new, overwhelmed, and confused

[Juliette]

Hi! I'm new to... Everything. I have a 5 year old who is struggling in kindergarten and were moving to a not so great (horrible) school district. I've always wanted to home school, but now that I am going to its alot to take in. I know what I want, but have no idea how to find what im looking for. Could y'all help me out?

 

-I want a boxed curriculum.

-I want something I can use over and over again (my 5 year old is the oldest of 4)

-I don't want to have to report to anyone.

-I don't want something where my kids are on the internet constantly.

 

 

 

I looked at sonlight and I like it so far but I am open to other suggestions and would love to be able to compare.

[speedmom4]

Sonlight is a great curriculum. Have you looked at Heart of Dakota? It is a complete curriculum with great books but it also incorporates hands on activities. 

 

If a homeschooler must report to someone it is usually because the state mandates that. You need to look at your state's homeschool laws to know whether or not you'll need to report.

 

Good luck!

 

Elise in NC

[Ellie]

Welcome.

 

Whether or not you have to report to anyone depends on what state you live in. If you tell us where that is, we can help you there.

 

I'm always fuzzy on the term "boxed curriculum," which to me means a box of grade-level books that you get from ABeka or BJUP; it does not mean something like Sonlight, or Tapestry of Grace, or even Easy Grammar.

 

However, if you want something that is sort of planned for you, that includes most subjects, that you can use with more than one child, then in addition to Sonlight I could suggest Tapestry of Grace, KONOS, and the Weaver. Many people here like Heart of Dakota, which doesn't appeal to *me* at all, but there you go. :D

 

KONOS and the Weaver will require you to use something to teach arithmetic skills and phonics. AlphaPhonics, Phonics Pathways, and Spalding and its spin-offs/lookalikes do not use workbooks or readers and therefore are reusable with multiple children.

 

Rod and Staff Publishers' math series is consumable workbooks for first and second, textbooks after that. It is a very traditional math, very easy to teach and use, inexpensive.

[Juliette]

I will be in Tennessee when we start. I will check out heart of Dakota. I don't mind buying more workbooks I just want most of the stuff to be reusuable. I guess I'm looking for more of a "okay, here's what you do" kind of thing to begin with, who knows maybe after a year or so I will be able to write my own lesson plans. But its a lot to take in right now and I have no idea how to even start with that.

[Juliette]

I'm also at a loss of what grade to start him off in. He is failing kindergarten right now. (common core is horrible imo). We plan to buy everything with income tax so should I buy kindergarten and 1st?

[Ellie]

I will be in Tennessee when we start. I will check out heart of Dakota. I don't mind buying more workbooks I just want most of the stuff to be reusuable. I guess I'm looking for more of a "okay, here's what you do" kind of thing to begin with, who knows maybe after a year or so I will be able to write my own lesson plans. But its a lot to take in right now and I have no idea how to even start with that.

 

Most of us don't write actual lesson plans; we purposely choose things which allow us to just...do the next thing, or at the most just schedule what we'll do next.

 

Here's the law in Tennessee. Only option 4 has anything to do with your choices of instructional materials (most accredited distance-learnng schools require you to use specific materials, e.g., ABeka Academy, Calvert), and I don't think it's what you're looking for. Probably you won't want Option 1. The administrators of Options 2 and 3 may have suggestions on what to use.

 

Cornerstone Curriculum's Making Math Meaningful is nonconsumable. You have to plan ahead a little, but you don't have to write lesson plans. You just do the next thing.

 

AlphaPhonics  PhonicsPathways, and OPGTR (Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading) are all quite good for teaching children to read. Again, no lesson plans, just do the next thing.

[Juliette]

Most of us don't write actual lesson plans; we purposely choose things which allow us to just...do the next thing, or at the most just schedule what we'll do next.

 

Here's the law in Tennessee. Only option 4 has anything to do with your choices of instructional materials (most accredited distance-learnng schools require you to use specific materials, e.g., ABeka Academy, Calvert), and I don't think it's what you're looking for. Probably you won't want Option 1. The administrators of Options 2 and 3 may have suggestions on what to use.

