inexpensive. It is classical. Teaching the Trivium's version of classical is another good option for you.

[lmrich]

Above all things a chalkboard/whiteboard with lot of chalk or markers. By the time you go, there will be more books available for the Kindle or Ipad; I am just thinking if you had the OPGTR on a device and then use the whiteboard. Same thing for a lot of math books. I still write my dd's math on a whiteboard for her to solve. Honestly, if WWE and FLL and STOW are available electronically you will be in great shape just using a whiteboard and paper. Really good teaching doesn't have to involve a lot of special materials.

 

Keep us updated with your plans.

[Caribbean Queen]

I wonder if this place has electricity every single day, all day long. Some places have a lot of power outages. Using a Kindle for school could be a dud. Where I live, we normally have power, but months can go by in which we may only have running water for 3 hours a day.

[LND1218]

I think that classical education is the perfect way to educate in a location such as this. Classical education was the method of educating before there was paper.

 

Leigh Bortins founder of CC always says a parent should be able to educate with a stick in the sand. Here is an article that I love.

 

You have received some great and practical advice. My only advice would be to keep it simple and choose your resources carefully. Very little of what we use at home is consumable - that really helps. We have some great books/references we use a lot.

 

The wonderful thing about classic books is they can be read over and over again. Choose some good ones to take with you.

 

I agree about chalk/white boards!

[missionarymom]

Wow! This is all so helpful!

 

I've actually been looking at TOG as a possibility.

 

During our first term on the field, I'll probably be going through 1-4 grade with our oldest, so that's mainly what I'll be researching and preparing for before we go. I'll be able to reassess and organize for grades 5-8 when we come to the US for our first year-long furlough.

 

So any suggestions for the 1-4 grades would be appreciated!

[vmsurbat]

We've been missionaries in eastern Europe for the past 14 years. In the beginning, we had no email and weren't allowed packages (the country was under UN sanctions). Thank God for Sonlight! At the time, M-bag (mailbag) was still available, and I was able to get tons of lovely books shipped free! So Sonlight has a warm place in my heart and frankly, I think they have the best selection of books for building up a library for preK-5th in a ready-to-go format.

 

Some thoughts since your children are still quite young:

 

1. Gather children's classics NOW, while you can find them used, in thrift shops, asked for presents, etc. If you want your children to have an "American" cultural heritage as well as a "missionary" heritage, you will want to invest in the "classics" that aren't going to make it into a curriculum: nursery rhymes, fairy tales, Mother Goose, folk tales, science tales, animal stories, and other just-for-fun reading like Madeline,Curious George and Amelia Bedelia. Good sources for finding this kind of material includes: Sonlight, FIAR, Ambleside Online, 1000 Good books (online).

 

2. You are right that everyday living WILL take much longer, even if you have household help. Even if you are not doing the laundry, you will be supervising. Also, I've found that I spent a lot of time with people coming to our door (and into the house!). Standards of time are quite different in most parts of the world and there is not the same sense of privacy, private time, sticking to a schedule, etc. I am always ready to have others sit down for a meal with us..... and am ready to offer a meal at any time of day....

 

3. Focus your efforts on for the 1st-4th grade years on:

 

1. Learning to read and write materials. Check out "one book" options like Alpha-Phonics (showing my years here--my eldest has graduated college), or Phonics Pathways.

 

2. Buy "reading fluency" materials. These are the fun books, library builders I mentioned above. I've known missionaries who did NOT invest in an English language library when their children were young and now regret it, because they have non-readers...in the sense that although they know the phonics and can read English, they are not fast and their ability to read jr-high level books (for example) is hindered by lack of speed and comprehension. The books they CAN read are below their interest level....

 

3. Buy All-in-one English materials: I personally liked Daily Grams 2 (used to be a pink book, not sure of exact title these days) which is an easy to use workbook for teaching grammar basics coupled with Primary Language Lessons and Intermediate Language Lessons.

 

4. Check out Math programs. I personally like Rod and Staff math--it is well-organized (important for the missionary Mom who may be interrupted as I was) and decently challenging. Manipulatives are easy to make (and easy to lose), so I never invested in a heavy-manipulative program....

