Are there any moms doing only basic subjects?

[brill123]

Hi all,

I want to know that are there any moms doing only LA and

Maths as their main subjects only due to any reasons...like sickness,infants or

Budget.....Uptill grade 5?

And doing Science and Geography only as supplement ...

[SonshineLearner]

Just curious, are the reasons "kids related" or "parent related"? I can totally see doing math and literature only with children through maybe 3rd-5th. BUT, if it's because of your time/health... there are many supplements that aren't expensive that would round out their education. Just a thought :)

[momma2three]

Honestly, that seems a little boring... the three Rs are the means to an end, IMO. The fun stuff is the history, geography, science experiments, art, music, etc.

 

I bet you do more of those things than you think you do. You don't need to buy an expensive curriculum package that comes with a ton of books that you'll only read once. The WTM recommends the Janice van Cleave books, but there are TONS of books of easy science experiments using household materials out there. I'm certain your local library has at least one. And history can be learned through library books, too. Art materials can be expensive, but you can do quite a lot with very little. Check out art books of different styles and time periods and talk about the pieces.

[CupOCoffee]

We are not doing that currently, but we have gone through cycles in the past where we have. During those times my kids did: Bible, math page or two, free reading from among Sonlight books (I have 5 Cores). Our reasons were health related. DH became very, very ill about 4 years ago and it took us 9 long months (some spent in utter despair on his part) to get a diagnosis --Crohn's disease. During those months, my kids learned more LIFE and holding on as a family than they ever could have from formal school time.

 

They may have done other things that I don't know about, like picking up a science or history book to "look" at. They survived. And we've gone through shorter cycles of doing bare minimum, and we/they are fine.

 

~coffee~

[shinyhappypeople]

Hi all,

I want to know that are there any moms doing only LA and

Maths as their main subjects only due to any reasons...like sickness,infants or

Budget.....Uptill grade 5?

And doing Science and Geography only as supplement ...

 

Me, for now. We're adding in more formal science and geography, but we've been 3Rs for most of the time we've homeschooled (3 years).

 

Having said that, we've done a lot of informal science and history (ie not mom-directed). But, in terms of "now it's time to learn about photosynthesis..." not so much.

[Amy Jo]

Have you looked at the Robinson curriculum? It is 1 math lesson, 1 writing assignment, and LOTS of independent reading each day.

 

Just sitting down to teach math & LA might be fine for some kids if there was a lot of varied reading from good, non-twaddle books. And severe limits on TV/computers, so that children had to find creative ways to entertain themselves. There are plenty of vintage/free books so I don't think budget should be a limiting factor. Have you seen the vintage book and free resource thread here?

 

I don't think it would work for my kids, and I think lack of money makes it MORE important that I plan things. I can't just leave science kits and elaborate building supplies for the kids to find and use.

 

You might have better luck asking on an unschooling forum than on the WTM, where daily grammar is the Holy Grail. :tongue_smilie:

[brill123]

My kids are doing Science, Social studies and arts of Time4learning

And Geography from online resources .I am supplementing

These subjects only.and planning on adding EM books only

Is it okay?

[Hunter]

Have you looked at the Robinson curriculum?

 

:iagree: Rosegate Harbour is a free Robinson spin off

Edited April 4, 2012 by Hunter

[brill123]

My kids are doing Science, Social studies and arts of Time4learning

And Geography from online resources .I am supplementing

These subjects only.and planning on adding EM books only

Is it okay?

how about my this plan?

[ezrabean2005]

nm

Edited April 4, 2012 by ezrabean2005

[Corraleno]

Hi all,

I want to know that are there any moms doing only LA and

Maths as their main subjects only due to any reasons...like sickness,infants or

Budget.....Uptill grade 5?

And doing Science and Geography only as supplement ...

We do math, Latin/Greek, and LA (mostly taught in context) in the mornings, and the rest is entirely interest-led. We actually do a ton of history & science, but there's no curriculum, no worksheets, no schedule. They follow their interests, aided and abetted by me, and we love it. They actually know a lot more science, history, and geography than their PS friends do.

 

Jackie

[...................]

When my ds was 3rg grade. We only did the 3Rs and everything else was unscheduled/relaxed/child-led.

 

It was actually pretty awesome how much my ds learned. He is an avid reader and I required one hour of reading every day. I bought special Science and Usborne books and checked out suitcases of library books.

 

It was great and I have no regrets. But I'm not sure it would work long-term , because he sort of saturated the areas of his interest. AND he picked up personal hobbies which now consume his time.

 

I'm also not sure it would work for middle school because IMO they should be covering certain things in preparation for high school.

 

But in grades 1-4, in a literature rich environment, with time and access to interesting non fiction, I think it can work.