 

Cornerstone Curriculum's Making Math Meaningful is nonconsumable. You have to plan ahead a little, but you don't have to write lesson plans. You just do the next thing.

 

AlphaPhonics  PhonicsPathways, and OPGTR (Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading) are all quite good for teaching children to read. Again, no lesson plans, just do the next thing.

thank you! So do you use different curriculums for different subjects? I'm sorry for all the questions its just alot to take in.

[Hunter]

Juliette :grouphug:

 

The world has become such a crazy place when it's possible to fail kindergarten. I'm sorry this was done to your son and you. My oldest was a late bloomer, and although back in the 90s no one failed kindergarten, he was still labeled as at risk.

 

Many boys are just not ready to read until they are 7. There is nothing wrong. And often these boys--if they don't lose their confidence-- race ahead of their peers, if given the chance. At 19, my son graduated from a 2 year business college, was financially independent and debt free, and living across the country in Las Vegas. He started putting himself through college at 16; all I contributed was one notebook. The poor child even paid his own health insurance to be allowed on campus.

 

We later moved to a low income area, but my son started out at a pushy Kindergarten, that was nothing compared to today's kindergartens. Homeschooling allows you to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum, thankfully.

 

Don't buy anything more than you need NOW. You are going to grow in your abilities as a teacher, and you will need to accommodate that.

 

I personally like Alpha Phonics to teach reading. Before Alpha-Phonics was written, the author had published How to Tutor and that is often available at the library. Before How to Tutor there was a chapter in another book and it's free. Look below for links; I'll add them later.

[HS Mom in NC]

This is a recent post I wrote in reply to a mother of a preschooler who wanted to know how to get started making curriculum  decisions. There is no need at all for a kindergartener to do formal academics unless the parents choose it for him.  That doesn't mean doing nothing, which I explain below.

 The way to reduce insecurity is to know what your choices are and why you chose one over the others. That means homework up front and taking an active rather than passive role but it spares you the endless shifting sands of blindly accepting recommendations, experimenting with them, and then repeating the process over and over until you finally find something that works.  It saves time, money and energy in the long run and creates a more satisfying, cohesive homeschooling experience for you, your spouse and your children.

 

 It also gives you something intelligent to say when people question your decision to homeschool.  If you're not able to articulate what you're doing and why you're doing it the way you are, you're going to be very insecure when someone brings up the subject.

 

 Since you're beginning at the beginning, you can take a deep breath and rest easy.  These are the early elementary issues that come up.  Focus on those first THEN look at curriculum. Don't buy curriculum just for it's own sake with a very young child-it's usually a waste of time, money and energy if you don't have a solid idea about what is a good fit for you and goals.  If your child were older, I would answer that differently.

 

I would consider people pushing academics for any child under the age 6 in the same category (assuming their children didn't beg daily to learn academics.)

 

 There are 2 uses of the word preschool:

 

1) the time in a child's life BEFORE a child learns reading, writing, and arithmetic-usually under the age of 6 in our culture

 

2) a time when a child under 6 is learning reading, writing and arithmetic

 

There are different schools of thought on which is best for children in general and for individual children.  I suggest any parent starting out familiarize herself with the arguments for and against both and decide for herself what she thinks is best for her family and each of her individual children.

How much academics does she want for her kids? What kind of academics? How much exploring their interest? How much creative play?  How much free play? How much group play?  How much exploring nature? How much physical play?

 

Whether you choose academic preschool or not, I strongly suggest any parent (regardless of how they plan on having their child educated) start a read aloud routine.  There are plenty of excellent resources out there for finding quality books at the library and at book sellers.  Here are good books to help you find good books:

 

1) Honey for A Child's Heart

 

2) Books the Build Character

 

3) A Thomas Jefferson Education (the book lists for different age groups in the back is excellent)

 

You can also google award winning children's books for book lists.

 

My husband and I read aloud to our kids from preschool-high school about 2 hours a day (not all in one sitting.)   Search this website [The Well Trained Mind Forums] for read aloud information, suggestions, and book recordings. It's one of the most important and neglected aspects of education in America-even among many homeschoolers. There are book recordings for parents who want someone else to help read aloud to their kids and for kids who aren't reading fluently yet but want to be read to constantly.