 

5. ART supplies. Besides twistable crayons, construction paper, glue sticks, and stickers, I really, really appreciated Abeka's set of art books for the elementary set. They are easy to do, colorful, follow the rhythm of the school year (ie, Fall projects, Winter, Spring, Summer). Most of the activities are of the cut-n-paste type (which is a needed skill builder). Some projects require a bit "extra" to complete (pom-poms, for example), but nothing big and heavy and the list of extras is right at the beginning. Buy the books now, gather the extras on sale, and your home will be brightened with really cute projects. Note: I always bought the set prior to my kids age (ie. K book for 1st grader) because I wanted them to be able to do most everything all by themselves (less teacher help required!).

 

5. Lastly, I personally would NOT recommend TOG for your first mission term. Although an excellent program, it is very expensive and totally history-centered. Since you have many years to touch on history systematically and deeply, but only a few short years to help your children gain a very broad foundation (provided by the "library" building I strongly suggest), I think your time and money is better spent elsewhere.

 

HTH,

[Beth S]

My missionary brother is working with technology to provide remote access to seminary training in Africa. Cell Phone service is more readily available than Internet access, so they are building their curriculum on Smart Phone use.

 

I'm technologically impaired, but it seems that you could possibly plan to download helpful information (like the encyclopedia Britannica). IMO the Robinson curriculum was designed by a widowed father of many, to allow him to homeschool his children with little or no supervision. Most moms desire more interaction, but you may consider a "boxed" curriculum like BJU that comes on a hard drive.

 

Since your kids are small, I highly recommend Sonlight (or a modification thereof). If it's too pricey, you can slowly acquire wonderful children's books at used book sales & yard sales between now & the time you go.

 

However, sometimes shipping makes the cost prohibitive.

 

Online classes for older students could likely be in your future, with the materials either shipped or downloaded . . . and who knows? In 3 years Internet access (or satellite) will likely have expanded to such an extent that you will have more frequent access than you thought.

 

I'm so glad you are looking forward to serving in this way. Your children will have such rich life experiences, that I would not worry too much Junior High and beyond just yet!

[Susan in KY]

We've been missionaries in eastern Europe for the past 14 years. In the beginning, we had no email and weren't allowed packages (the country was under UN sanctions). Thank God for Sonlight! At the time, M-bag (mailbag) was still available, and I was able to get tons of lovely books shipped free! So Sonlight has a warm place in my heart and frankly, I think they have the best selection of books for building up a library for preK-5th in a ready-to-go format.

 

Some thoughts since your children are still quite young:

 

1. Gather children's classics NOW, while you can find them used, in thrift shops, asked for presents, etc. If you want your children to have an "American" cultural heritage as well as a "missionary" heritage, you will want to invest in the "classics" that aren't going to make it into a curriculum: nursery rhymes, fairy tales, Mother Goose, folk tales, science tales, animal stories, and other just-for-fun reading like Madeline,Curious George and Amelia Bedelia. Good sources for finding this kind of material includes: Sonlight, FIAR, Ambleside Online, 1000 Good books (online).

 

2. You are right that everyday living WILL take much longer, even if you have household help. Even if you are not doing the laundry, you will be supervising. Also, I've found that I spent a lot of time with people coming to our door (and into the house!). Standards of time are quite different in most parts of the world and there is not the same sense of privacy, private time, sticking to a schedule, etc. I am always ready to have others sit down for a meal with us..... and am ready to offer a meal at any time of day....

 

3. Focus your efforts on for the 1st-4th grade years on:

 

1. Learning to read and write materials. Check out "one book" options like Alpha-Phonics (showing my years here--my eldest has graduated college), or Phonics Pathways.

 

2. Buy "reading fluency" materials. These are the fun books, library builders I mentioned above. I've known missionaries who did NOT invest in an English language library when their children were young and now regret it, because they have non-readers...in the sense that although they know the phonics and can read English, they are not fast and their ability to read jr-high level books (for example) is hindered by lack of speed and comprehension. The books they CAN read are below their interest level....

 

3. Buy All-in-one English materials: I personally liked Daily Grams 2 (used to be a pink book, not sure of exact title these days) which is an easy to use workbook for teaching grammar basics coupled with Primary Language Lessons and Intermediate Language Lessons.

