If you had a clean slate to begin homeschooling a 6 year old

[AnointedHsMom]

tell me what you would do differently than you have done in the past. I've got a 6 year old son that I've been homeschooling already but his older brother has been in the mix. Older son will be attending a cottage school so I'll be back to just one fresh new brain to teach.

 

He's learning to read (and quite well if I do say so myself) with Reading Eggs. I've also been using ACE's Word Building paces to reinforce what he's been learning in Reading Eggs as ACE's Word Building paces are phonics and handwriting. He's also been doing ACE math and practicing his math facts on MathRider. That's all we've been doing. His handwriting could improve but honestly what 6 year really couldn't improve their handwriting?

 

He told me yesterday, in a completely non threatening conversation, that he didn't like his pace workbooks. He does them without much complaint though. He said he likes Reading Eggs and wants to do that but he doesn't like the paces. I'm thinking that there are so many ways to teach this little guy the necessary subjects for his age that I don't want him going into doing his school work each day with dread for the workbooks. So I can basically start over right now and change up everything. I'll have 4 days a week alone with this little guy and I have so many hopes and dreams for what I want for our homeschooling and learning.

 

He loves to be read to. He loves working on the computer. He's strong in math. He needs to work on handwriting but he's still doing very well for his age. He loves to create things - anything - he will take paper and make anything he wants to- helmets, his own laptop, swords. He's very creative and asks tons of questions. He's a perfectionist and can get mad when he doesn't do things right the very first time. He's getting better with that as I talk to him about it.

 

I swear I'm thinking of using HOD Beyond with him next year for 2nd grade and forking over for Right Start math, going back to AAS for spelling since we now have an iPad and we can do the tiles on our iPad, and read, read, read, then go outside and play, draw, examine nature, do science experiments, etc, etc etc.

 

If you were me, and you could completely start over with a young child, what would you do and why? I'm open to any ideas. I'm tired of feeling like I've got to follow some kind of unspoken expected path to educate my kids. I want to do things differently that I did with the older one. I want homeschooling to be organic and just part of our natural days. Can I do it or have I been so indoctrinated into today's society and mind set about education that I'll always feel like I'm failing if I do it? I need veterans wisdom right now.

[cjgrubbs]

We love Righstart math around here. It is teacher intensive which is hard when you've got several to teach but with only 1 I'd definetly do it! It has great resale value, too!

If I only had 1 I would do a more CM approach in the young years - My Father's World type of education. Nature study, games, etc.

[AK_Mom4]

 

I swear I'm thinking of using HOD Beyond with him next year for 2nd grade and forking over for Right Start math, going back to AAS for spelling since we now have an iPad and we can do the tiles on our iPad, and read, read, read, then go outside and play, draw, examine nature, do science experiments, etc, etc etc.

 

 

 

I did the complete "do-over" when I started homeschooling DD(now11). I had been hsing her next older brother, but he had started at home with 5th grade. Paces would probably not have been popular here either.

 

If HOD, Right Start, and AAS are going to work for you, then I think those sound great. For DD, I never used a set curriculum for science until 4th grade, and even then we mostly just used it for the experiments. We read books, visited the zoo and museum, and went on nature walks. We even grew plants and butterflies. It was very very fun! For history, we did History Odyssey, which is all reading books and crafty projects.

 

If I had it all to do over again, I would definitely spend out time doing the hands-on learning while the child is younger. DD11 still remembers the things she learned back then with great fondness.

[raceNzanesmom]

HOD, MUS, AAS/AAR. :thumbup1:

[Susie in CA]

I have two boys in 7th and 8th grade. There are some things I would do differently and some I would do the same.

 

Things we did and I would do again:

 

Learn to read using the Ordinary Teaching Guide by Susan. We used this at our own pace. It took us until 4th grade to finish with the older son. Younger son was finished in 3rd grade. The boys did not love this, however, we only took about 10 min a day and stopped where ever we were at that the time. It was the most painless thing to do. We added nothing in addition to it; no extra practice, no workbook, no reading aloud to me. Nothing. They both read really well now.