 

There are a couple of categories for teaching reading.

 

1) Look Say (often mislabeled whole language) which is memorizing each word by how it looks

 

2) Phonics which is memorizing the sound each letter and each letter combination so each word is sounded out enough times until a child memorizes it by sight.

 

Familiarize yourself with both schools of thought and decide for yourself which you want to do and why. The vast majority of homeschoolers choose Phonics. Different Phonics curricula vary to some degree.  The most immediate difference is whether the letter names are taught first or only the letter sounds (and the names aren't mentioned.) Ruth Beechick explains why letter sounds first are preferable (both in the short and long term) in her book A Homestart in Reading.  Most other phonics approaches choose to do the letter names first. The other huge difference is how many sight words are taught in the Phonics program.

 

Having a good solid grasp of the two approaches will make you a more savvy shopper.

 

Different children are ready to learn to read at different ages.  My oldest (17 and in college now) learned to read fluently between the ages of 4 and 5. By her 5th birthday she could read any of the books in the house like an adult.  My middle child (15 and in college now) wasn't ready to learn to read until she was almost 8.  We got out the phonics when she was 6, did 2 short 10 minute sessions per day for a couple of weeks.  Nothing stuck.  We put it away for 2-3 months and repeated the process until it did stick. By the time she was 11 she could read fluently like an adult.  My youngest (now 8) was ready when she was 6.  She is a very strong reader, but not fluent like an adult yet. She'll get there when she gets there because we're voracious readers around here.

 

When it comes to math there are different approaches out there:

 

1) Most people learned to do math in a very symbolic way (counting pictures or on their fingers and adding written out numbers.) This approach emphasizes wrote memorization more.

 

2) Others incorporate a concrete representation of what's written on the paper with what are called "manipulatives."  Read about why and how they're used and decide if it's for you or not.  There are variations in curricula that use manipulatives and some also add in drawing some sort of representation of the thought process going on (putting groups of things together, taking a larger group and making them smaller groups, etc.) First they emphasize the concrete representation until it's mastered, then they focus on memorizing math facts for speed.

 

Decide for yourself which you prefer and why then you won't have to waste your time looking into curriculum that is clearly not a good fit. You can look into the different curricula that do things the way you know you prefer. 

 

Writing has different schools of thought and styles and priorities when it comes to the mechanics of writing.  Some start earlier and some later because of their views on brain development and the development of fine motor skills.  Then you have to decide which style of handwriting you want.  What is your goal?  Beauty?  Legibility?  Speed? Easier transitions between print and cursive/italic script?

 

When it comes to writing in the sense of putting ideas on paper in understandable ways, there are two approaches:

 

1) Narration based writing.  Children listen to something read, then they put into their own spoken words what they remember.  In the early stages a parent writes down what the child said out loud and the child copies it on paper.  Later the child does all of it on their own.

 

2) Not narration based. There are lots of different approaches with different techniques and priorities.  Some are more formulated than others. 

Narration is a skill developed over time with practice.  Look into what it is and how it's done. Decide if it's something you want to do.  Decide if you want to do it exclusively or in combination other approaches. Do you want formulated writing?

 

School at home or not?

 

There are roughly to two big categories of homeschoolers:

 

1) People who mimic school with pre-packaged curriculum like institutional schools use.  All subjects are segregated, they use grade levels, they use workbooks/textbooks that require the child to fill in the blanks, write short answers to questions at the back of the chapter, answer multiple choice questions, do a test at the end of the week, etc.  They tend to have their children doing seat work several hours a day, etc. They usually follow a schedule like the local schools do during the day and throughout the year. This type of person is usually doing a grading system of percentages and letter grades.

 

2) People who don't do school at home.  They use other types of materials, they often avoid any sort of grade level mindset at all (most consider it a way to slow children down) and assign different kinds of assignments that require different levels of thinking.  They have a tendency to look for approaches and materials that are more customizable and that are more flexible in nature. They tend to prefer what they call "living" or "real" books over workbook/textbooks.  They sometimes integrate subjects together.  Sometimes they do subjects, like formal logic, not done in most packaged curriculum. They often have multiple children at different developmental levels studying the same core content at the same time, but doing different levels of study and assignments. Some focus more than others on their children's individual interests and build an education around it.