 

4. Check out Math programs. I personally like Rod and Staff math--it is well-organized (important for the missionary Mom who may be interrupted as I was) and decently challenging. Manipulatives are easy to make (and easy to lose), so I never invested in a heavy-manipulative program....

 

5. ART supplies. Besides twistable crayons, construction paper, glue sticks, and stickers, I really, really appreciated Abeka's set of art books for the elementary set. They are easy to do, colorful, follow the rhythm of the school year (ie, Fall projects, Winter, Spring, Summer). Most of the activities are of the cut-n-paste type (which is a needed skill builder). Some projects require a bit "extra" to complete (pom-poms, for example), but nothing big and heavy and the list of extras is right at the beginning. Buy the books now, gather the extras on sale, and your home will be brightened with really cute projects. Note: I always bought the set prior to my kids age (ie. K book for 1st grader) because I wanted them to be able to do most everything all by themselves (less teacher help required!).

 

5. Lastly, I personally would NOT recommend TOG for your first mission term. Although an excellent program, it is very expensive and totally history-centered. Since you have many years to touch on history systematically and deeply, but only a few short years to help your children gain a very broad foundation (provided by the "library" building I strongly suggest), I think your time and money is better spent elsewhere.

 

HTH,

 

There is a ton of very wise advice in your post!:001_smile:

[Sputterduck]

I'm in a little village in Mexico.

 

I do have internet access, but I don't use it for homeschooling.

 

It's doable. :) I think you'd probably be fine researching on furlough and ordering books then.

 

I don't have too many tips since I'm new at this missionary stuff. :)

[Hunter]

I'm bumping this thread, because I think it is interesting.

 

I'm surprised at the recommendations. Having lived overseas and in poverty I've faced some of the difficulties than missionaries do, and...I'm not getting these recommendations :-0 And most of them aren't as full out classical as I think the OP was looking for.

 

This thread has some things in common with the 3 generations thread. A couple months ago there was a high school thread about planning to homeschool overseas AND mobile, with less than 3 boxes of resources total. People like these threads. This one has a catchy title.

 

If YOU had 6 weeks to plan and pack, to provide a CLASSICAL education in the BUSH, what would you bring? What would be your priorities?

[Jean in Newcastle]

The OP asked this question over a year ago. I wonder if they've already gone. . .

[Hunter]

Searching through the threads I stumbled upon this, and thought it was an interesting TOPIC, despite whether the OP was still here or not. People like to SPECULATE on this type of thing, I have found.

 

When I bumped it, I thought it was at the curriculum board. I wouldn't have bumped it If I had noticed it was at the parents board. I don't post here except on the rarest of occasions. Maybe it is best ignored :-0

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm bumping this thread, because I think it is interesting.

 

I'm surprised at the recommendations. Having lived overseas and in poverty I've faced some of the difficulties than missionaries do, and...I'm not getting these recommendations :-0 And most of them aren't as full out classical as I think the OP was looking for.

 

This thread has some things in common with the 3 generations thread. A couple months ago there was a high school thread about planning to homeschool overseas AND mobile, with less than 3 boxes of resources total. People like these threads. This one has a catchy title.

 

If YOU had 6 weeks to plan and pack, to provide a CLASSICAL education in the BUSH, what would you bring? What would be your priorities?

 

Bible

Durant Story of Civilization Series

Bauer History of the World vol 1-2

Complete Shakespeare

Well Educated Mind

Books listed in WEM to read (ie, the classics of history, literature, poetry, and biography)

Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World

Daniel Boorstin The American Experience trilogy

A couple Stephen Ambrose books to cover more modern US history (Undaunted Courage, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, come to mind along with the book about the Transcontinental Railroad.)

Handbook of Nature Study would cover a lot of K-8 science

Math, probably Saxon for K-6 or 7 with AoPS beyond I would waiver between bringing manipulatives and just using what is available locally (ie, you can count rocks or seeds as much as teddy bear counters).

Ruth Beechick books on teaching children (ex. You Can Teach Your Child Successfully).

Well Trained Mind

Big art book like Janson's History of Art for Young People

Italic Handwriting teacher book, with maybe a couple of the student books or perhaps having the parent write samples for copying on a chalkboard or white board.