 

Story of the World. We started using this when they were in 1st and 2nd grade. We read through this at our own pace. We talked about what we read while doing the projects. Of course, I did the reading, they colored. We did tons of projects especialliy when they involved clay or food. We also incorporated a lot of playmobil and legos in our history studies.

 

Science. Was pretty much interest driven. We did go with the WTM's division of Biology, Earth and Space, Chemistry Physics. We did tons of experiments and activities. We had a lot of fun. Both of the boys were of the charts on the state tests in 5th grade. We did nothing special at all. We just played science and visited tons of places in the community.

 

Literature. We followed more or less the literature suggestions in TWTM and this worked really well. I read most of the books out loud to them while they played with Legos. Over time we did more narrations which they did eventually write down. I did not stress over this at all. This was fun and easy.

 

What I would do differently:

 

Math. I would not use a curriculum at all until 4th (maybe even 5th) grade. I would loosley focus on certain areas in different years i.e. addition year one, subtraction year 2 etc. Most of early math can be learned in a much more fun and engaging way. I think that I was too insecure and actually made the boys dislike math. Most of the programs out there are so boring. My kids never liked workbooks anyway. Math was always drudgery; and still is.

 

Handwriting. I would teach cursive only. They learn print anyway. Doing print first and then cursive just doesn't work at all. That was a complete waste of time; although the kids didn't seem to mind doing that.

 

German. I speak German. I should have spoken to them in German and didn't do it. So they have had to study it. It would have been much easier had I just used the language all the time.

 

Hope this helps.

[julikins]

I've been thinking about this exact thing. Now that my oldest is 11, I can see the areas that I wish I had been much more guided in her education, but I lacked the experience to know what worked with my teaching style and really what I believed in, my philosophy of education, etc. I have a 10 month old as well, so I keep thinking, what do I wish I could do with my youngest that I wish my oldest had been able to experience.

 

With experience now, after reading WTM and just having time to process it, I think the first four years (grades 1-4) I want to be more exploration and exposure, develop a love for the subjects and help them know what is out there. So first, I think I want to spend more time with science and make it more consistent--have set areas that I want to cover but just explore them. In history, I want to have more direction in where we're going and not get lost along the way. I've switched programs too often or moved to much to be able to do this consistently and I feel like my oldest has missed out. I don't necessarily know exactly what I want to use in terms of curricula, but I'm get more a feel of direction that I have lacked with my oldest. I'm not sure if this makes sense at all, but I'm still processing this too. I'm glad you brought up this thread!

[twoxcell]

I think your plan sounds great :)

[Hunter]

If you were me, and you could completely start over with a young child, what would you do and why? ... I need veterans wisdom right now.

 

 

I'm not YOU, so I don't think I can know what I would do if I were YOU, but here goes.

 

Few children love all of their school work. I can see you are looking far ahead and not just focusing on age 6. Whatever you pick has to be good for YOU even more than your precious student. You need to teach with YOUR strengths. This is a marathon.

 

I really didn't hit my teaching groove, until I stopped getting into co-dependant relationships with my students. I now have my pet ways of teaching and only offer to teach what I'm equipped to teach well. There are things I no longer try to teach even if the student goes untaught. If a student is not equipped to partially self-teach something not on my list, then they really are not equipped to use that subject in any meaningful way, so I don't need to feel guilty. You are not your child's ONLY teacher. You don't need to be everything, even if there is no one in the wings willing to take over right away.

 

Really take stock of what you have to offer and start offering THAT. Don't overextend yourself. Model good self-care and a healthy attitude towards self-teaching.

 

1) Character/religion first. I'm SERIOUS!!!!!! When My oldest was 17, I collapsed and he took me to the hospital and was the one who stayed with me for several hours until his dad got there. I learned that day what really matters in raising children. It was a big wake up call that I didn't have time to really apply to that son, but it affected what I did with my 15 year old.