 

What do you think of the typical education in America? (Or wherever you live.) Are you interested in doing the same at home or do you want to do something different?  Do you want to do a mix of the two? If you're interested in different, what kinds of different do you want and what kinds don't you want?

 

General Questions

 

What are your priorities for your children's education?  What are your goals for them by the time they're done with High School?  How structured do you want to be?  How hands on?  How much flexibility do you want built in?  How much of your child's interests do you want to include? How much of their childhood do want them sitting in a seat?  How much in the the field? What does your spouse say about these things?

 

Having a general idea about these kinds of things makes choosing what to buy and what to do much easier to decide. It also helps you ask better questions when looking into your options.

 

[Hunter]

Don Potter's Alpha-Phonics website.

http://www.donpotter.net/reading_clinic.html

 

How to Teach Your Preschool Child to Read. The chapter that How to Tutor and Alpha-Phonics is based on.

http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/blumnfeld_home_primer.pdf

 

A lot of the free Alpha-Phonics resources can be adapted to the free pdf of How to Teach Your Preschool Child to Read.

 

How to Tutor and Alpha Phonics are available as hardcopy, pdfs, and Kindle books. Hardcopies and Kindle versions are available at Amazon. Pdfs can be purchased here. 

https://howtotut.ipower.com/paradigm.htm

Alpha-Phonics pdf sample.

http://www.alphaphonics.com/misc/Alpha-Phonics_sample.pdf

[Hunter]

The Kindle version of What Your Kindergartener needs to Know is just $11.40 and a fine thing to use while you explore all your options. http://www.amazon.com/What-Kindergartner-Needs-Revised-updated-ebook/dp/B00BABTC1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1386345961&sr=1-1&keywords=what+your+kindergartner+needs+to+know

 

Also free and good is Ambleside Online Year 0.

Booklist http://amblesideonline.org/00.shtml

Schedule http://www.amblesideonline.org/00sch.shtml

Ambleside Forum which included a Year 0 subforum

https://amblesideonline.org/forum/

 

Again, I'd spend as little money as possible, until you hang around the forums a bit more, in particular this one and the AO (Ambleside Online) forum.

[Ellie]

thank you! So do you use different curriculums for different subjects? I'm sorry for all the questions its just alot to take in.

 

Never apologize for asking questions. :-)

 

I never found a single publisher or source that I liked for everything. :-) I could never have bought a box of books from anyone.

 

My favorite for literacy (teaching dc to read and write and spell) is Spalding. It teaches children to read by teaching them to spell, and includes penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing.

 

We did KONOS for two years. Loved KONOS.

 

I didn't find anything I liked for arithmetic when the dc were little, but the free arithmetics that Hunter posted look *very* good. Later, after my dc were mostly grown up, Rod and Staff Publishers revised its math series, and I like it very much for early elementary. However, I also like the philosophy of doing no formal math before third grade, which, it turns out, is what we did accidentally, lol, and it worked for us.

 

I counted my dds' outside activities as part of our curriculum: Camp Fire, 4-H, Missionettes, Scottish Highland dance, marching band, and more. We did weekly field trips for several years, and we went to the library weekly. We did not do co-ops or any other activities with other homeschoolers during the day (other than a monthly park day, or sporadic early-afternoon get-togethers), although you can see from my list of outside activities that we were certainly not isolated. We just...stayed home during the part of the day when we were able to be most productive.

[Rachel]

I felt like you 6 months ago.  You may want to spend some time on the Pre-K/K board, I have found it incredibly helpful.

 

Initially I wanted a plan like My Father's World (MFW) or Sonlight, but quickly I learned those wouldn't be the best fit for my son.  When I realized that I could pick a different curriculum for each subject, it felt so freeing.  Then I got overwhelmed at the number of choices.  It was helpful to come up with an overall plan for my year.  I wanted my son to learn to read and I wanted him to practice math and writing.  I also wanted some Bible in there.