Fill out with classic children's lit that we would use as read alouds and readers (things like Heidi, Swiss Family Robinson, Swallows and Amazons, Homer Price, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Narnia). I have a children's lit treasury with nursery rhymes, fairy tales and classic stories. I would bring most of the volumes of that book.

SOTW vol 1-4

I have a book called LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical) that I would use as a basic for learning the local language for foreign language credit. I might take Henle or Wheelocks Latin books, teach myself and then the kids.

A good English dictionary

A science encyclopedia and a nature or animal encyclopedia

 

I think I could get most of this into 1-2 gorilla boxes. I might consider using Singapore Math instead of Saxon; however, I have most of the Saxon on my shelf.

If I still had space, I would start filling in with our favorite Landmark bios, American Heritage Junior Library books, or info rich science books.

 

My youngest can read now, so I didn't include learning to read books. I also have almost high schoolers, so my list might be heavy on the older end.

[Amira]

If YOU had 6 weeks to plan and pack, to provide a CLASSICAL education in the BUSH, what would you bring? What would be your priorities?

 

I also doubt that the OP is still looking for answers to this, but I think Hunter has an interesting question. We're not quite in the bush, but I can see it around the corner and I'm classically educating my children. I have one word for how we do it: ebooks. I scanned most of our library (it took more than 6 weeks, but not much) and our homeschooling supplies take up one suitcase. I do use the internet, but it's not fast or reliable so I don't depend on it- it's not a necessity for school (although we appreciate that we can download new ebooks because we all read a lot). I have decent electricity so I can charge our many ereaders. We can buy reasonable notebooks here and I have a supply of good pencils. We follow WTM quite closely and it's not difficult to do with a good ebook library.

 

In my mind, time is the most difficult hurdle to work around. It is significantly more time-consuming to maintain a household without running water and various appliaces. It is difficult to find the time to keep the family fed and the house and children and clothing fairly clean and to study new languages and to also have time to educate my children well.

Edited August 18, 2011 by Amira

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Not sure if the OP has left yet or not. Still, it's a great topic.

 

We're studying American colonization. I'm tempted to pose this question to the kids and see what they think we should pack for a move to a new colony or westward.

 

I also tried to answer assuming that we wouldn't have much access to internet/printer or computers. Not sure how reliable internet or electricity would be.

[Hunter]

I would bring grades 1-8 of Climbing to Good English because it teaches children to read the pronunciations in a dictionary, and teaches handwritten letters and compositions. I would also bring Understanding Writing because of it's emphasis on letter writing.

 

I would lug over quite a bit of my reference library. I think I would be generous in what I brought over, and then donate much of it when I left.

 

I'm assuming the numbers are similar now. I was taught as a child that Bermuda was the 3rd most densely populated country in the world. We had friends that lived on boats because housing on land was too expensive. They tucked an amazing amount of books into every nook and cranny of the boats. The children had no toys and very few clothes, but books were everywhere.

 

I know I would crowd a hut with books, if it came to that. I read a LOT more fiction when I am isolated, than when I have access to people and technology. So I would bring fiction. I'm not sure what list I would be using, to quickly place an order :-0 The above post about picking books from Western culture was thought provoking to me.

 

I'll be dwelling on this today as I go about my errands and chores.

[Hunter]

 

We're studying American colonization. I'm tempted to pose this question to the kids and see what they think we should pack for a move to a new colony or westward.

 

 

This deserves a thread of its own!!!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I think the biggest problem when homeschooling overseas isn't internet access or what curricula to choose--those issues are similar no matter where you live. The biggest problem is how to get the stuff to where you are. I think advance planning and budgeting are necessary as it may be both easiest and cheapest to buy materials ahead and ship them on the plane with your luggage. Yes, excess luggage fees are high but are often less expensive than international postage/shipping service. I think working in advance with your airline would be helpful. This technique can be useful when returning from vacations and home leave as well.

 

I also think loading an ereader in advance could be useful if you would be able to power it in your location.

[Colleen in NS]

Nothing to add here, but Hunter, I think you are one of my new favourite posters! You come up with some interesting things to talk about.

 

:lurk5:, and will check back after my vacation.

[SailorMom]

I'm guilty of not reading all the posts here (have to get off the computer soon)...