[mhaddon]

We are doing only MUS and Reading/Phonics/copywork right now. Mostly due to me going insane, lol. We go to the library and borrow books and pull from the shelf and read a lot so we get other subjects. We also do a lot of nauture walks and just discussing and taking pictures of interesting things and looking them up. For science it is our garden we are planting and taking care of the greenhouse, mushroom hunting, fishing, incubating eggs. So while we aren't doing a curriculum we are doing science. I'm not sure if this is what you mean? It is so easy to fit science in everyday. Even daily cooking as a family.

 

You obviously have the internet (or library access?) so many things you can look up and do in just a few minutes :)

[brill123]

What is MUS?

[Alison in KY]

MUS is Math-U-See.

 

We stick to the basics for these early years. I have done history, science, and some arts for the younger years, but my priority is the basics. If I get nothing else done but basics then I'm totally okay with that. My kids do get the history and science through reading their books, without a formal curriculum. I typically have planned on doing subjects other than basics, but it hasn't always worked out.

 

Alison

[rafiki]

.

[lillehei]

I am critically and chronically ill, but I put most my strength into giving my kids a great education. I find everything online. I do tons of research. I have a laptop and medications to get me through. I have a great network of family and friends who help get the kids out of the house and to co-op, Awana, piano lessons, etc. We have quite a few playdates here. My kids are 9 and 11 so having their friends over isn't labor intensive for me. My kids have learned a lot about self-sufficiency and independence that I wasn't planning on, but their characters and hearts have grown through it all. I feel blessed. I am alive and still here. My kids study all the subjects that they studied in public school plus more. If you need some encouragement, pm me.

[laundrycrisis]

Our 3rd grader spends most of his time on language arts and math. Science and social studies are covered in a very efficient way, mostly with workbooks that give him another opportunity to practice his language arts skills while covering those subjects. I do this because he has had real struggles with the 3Rs and I think they are the most important thing for him to be working on.

[Punks in Ontario]

We spent a couple of years doing that with a bit of enrichment thrown in. We had a baby, a toddler and a very ill and time consuming teenager back then. We considered putting the olders into regular school, but decided that we were in this for the long haul. Things did get better and more rounded over time. While I wish we could have done more of the fun stuff, the guys are on track academically, and did learn alot of neat stuff on their own.

[brill123]

what is 3Rs?

[laundrycrisis]

what is 3Rs?

 

Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.

[brill123]

very cute abbreviation 3R's......:001_smile:

[MandJsMama]

I've done this and it's been intentional and not due to illness or anything like that (though I've been glad for it when we've gone through the moving process.) I want my kids to play, play, play!

 

I start out very basic. K we work on hand-writing and learning to read. That's it. For 1st, I add a little more. This year, my first grader worked on Singapore Math, Handwriting, Phonics, and I started WWE in January. We also focus a lot on practicing her reading. She also does MindBenders for fun. I would have started SOTW with her this year but my oldest is finishing up SOTW4 so we'll start again with 1 next year.

 

For 2nd grade, I add a bit more. We'll add spelling next year and maybe some grammar. But I might hold that off on that until 3rd.

 

My son is in 4th this year and he does EPGY Math and Language Arts, Singapore Math Intensive Practice, Winning With Writing, Soaring with Spelling, U.S. Geography, SOTW4 (we listen to it on CD along with LOTS of supplemental reading). We also have Building Thinking Skills 2 on CD, Word Roots, Editor in Chief, Mind Benders and Balance Benders. He does these when he wants to.

 

Next year, he will do a formal science program (Exploration Education Advanced) and Latin for the first time, but this was due to his request.

 

They both take piano once a week and are on swim team. They take a monthly science class at our local nature center but I don't think they learn anything from it.

 

Having said this, I think my children are extremely well educated in the sciences. I would consider them to be unschooled in the sciences and I also consider us to have a strong STEM focus. In the past, I have looked at science programs and have found them to be very simple and way below his level. As I look again for my daughter, I see the same. We have a house full of books and my son reads 1000 pages a week, on average. He reads a combination of history books (World War 1 is his focus right now), science books (currently interested in astrophysics and electronics), and literature and poetry. This is his choice. My daughter is not as interested in reading and is much more hands-on in her learning. She loves doing experiments and creating things.

 

I do not want my kids to be burned out on academics by the time they are in high school. I want to keep the love of learning alive in their hearts. I want them to have a lot of time to play and explore their own interests (my son built an AM radio today) and I try to fill my home with opportunities for this. And, we visit the library A LOT!

 

I hope that gives you an idea of what it looks like to just focus on the basics.

[BlueTaelon]

I only push the 3Rs the first couple years, 5th is the 1st year I have added Science, History and Art. Next year we will add Latin.

[AuntPol]

We do math, Latin/Greek, and LA (mostly taught in context) in the mornings, and the rest is entirely interest-led. We actually do a ton of history & science, but there's no curriculum, no worksheets, no schedule. They follow their interests, aided and abetted by me, and we love it. They actually know a lot more science, history, and geography than their PS friends do.