 

I selected a phonics program, a handwriting book, and a math book.  We already attend a bible study every week, so I also added in some memory work.  I don't plan out individual daily lessons, we just do the next lesson in the book.  I had to do some tweaking, but we have a pretty good routine now.  Our days do not look the same as they did in September, but that's OK.  I generally spend about 20 minutes on each subject.  Sometimes a math lesson goes more quickly and I don't feel like I can give a good overview of the next topic, so we end early.  Memory work almost never takes that long, but I still set a timer because that helps my son.  Reading always goes longer, he loves reading.

 

 

I can't find all the threads that I thought were helpful, but here are some:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/480969-preschoolpre-k-plans/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/481453-a-bit-confused-about-where-to-start/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/483054-how-long-do-you-spend-on-kindergarten/?hl=%2Bhow+%2Blong+%2Bkindergarten&do=findComment&comment=5266854

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/476259-do-you-do-formal-lesson-planning-for-k/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/484587-so-of-how-long-for-kindergartenthrea/

 

 

thank you! So do you use different curriculums for different subjects? I'm sorry for all the questions its just alot to take in.

Yes.  The nice thing about choosing a different curriculum for each subject is that you can select the level he needs.  If he is doing better in math, you can move through at a quicker pace.  If he struggles with reading, you can move as slowly as he needs.

 

If you have a copy of the Well Trained Mind, you can use if for guidance in selecting curricula.  She advocates for a low key kindergarten year but it ramps up in first grade.

[Hunter]

I didn't post free math links specifically, but my favorites are on this thread on Grube's Method.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/409801-grubes-method-of-teaching-arithmetic-why-havent-i-heard-of-this/

 

And there is math in How to Tutor and in What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know, both of which can be gotten at most libraries.

 

Math can be expensive and very hard to choose. I'd take making your 1st grade math choices VERY slowly.

[coralloyd]

My advice would be not to rush finding curriculum. Take some time and research your options. Think about your personality and your son's personality. Think about the ways you work best. Do you need a lot of structure and boxes to check to feel at ease? Do you get stressed by boxes to check or feel bad if you don't check all of them? Do you need a very simple layout, not a lot of words or "clutter" on a page? Does it matter the layout as long as it is done for you? Do you like textbooks or "living" books? Do you want something that tells you exactly, not only what to do, but also what to say? Only you can decide what will work for you. Really think through it. Just because something works for someone here does not mean it will work for you. So relax take your time and make well thought through decisions. Just take a month let your son play and do your research.

 

Homeschoolreviews.com is a great place to find lists of curriculums and read reviews about them.

 

That being said, at this age all you really need is math, reading (phonics), & handwriting. Then just read aloud lots of fun books. Enjoy it. There are lots of fun things to look at.

[Rosie_0801]

MEP is free online and the Reception level should be just fine for a wiggly little boy. It doesn't take long to do each lesson, if you skip the parts that aren't suitable (a classroom activity, mazes that are too easy, etc) but all those little bits add up. :)

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/#reception

[HS Mom in NC]

I'm not posting this to overwhelm you.  I'm posting it to help you clarify your own thoughts and motivations on education and to introduce you to different homeschooling categories in one, short, generalized, simplified overview.  You don't have to do all of this tomorrow.  It's something to think about as you do your research.  Remember that your children are very young and there's no need to be doing any formal academics right now.  It's intended to help you articulate for yourself what you're looking for and to give you a basic, general knowledge of the different characteristics of the roughly 8 homeschooling approaches so you're not confused by homeschool jargon.

 

Choosing Homeschool Approach and Curriculum with Confidence

 

Without knowing what you want your curriculum to accomplish, it will be hard to evaluate if a particular curriculum or approach will meet your needs.  It’s very helpful to articulate what you want and why, not only for choosing materials, but also in responding to criticism from others.  It can clear up potential friction between spouses who may have different ideas on the subject.

 

The tremendous amount of homeschooling materials available today can be overwhelming to new homeschoolers. Beginning with a basic idea about what you want and what you don’t want can make the process of selecting easier.