Have you thought about Nooks or Kindles? You can store a whole library of books on those things. Many classics are free.

Also - if you can get an external hard drive, whenever you have access to the internet, just download what you'll need for those 3-4 months. Many times I have been able to copy and past entire sites to a Word document to save...

People used to get wonderful educations with nothing but good books - I'm sure you can do a wonderful job.

[Hunter]

If you want your children to have an "American" cultural heritage as well as a "missionary" heritage, you will want to invest in the "classics" that aren't going to make it into a curriculum: nursery rhymes, fairy tales, Mother Goose, folk tales, science tales, animal stories, and other just-for-fun reading like Madeline,Curious George and Amelia Bedelia. Good sources for finding this kind of material includes: Sonlight, FIAR, Ambleside Online, 1000 Good books (online).

 

I thought this was interesting. Would it be a priority to you that your children remain "American" or "Western" or would it be okay with you if they assimilated into the bush culture?

 

When my mother carted me off to the USA, by grandmother was horrified by how quickly I degenerated into a Yankee. I was a constant source of embarrasment and confusion to her by the time I made it back to Bermuda.

 

I remember flopping on the couch one day and loudly saying, "I'm sweating!" My grandmother and her sister were speechless and breathless for a little while, and then my grandmother straightened and frostily said, "Horses sweat, gentlemen perspire and ladies glow!"

 

I blinked at her a few times, knowing she was VERY disappointed in me, but...this time, I rebelled and said to her, "No, it's very hot today and I am sweating not glowing."

 

So I'm curious. How much of your planning would entail trying to hold on to your culture? And what items would you choose in this area? A classical education is more about culture than rigor or college preperation. Are American and classical synonymous to you? Is one more important?

[Jean in Newcastle]

So I'm curious. How much of your planning would entail trying to hold on to your culture? And what items would you choose in this area? A classical education is more about culture than rigor or college preperation. Are American and classical synonymous to you? Is one more important?

 

Having grown up as a third-culture kid (someone raised in a culture other than my "native" culture), I wouldn't expect or want my children to retain their native culture in it's purity or to assimilate into the host culture but to have a unique blend of their own. Being a third-culture person is more about perspective, I think than anything else. I can see things from 3 perspectives - my native one, my host one and then my blended one at times. And it's learning to listen and learn from the perspective of other people that I meet even now because I'm very aware that my perspective isn't the only one out there.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by a classical education being more about culture than rigor or college preparation. I agree that it is more than rigor or college prep, but I'd say that is is more about how to learn and think. There is a cultural aspect to thinking and learning, of course. And a classical education is very Western in it's way of thinking because it bases it's approach on a Greek and Roman way of approaching knowledge. We see that most in subjects like formal logic, debate and even things like Geometry with it's proofs. But there is more to a culture than just how you approach knowledge and while American culture has traditionally been based on a Western model of thinking, there are many ways in which it has veered from classical culture.

[Hunter]

I've never seen Omnibus, and know I don't want to use it now, but I'd want to take a look at it before heading off to the bush. It might be just the thing to bring.

[AdamsFamily]

Wonderful! I lived in the SE Asia and Oceana area for two years, but my oldest was under 2 when we moved. Would there be other missionaries near you? Are you going with an organization? Some organizations have homeschool libraries (in localized areas) that you can borrow stuff from. Without having much space, I would look into some type of ereader and load it up with books. Search the internet now and copy whatever you can onto flashdrives or cds. Hopefully you will have an idea of your dc's learning styles before you go, so you will be able to tailor what you bring to meet his/her needs.

[AdamsFamily]

The one thing that makes me think I'm being too idealistic is that I also have to "live" in that setting which will be harder and more time-consuming than in the States - washing clothes by hand, gardening, no convenient foods, etc.

 

Your kids will help you more than the average kids in the US would help their parents at similar young ages. You can even turn household chores into lessons and review time. Or have the kids work on their lessons with you in the "laundry room" while you wash clothes - wherever that might be.

 

In other cultures, sometimes all you can expect to get done in a day is one task. An entire day can get eaten up just paying a water bill, or something else that would have taken you two minutes online in the US. Your kids will probably have to adjust to learning on the go - anywhere, anytime.