 

Jackie

 

 

This is pretty much what we do too (inspired by Jackie no less). Mine also chose their math curriculum and chose their foreign language. Reading and writing is interest based w/grammar, spelling, vocabulary thrown in as needed.

[SnMomof7]

YES. We aren't right now - we're actually in gearing back up into content subjects mode, BUT we have had to scale back drastically in the past due to PPD, new babies, moves, etc. It really is okay if geography/science/history don't get done if you get the basics covered, encouraging independent reading, and do read alouds IMO - even if they are unstructured. My children are of course happier when we have a full plate including content subjects, but there have been periods when it just wasn't happening.

[Hunter]

Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.

 

Sometimes you will see 4R. Some people add research, reason and/or religion.

 

I think 4R including religion is the original term.

[laundrycrisis]

Sometimes you will see 4R. Some people add research, reason and/or religion.

 

I think 4R including religion is the original term.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_three_Rs

[brill123]

YES. We aren't right now - we're actually in gearing back up into content subjects mode, BUT we have had to scale back drastically in the past due to PPD, new babies, moves, etc. It really is okay if geography/science/history don't get done if you get the basics covered, encouraging independent reading, and do read alouds IMO - even if they are unstructured. My children are of course happier when we have a full plate including content subjects, but there have been periods when it just wasn't happening.

 

 

Jennifer Bogart,

Are you doing only 3R's?

if you started formal geography/science/history then in which grade?

Waiting for your inputs....

[SnMomof7]

Jennifer Bogart,

Are you doing only 3R's?

if you started formal geography/science/history then in which grade?

Waiting for your inputs....

 

The times we've done the Rs only have been sort of cyclical and dependent upon our family situation.

 

Right now we're actually using content subjects (history, geography, still working on adding science back in). But I can tell you it's been very hit and miss over the past 3 years those content subjects! They've rarely been done, not due to intent, but due to circumstances (babies, moves, PPD etc.)

 

We actually have had days where if we got Bible done it was a success. :lol:

 

The most important thing for children to have is a foundation in the basics, and parents to interact with. A loving responsive parent can provide more support and guidance in general knowledge subjects than most ps children receive at school.

[brill123]

Thanx Jennifer,

I will surely see my life circumstances and then decide on formal studies of Science/Geography.but will maintain 4R's surely.........

[momsuz123]

Jumping in late here, but most definitely, we focus on the three R's, and sneak in the rest when we can. Science is done on weekends. SOTW works best as a bedtime story (I just need to be better at getting back to the AG of SOTW the next day). I do a ton of games at our house. My middle child had a really bad ps experience, and just hated any school. So, with playing a lot of "school games" - that has really helped. I count some of the games as the 3 R's. Awana helps get in religion, although, I would like to do more. My kids are in a Christian theater class every week, so I count that as school too. :tongue_smilie: Hope this helps some. In my blog I list all of the curriculum we use, but in no way am I able to do it all right now. I would love to, but with a very busy 3 y/o, vision therapy, and a child I am working with LiPS on, I just can't get to it all. I realized I was going to go crazy. The sooner I accepted the fact I just couldn't do it all, and had to focus more on the 3 R's, the better teacher I became (I think).

[SnMomof7]

I just wanted to add that I've been reading through Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson and I JUST read the part where he talks about what he considers non-essentials and essentials. It definitely doesn't line up with the 'classical ideal' but I think it's very realistic for many many families. Basically, his thoughts are - reading and writing, basic math, Bible. We are getting a *bit* more than that in, but it is important to stay grounded and real. If you can get the basics in your kids will be okay - it really is best to get those nailed before adding anything else into the mix :).

[Soror]

We do math, Latin/Greek, and LA (mostly taught in context) in the mornings, and the rest is entirely interest-led. We actually do a ton of history & science, but there's no curriculum, no worksheets, no schedule. They follow their interests, aided and abetted by me, and we love it. They actually know a lot more science, history, and geography than their PS friends do.

 

Jackie

 

Ditto. I don't consider it deficient either, just different. Lots and lots of good books and lots of play and exploring.

[brill123]

Thanx for your all positive suggestions!!!:001_smile:

[Ann@thebeach]

I would say we only do the basics on a daily basis. We do history and science informally, not as a specific program/curriculum. It's more interest driven and usually a few experiments and living books.

 

Now that my son is 7th grade he's doing more specific science and history readings but not a "program" per se. He's reading Science Explorer books for science and the Hakim series for history.

 

We don't do music, latin, foreign language, health, or art as a "formal subject."

 

We belong to a homeschool program that does 4 week classes throughout the year and the kids will take art or science in this way such as watercolor or frog dissection.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Not quite as bare bones as that but yes we have stripped away a lot of the extras. We do math, writing, spelling daily. We also do some logic puzzles, and History at least once a week. That's about it. Everything else is enrichment co-op or "un-schooled".