 

Since homeschoolers vary widely in their views, it’s important each couple focus first on their own motivations and goals first then they can consider the motivations and goals of others and whether or not they would like to add them to their own goals.

 

 

To help parents new to homeschooling define their goals and choose a homeschooling method, couples can try the following exercises either verbally or on paper or a combination of the two. It will likely require several conversations and lead to other discussions-that’s a good thing.

 

 

1. List everything you learned in your K-12 education that was good and useful.

 

2. List everything in your K-12 education that was not good or not useful.

 

3. List everything you wish had been included in your K-12 education that would have been good or useful.

4. Describe in as much detail as possible the ideal education in the areas of academics, relationships, and life skills. Include not only general abstract ideals (like well-rounded and rigorous for example) but also specific subjects and skills that make up the abstract ideals (like Typing, Classic Literature, Formal Logic, etc.)

 

 5. What are the main reasons you want to homeschool your children?

 

 

Three Homeschooling Mindsets

 

I am forced to generalize.  It should be understood that the 1-2 million homeschoolers in the US do not fit neatly into categories.  Many are represented in more than one of these mindsets to varying degrees.  All three groups are represented in today’s homeschool community.

 

First Wave  Homeschoolers

 

In the early 1980s before the public schools were, on the whole, viewed as performing poorly and safety was not generally an issue, two groups of people emerged creating the modern homeschooling movement.

 

The first were largely conservative Christians who wanted what they called a “Christ Centered Education†for their children.   Their goal is to integrate family relationships, life skills, academics, and religious training in equal proportions along with what they call a “Biblical Worldview†into the education of their children.  They believe that God had a particular plan for each child’s life, and it is the job of the parent to prepare their children as individuals for that purpose.  They believe that children are designed to learn best in a family situation and that institutional educational  environments are for adults. They are strong proponents of individualized learning. So, in essence, they define education as including more than just academics.

 

Meanwhile a mix of secular and religious  parents, many inspired by John Holt’s writings, decided that keeping their children at home and customizing an education to suit their individual talents and interests emerged.  They believe  real life and academics should be integrated to give a greater understanding of the world. They see institutional settings and modern education methods as artificial, detached, and  too compartmentalized to fuel the natural love of learning in children.  They are also concerned that much of modern education is not relevant to the real world adults live in. They too have different definition of education.

 

Both groups have different motivations, but some of their educational philosophy  is very similar.  Most practice some variation of  tutorial style education.  It fits with their views of customizing education to the individual student.  Apprenticeships, internships, and  life experiences, in conjunction with academics are often common between them.  Neither group likes the standard scope and sequence or fill in the blank workbook approach that is characteristic of most institutional settings.

 

In general they share the conviction that institutional settings are bad for children, so of course, homeschooling is the only acceptable option  that  meets their goals.

 

These two groups are primarily responsible for the legal battles legalizing homeschooling  in each state.  They currently fight to deregulate homeschooling nationwide.

 

Second Wave Homeschoolers

 

In the early 1990s several studies on academic performance revealed that homeschoolers were outperforming children in government schools on standardized tests.  A group of parents took notice because academic performance was their number one priority.  They began homeschooling their children and enjoyed combination of a flexible lifestyle and accelerated academics that homeschooling provided.

 

The do not have convictions that institutional settings are categorically bad for children, and many can afford private/religious education, but their children are thriving in the homeschooling environment so that’s where they stay.  This group has a large mix of very religious and secular  people, and everyone in between. 

 

They are primarily responsible for taking homeschooling into the mainstream.

 

Third Wave Homeschoolers

 

By the late 1990s and after the turn of the new millennium pubic schools were getting bad press specifically about negative social issues and poor academic performance.  The floodgates of homeschooling opened and a new group of parents poured into the homeschool community. 

 

They are refugees fleeing what they see as a bad situation.  They do not like or have access to charter schools or cannot afford a private/religious institutional setting, so they choose to homeschool.  Some left because they see government schools as indoctrinating their children into secularism and socialism.  Some have children that are above or below average and want something more specific to their children’s individual needs.  Others are very unhappy with the social norms in public schools.  Many are very concerned about what they see as a decrease in academic standards and performance in American public education.