 

2) Learning to work hard is critical! Teens who don't have character and don't know how to work hard will get NO where, no matter how much you have spoon fed them and made their lessons fun.

 

3) Skills next, not content. Focus on the 3Rs.

 

4) Teach the arts so they nourish the soul. A human is mind, body and soul; not a mind suspended on a soulless expendable body. I believe literature to be an art, not a 3R skill; less is more. I sometimes teach the arts before making time for content, especially with students that do not know how to self-soothe.

 

5) Make time to take care of the body: cooking class, exercise, first aid, etc. I also sometimes place care of the body before content.

 

6) Content is important. I watched a neighbor almost electrocute himself because he knew nothing about water and electricity. I've had an adult student that didn't know George Washington was the 1st president, that star are not pointy, and that bananas don't grow in the arctic. But I've learned that the students with the worst bank of content facts are the same students that need me more than ever to bravely triage and emphasize the 3R skills. They need me not to do this :willy_nilly: when I get :scared: . My job is to triage and then buckle down and :smash: the skills with resources that use my strengths.

 

7) Don't move into the logic stage until the grammar skills are completed, no matter what the age of the student. Some students will never enter the rhetoric stage and will barely learn the logic skills before age 18. That's okay and the junior colleges and trade schools will appreciate students with strong grammar and logic skills over students pushed in rhetoric skills with out the proper foundation. There are some great materials on the market for K-3 that are best stretched out for K-6 for many students. Don't abandon good grammar stage curricula just because you can't keep up with the number on the cover.

[Ellie]

Spalding for all literacy skills.

 

Not sure about arithmetic...I like the New Franklin arithmetics; I delayed formal math with my older dc, and I'm happy with that, but New Franklin looks like something I could morph into.

 

Charlotte Mason for everything else, probably following Ambleside Online (as well as reading her books for myself).

[Another Lynn]

I'm in the exact opposite place as Paige.... 5 students instead of 1. So, what I need for things to work here are exactly opposite of what you're looking into right now. I like your ideas .... HOD, AAS, RS Math, etc. But I also agree with what Hunter posted. Even if I only had 1 student, there are some subjects that I'm just not very good at, or better said not very interested in myself though I would love it if my children got them (home ec, nature study, art, etc.). Also, I know I'm less likely to use programs with lots of pieces (LOL) and lots of pre-digesting of info on my part before I teach it. Not saying that will be a problem for you, just that I know it would be a problem for me. RS Math wouldn't get done here no matter how much time I had. AAS is currently getting done only because I'm doing it with only a white board and marker (no tiles, no cards). If that stops working, I'll stop using it, LOL. So, ask yourself what and how you like to teach and why before you decide for sure. Even though you'll have time for lots of great things with your 6yo, it's okay to acknowledge your own weaknesses and choose programs/resources accordingly. It's also okay if not every subject is perfectly attractive to him. If you end up back in a workbook for math - no guilt! I love CLE math. My 7yo complains some, but generally likes to do it first because he knows it will take longer than any other subject he does. But, I think it goes back to character. What else is "hard" in his little life right now? Maybe math is where he has to learn to persevere for longer than 15 minutes, LOL. Maybe if I gave him harder chores he would love math, LOL. But I digress. The day will come when he will need that character training, that hard work, to get him through tougher, less-loved subjects (when he is a teenager).

 

It is slowly dawning on me with my own kids that some of them are "get 'er done" types (no matter what I have on their assignment sheet, they jump in and work) and some of them are "easily distracted" (everything pulls their attention away) So, if I had it to do over with any of mine, I think I would take this into account and if they are a more distracted student I would try to establish a habit of structure and working with clear expectations (not hoping for a warm and fuzzy goal - did they make connections?, did they feel enthusiasm for the subject? etc.).