 

This group has helped fuel the current debate about school choice nationwide.

 

 

 

8 Different Approaches to Homeschooling

 

Most homeschoolers use a combination of two or more of these approaches.  Homeschooling is inherently flexible, so these approaches can be adapted and modified in any way the parent chooses. This is a bird's eye view making very broad generalizations. Popular curricula, websites, and authors detailing these approaches are listed.  Let me know of others and I will gladly add them to the lists.

 

 

===Traditional School Approach ===

Typically uses prepackaged curriculum with a Scope and Sequence educational philosophy.  Their daily and yearly schedules usually follow the 6 hour days of institutional settings and a 180 day school year with the summer off, but many allow their children to work at their own pace and finish early.  Grading systems like those used in traditional school settings are the norm and aged grades mimic schools. Textbooks and workbooks are their primary texts. Fill in the blank and multiple choice answers are characteristic of this crowd. Children are generally taught the same information around the same age and proceed along the same path, although some may do so faster or slower.

 

Think institutional school.

 

Abeka

BJU

Alpha Omega

Apologia

Christian Liberty Press

ACE PACEs

 

=== Unschooling Approaches A and B===

This is a broad term that applies to two distinct groups. Again, I have to generalize.

 

Group  A

 

Generally believes children are wired for learning, and their job as teachers is to avoid interfering with the learning process.  Their job is also to provide access to learning (books, lab equipment, etc.) guided by the child’s interests.  They do not necessarily think children need to be “taught†outside of answering a child's questions.  Real life, hands-on projects and applied learning experiences are strongly preferred to other methods of instruction. Some will allow children to take classes of interest in an institutional setting-usually college.

 

Think Thomas Edison and John Holt.

 

Christian Unschooling (website)

Learning without Schooling Magazine

John Holt’s Books

Free Child Project (lots of links and resources)

 

 

Group B

 

 These parents design every learning experience to answer the question, “When am I going to use this in real life?†by actually using almost exclusively real life, hands on, applied situations and projects.  Only the real world here.  They tend to be systematic and adult directed but are very careful to take additional time to follow a child’s interests some too.

 

No known packaged curriculum, websites, or magazines that address only this approach to homeschooling.

 

 

===Unit Study Approach ===

Typically these people integrate studies based on an era, historical event, person, character trait, technological development, or historical person.  For example, if the Depression is the core of the unit study, Math (if possible), Literature, Science (if possible), History, Economics, and Writing will hinge on different elements of the Great Depression. This gives the student a multidimensional understanding.  Each child in the family is given different assignments based on ability, but all study the same core theme.

 

Learning through History Magazine

Konos

All Through the Ages

Timetables of History

 

===Living Books Approach ===

Only the best literature and writings on each subject are used.  Think of it this way, instead of reading from a distilled over simplified textbook on the Civil War, these parents have their students read several of the books about the Civil War that an author of a textbook would read preparing to write the textbook.  Now, think of doing that for Science, History, Economics, Literature, Art, etc.  This crowd is also known for nature studies, narration, and dictation.

 

Charlotte Mason

Karen Andreola

My Father’s World

Sonlight

Greenleaf Press

All Through the Ages

Robinson’s Curriculum

Penny Gardener

 

===Classical Education===

Classical education has at least three distinct camps. They can be integrated as much as the parent prefers. They all have a strong preference for first source materials and use primarily Western Classics (Also called the Western Canon, or the Common Book of the Western World.) Some can include the study of "dead" languages (Hebrew, Classical or Biblical Greek, and Latin) although some are content with good English translations of Classic works while others opt for studies of Latin and Greek Roots in English.

 

Group A

 

 Characterized by the Trivium.  The 3 stages have many terms: 

 

1. Stage 1 Grammar (facts)
2. Stage 2 Logic (cause and effect) All stages of formal Logic inductive, deductive, material, etc. 
3. Stage 3 Rhetoric (application and persuasion) Formal argumentation is studied.

 

Formal Logic and Rhetoric are studied specifically. History is usually studied chronologically. Logic is studied formally, and Science is studied with experimentation, biographies, and original writings of the greatest minds. Classic works from masters throughout Western Civilization in all eras are studied. Some integrate History, Geography, Science and Literature into a more unit study approach. Others use more textbooks and workbooks.

 

Think Dorothy Sayers.

 

Tapestry of Grace

Classical Conversations

Memoria Press

Veritas Press

Teaching the Trivium

The Well Trained Mind

 

Group B

 

Characterized by the Mentor Model and sometimes called a "Statesman" education. Morals, virtue, and character are emphasized above all.

 

1. In the early years children are allowed to follow their interests and learn good moral character while developing a strong work ethic.
2. The middle years are when the parent begins inspiring students by reading classic works by the best minds on the subjects and entering into apprenticeship situations with masters of certain skills. 
3. The later years the students are mentored in apprenticeships in entrepreneurial situations for their future leadership roles and professional pursuits.

 

Think Thomas Jefferson.

 

A Thomas Jefferson education by DeMille

A Thomas Jefferson Companion

 

Group C

 

 Also known as the Principle Approach.  This is a method often attributed to how many of the Founders were educated.

 

1. Research the topic by looking up ideas

 

a. first source materials (original writings, documents, autobiographies, first hand historical accounts, etc.)

 

b. look up terms in dictionary (keeping in mind dictionaries that are specific to the era)

 

c. look up terms in your sacred writings or other sources related to your beliefs (Christians-Bible)

 

1. Reason through the material looking for the underlying principles.

 

1. Relate the information you have found through research and reason and apply it to your life.

 

1. Record your findings in a logical, systematic, and persuasive format.

 

Think James Madison.

 

www.principleapproach.org

[wintermom]

Just so you don't feel alone, I've been homeschooling for 9 years and I feel overwhelmed and confused right now, too. My homeschooling practices have morphed over the years from lots of hands-on activities and read-alouds and very few workbooks, to more workbooks and structured learning, and now to having the children take some of their subjects in a group setting.

 

The PP's post with "8 Approaches to Homeschooling" was neat to read, but I have no idea where I would fit in there now. We do the three M's daily: Math, Music and Motion (various physical activities). Science, history and writing happens, too, but either through co-ops or books-on-tape while driving around. It seems to be working out well for both me and the dc, though I felt more settled when I thought my homeschool would be a specific way until the kids finished high school.

 

Don't think that you have to have the next 10 years mapped out, or even the next 10 months mapped out in this journey. It is a work-in-progress, and is both exciting and scary when you're down in the trenches.

 

All the best!

[Juliette]

oh wow! I feel so much better about everything now! You ladies are full of tons of information. I bow know laws and what I need to focus on and what I need. Now I have about a month to research and pick a curriculum. I'm feeling completely okay with that! Y'all have no idea how much better I feel!

 

 

[Jackie]

What I found helped me feel less overwhelmed was to start with one thing. For me, that was reading because that was my child requested to work on. Once we found the right fit for reading and were in a groove with just that, I added in one more thing. For us, the second thing was work on fine motor skills (would have been handwriting if she had been ready for that). After that was routine for us, we added in math. After that became a normal part of the routine, we started adding in things like science and art.

 

Just know that you don't have to figure everything out at once.

[SnMomof7]

At 5 it is pretty easy. Read aloud daily, devotions of some kind, and some gentle introductory work. We use R & S ABC series and do a few pages/day - then we'll do CLE II. The rest is playdough, puzzles, free play (rather random too). Your philosophy will change as you go too :).

[bbcooker]

My K-er is doing this:

 

 - daily bible story

 - coloring page daily

 - math curriculum (Righstart)

 - handwriting curriculum (Handwriting without tears - very loosely followed)

 - phonics curriculum

 - listens to 1-2 stories daily (just plain old books I grab from the library ... no special plan that I follow of which books)

 - plays outside, and inside too, a lot.

 - picks a building toy and plays with that for 20 minutes independently

 - browses through books for 20 minutes daily

 - learning to do some age-level appropriate household chores with a great attitude.

 

So, that's our curriculum :), just to give you something to compare to.

[PollyOR]

Maybe someone else already mentioned this ... check the library and see what they have before you spend your money. :)