 

Okay, so I'm not really answering your question and I hope I'm not stepping on toes.... this advice was more for me than for you, LOL. I do think HOD does a good job of building skills and providing good content - and I think Beyond is one of their best guides in the early years. Like Ellie, I also like Ambleside Online - but for me, I wasn't enough of a "natural teacher" to build in the skill work very well. If I were using it now I would put the 3Rs first (in a more structured way because that's what we need here) and let AO be the icing.

[Donna A.]

MFW 1st grade for the 3 R's, Bible, and science, and plug in FIAR along the way for fun. Then if we still felt like reading more books or doing more science experiments or taking more field trips, and had the time to do so, we'd do that, too. I'd also do nature walks and lots of reading about nature with the child. That IS science. :)

 

If my 6yo was already past the learn-to-read stage, I'd do MFW 1st grade anyway, for the many other benefits and reading reinforcement, giving that 6yo time to improve their fine motor skills before adding a spelling program. And we'd read a lot of books and do activities from FIAR (or not), and Ambleside, and to reinforce the reading skills. I'd take turns reading with that 6yo, giving him/her time to both listen and process, and hear words spoken correctly, as well as time to practice for fluency and articulation.

 

If my 6yo was already past 1st grade math skills, then I'd get started with R&S or MUS (a mastery style program for learning the facts really well), alongside with Singapore (but not necessarily trying to match them up because it wouldn't work).

 

I'd also work a whole lot on character training and heart issues. The Proverbs memory verses in MFW 1st gr. would be the perfect tool for spinning off those heart lessons.

[Tracy]

Well, ds is turning 5yo next week, and I find myself taking a much different approach than when my dd8 was that age. First and foremost, I don't want to do workbooks at all. Even though he is more inclined to do them than his sister was, I still think it is a bad idea at this age.

 

We are doing less formal math and more on-the-fly, everyday math. Yesterday, I learned that he can add double digits. So I can see that he has been learning from just talking about numbers in spite of not having done any formal lessons.

 

We have spent a whole year focussing on handwriting skills, taking it very gradually. It was very hard for me to do this after having an older child that took to writing very easily. If you already know that handwriting is an area of weakness for your dc, then I would suggest not doing any paperwork and focusing on large motor writing activities until he is more confident and competent in his handwriing. I do think my ds will be ready for WWE by 6yo, but I would not hesitate to have him do copywork on the whiteboard. My ds loves to make up stories, and I want to get him in the habit of composing his own sentences and later stories, which I will write for him until his handwriting is stronger. I don't think that original composition is good for all kids (certainly not for my older dd), but for this particular little guy, I think it will be fun for him.

 

I would only do science and history to the extent that he is interested in it. I started a 4-year history cycle with my older dd at 5yo, and that was absolutely perfect for her since she loves history. But I can see that not all children so fully embrace it so early. I would rather spend time following his lead rather than telling him what to learn when it comes to areas outside of the 3 R's. But I would also expect to use some curriculum as guides to expose him to different topics.

 

I would read to him while he plays and during meals rather than making him sit next to me (though that is very hard for me, personally). I would have him dramatize stories that we have read.

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

I personally would go back and start with Calvert and stick with it. The online spelling, and Brain Pop and discovery streaming and technology lessons appeal to my son. The variety in the lessons, but still having a predictable course flow also appeal to my son. I personally have done my own eclectic thing and have not seen the fruit of that. My dd has had, in some ways, even less of a good educational balance. Although I used programs for longer periods of times with her, I was also far less creative and inspired. THerefore, she pretty much hasn't had much art and only formal Science this year, and has missed out on other aspects that a well rounded, full curriculum would have provided.

 

So whether Calvert or Sonlight or HOD, or MFW, I personally think it's best to pick something and just use it.

 

I personally mention the above choices because each of them build variety, art, and hands on lessons into the school day. With something like ACE Or Abeka, I think picking it and using all of it would be pretty boring and torturous for my kiddos.

 

I would also do more field trips and not depend on curriculum to balance out education. My children are now involved in AWANA and the educational and social opportunities far outweigh anything I could do at home. We also made this year "Field Trip Year" and I made a commitment to get to every single field trip that I could. We have taken about 7 really wonderful field trips, an art class, a science class (one time, not ongoing classes) and this has made this year much more fun.

 

I think staying home and not over commiting oneself is very important. (See a recent thread "Is this enough Socialization?" On the other hand, the kind of socialization that comes from variety seems to be the most fun and least stressful.

[alisoncooks]

So whether Calvert or Sonlight or HOD, or MFW, I personally think it's best to pick something and just use it.

 

 

Yes to this.

My oldest is only 6.5, but even with her, I wish I'd been more consistent. My clean slate would go back to our K year:

• I wish I'd stuck with our Kinder curriculum (MFWK) instead of bailing after 20 weeks -- everything was a hodge-podge after that.

• I also wish we'd stuck with ETC from the get-go (instead of being on the lookout for more fun phonics programs...) We tried it, ditched it, and now are back to it. :p

• If I were starting over, I'd also start Singapore Essentials in K.

 

I am always thinking about how my oldest is my guinea pig. Lucky DD2, at least she'll benefit from this experience!

[LindaOz]

 

 

So whether Calvert or Sonlight or HOD, or MFW, I personally think it's best to pick something and just use it.

 

 

 

I agree.

 

We have used SL at various times over the years and it was great. But sometimes we would skip around trying other things, then return to SL. I wish I had followed through with SL all the way. We are back with SL now and it's going well. I'm looking forward to taking my little ones all the way through it :-)

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

 

 

Yes to this.

 

I am always thinking about how my oldest is my guinea pig. Lucky DD2, at least she'll benefit from this experience!

 

 

I know! My dd9 will benefit from using Calvert from 4th through 8th grade and maybe even all through high school.

[Katie Jean]

You have some amazing responses so I'm going to be rather brief as I can't add much to the wealth of info already displayed.

 

I loved Hunters post about content and so forth. Excellent points there.

 

I wanted to state that its clear you are on a great path. Your son sounds like he is flourishing on so many levels.

 

I grew up using PACES myself so I can say with fond memories that they are definitely not for everyone. I let my kids try them for a year and it wasn't bad but we knew they were not for us long term. If someone wanted something open and go with little parental hands on I'd recommend them-or if one travels a LOT they'd be handy.

 

It sounds to me you are a lot like me and don't want to be put in a box. I like to pick and choose our path and destination and the tools we use to get there. There is so much out there to choose from I know it's incredibly overwhelming.

 

I would not buy a packaged curriculum if I were you as you will feel limited eventually and like you wasted your money.

 

I highly recommend Explode the Code, WWE, and FLL or PLL by Emma Surle.

 

For Math Saxon or Math Mammoth.

 

History-oh I love History so it's hard to narrow it down but favorites are Homeschool in the Woods, SOTW, and History Pockets.

 

Science is another toughie...Queen Homeschool Nature Studies, Shining Dawn, In the Hands of a Child, (lap books) 106 Days of Creation (if you like Christian/CM) are just a few of the many things we've used and loved.

 

You can see I like to branch out and use things for the experience rather than be stuck with one publisher for an entire year. Life is too short to feel stifled!

 

Like other posters have said (not sure if its this thread or one I just read prior) it's rough when one feels an older child has "missed out" on certain things due to us being stuck in the learning curve of teaching/choosing curriculum. Making up for lost time and also making sure the same "mistakes" aren't made with youngers is truly a challenge.

 

Wow I thought I'd be brief but I got kinda carried away I guess. Oops! 😜

[Pen]

Looking back at that stage, time spent being read to, gardening with me, cooking with me, cleaning with me, doing art, playing outside were all very valuable. We weren't homeschooling yet then. I think if we were, just work on the core skills areas (reading and math) plus these other areas and as much of early lifeskills and character building as possible would be most desirable at that point.

[AnointedHsMom]

I've been thinking about this exact thing. Now that my oldest is 11, I can see the areas that I wish I had been much more guided in her education, but I lacked the experience to know what worked with my teaching style and really what I believed in, my philosophy of education, etc. I have a 10 month old as well, so I keep thinking, what do I wish I could do with my youngest that I wish my oldest had been able to experience.

 

This is completely how I feel! You articulated it so well. Thank you.

 

With experience now, after reading WTM and just having time to process it, I think the first four years (grades 1-4) I want to be more exploration and exposure, develop a love for the subjects and help them know what is out there.

 

YES!! This is what I want too! Again you so well articulated what I wanted to say.

 

I'm not YOU, so I don't think I can know what I would do if I were YOU, but here goes.

 

Few children love all of their school work. I can see you are looking far ahead and not just focusing on age 6. Whatever you pick has to be good for YOU even more than your precious student. You need to teach with YOUR strengths. This is a marathon.

 

I really didn't hit my teaching groove, until I stopped getting into co-dependant relationships with my students. I now have my pet ways of teaching and only offer to teach what I'm equipped to teach well. There are things I no longer try to teach even if the student goes untaught. If a student is not equipped to partially self-teach something not on my list, then they really are not equipped to use that subject in any meaningful way, so I don't need to feel guilty. You are not your child's ONLY teacher. You don't need to be everything, even if there is no one in the wings willing to take over right away.

 

Really take stock of what you have to offer and start offering THAT. Don't overextend yourself. Model good self-care and a healthy attitude towards self-teaching.

 

1) Character/religion first. I'm SERIOUS!!!!!! When My oldest was 17, I collapsed and he took me to the hospital and was the one who stayed with me for several hours until his dad got there. I learned that day what really matters in raising children. It was a big wake up call that I didn't have time to really apply to that son, but it affected what I did with my 15 year old.

 

2) Learning to work hard is critical! Teens who don't have character and don't know how to work hard will get NO where, no matter how much you have spoon fed them and made their lessons fun.

 

3) Skills next, not content. Focus on the 3Rs.

 

4) Teach the arts so they nourish the soul. A human is mind, body and soul; not a mind suspended on a soulless expendable body. I believe literature to be an art, not a 3R skill; less is more. I sometimes teach the arts before making time for content, especially with students that do not know how to self-soothe.

 

5) Make time to take care of the body: cooking class, exercise, first aid, etc. I also sometimes place care of the body before content.

 

6) Content is important. I watched a neighbor almost electrocute himself because he knew nothing about water and electricity. I've had an adult student that didn't know George Washington was the 1st president, that star are not pointy, and that bananas don't grow in the arctic. But I've learned that the students with the worst bank of content facts are the same students that need me more than ever to bravely triage and emphasize the 3R skills. They need me not to do this :willy_nilly: when I get :scared: . My job is to triage and then buckle down and :smash: the skills with resources that use my strengths.

 

7) Don't move into the logic stage until the grammar skills are completed, no matter what the age of the student. Some students will never enter the rhetoric stage and will barely learn the logic skills before age 18. That's okay and the junior colleges and trade schools will appreciate students with strong grammar and logic skills over students pushed in rhetoric skills with out the proper foundation. There are some great materials on the market for K-3 that are best stretched out for K-6 for many students. Don't abandon good grammar stage curricula just because you can't keep up with the number on the cover.

 

Hunter I always appreciate your wisdom. Thank you for this. It gives me so many things to ponder and remember as I embark on making these changes.

 

I know there are things that just have to be done and it just takes perseverance and that work ethic is important to teach and instill. I want to teach those things but I also want to instill a love of the subjects and learning that I wasn't able to do for my older son. Maybe things would be the same no matter what I had done with the older one but I can't help but wonder. The price of being a homeschooling mother I guess.

 

Ladies I truly appreciate all you've said. I am so glad I finally hit send on this post. It's been sitting with me for a while now. I'm still processing many things but I think I'll be processing until I graduate the younger one.