For Fun: Homeschool Things You Just Don't Get (no hate)

[Barb_]

I too love a well written textbook. By all means supplement the heck out of it with living books, because then you've got the best of both worlds, but I cannot homeschool well without some texts.

[FaithManor]

Corn mazes. All of the local homeschool groups schedule outings to corn mazes in the fall and call them agricultural science field trips. I don't get it. They wander around the corn field and find their way out. There is no agricultural presentation, no experiment, no information. Just wander around a corn maze.

 

This is entertainment folks, not agricultural science. 

 

Workbooks. I hate workbooks. I can't imagine it, the boxed workbook curriculum. My kids would throw up on them, LOL.

 

Co-ops. 

 

Crafts. I CANNOT STAND CRAFTS! No I do not want to take my kids to a homeschooling outing where they make dog biscuit Christmas ornaments. But then again, I hated that kind of thing when dd went to the Lutheran school for kindergarten. GAH! Please just don't send this stuff home because then my kid thinks I should save it for all eternity.

 

Oh, and the local homeschool family who makes their kids wear uniforms, at home, when they are schooling and not leaving the house. Personal choice, and I get that and all, but I can't wrap my brain around purchasing special clothing for a uniform look for homeschooling. My kids of course would have hated this with the fire of a thousand suns. My assumption is that very few homeschooling families do this.

[Barb_]

Textbooks are so boring though.

 

Unless you are in love with the subject, and event then, the quality is variable. (I do use some textbooks, it kills me but I do).

Lots are. Probably most, so I'll concede the point. But the ones that work well are worth their weight in gold, particularly when teaching multiple ages at once I think. I love our History and Science texts. Most everything we use is out of print too so they are way cheap on the used market.

[ondreeuh]

And because I am ridiculous now I want to google 36-folder-system. Not because you're wrong about anything else, just because it's homeschool and even here I. can'. stop. looking for the perfect thing.

 

**resists googling** willpower !! ***

 

I'm actually using a 36-week folder system for my 3rd grader and it's great! I only have certain things in it - basically 3 math minutes, 3 grammar minutes, 1 week of spelling, logic worksheets, etc. Each week those go into a flexible folder with pockets, and that is the independent work he does each week.

 

Science, math, literature, and composition are all in a binder (I keep a few weeks' worth of work in a binder and replace it as needed). We work through those as we get to them.

 

[Mergath]

I am not paid by BW to say this but....TWJ is not the best product. It's confusing. The other products are much better. IMO, of course!

 

I've tried to read TWJ like three times, and it's so rambling that I always give up. I love the BW ideas I've seen on the internet, but the book itself is in desperate need of a good editor, unless she's updated it.

 

ETA: Forgot to mention the irony of that, given that it's a BOOK ON WRITING.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Mergath

[Barb_]

Corn mazes. All of the local homeschool groups schedule outings to corn mazes in the fall and call them agricultural science field trips. I don't get it. They wander around the corn field and find their way out. There is no agricultural presentation, no experiment, no information. Just wander around a corn maze.

 

This is entertainment folks, not agricultural science.

 

Workbooks. I hate workbooks. I can't imagine it, the boxed workbook curriculum. My kids would throw up on them, LOL.

 

Co-ops.

 

Crafts. I CANNOT STAND CRAFTS! No I do not want to take my kids to a homeschooling outing where they make dog biscuit Christmas ornaments. But then again, I hated that kind of thing when dd went to the Lutheran school for kindergarten. GAH! Please just don't send this stuff home because then my kid thinks I should save it for all eternity.

 

Oh, and the local homeschool family who makes their kids wear uniforms, at home, when they are schooling and not leaving the house. Personal choice, and I get that and all, but I can't wrap my brain around purchasing special clothing for a uniform look for homeschooling. My kids of course would have hated this with the fire of a thousand suns. My assumption is that very few homeschooling families do this.

:lol: Your post made me laugh twice, Faith. First of all, corn mazes. What a weird thing to think of and yet, how perfect.

 

Secondly, my kids always started the year with uniforms, but it was never my idea. They begged me to buy them every year. They would choose their plaid skirts and ties (yes, ties) and I'd buy them cheap white button downs and knee socks. They would actually pack their lunches and LEAVE THE HOUSE every morning to walk around the block and come right back in the front door. Weirdos :D I always wondered what the neighbors must've thought.

[ondreeuh]

Textbooks are so boring though. 

 

Unless you are in love with the subject, and event then, the quality is variable. (I do use some textbooks, it kills me but I do).

 

 

Lots are. Probably most, so I'll concede the point. But the ones that work well are worth their weight in gold, particularly when teaching multiple ages at once I think. I love our History and Science texts. Most everything we use is out of print too so they are way cheap on the used market.

 

Yeah, all textbooks aren't good. That's why I have that caveat.

 

I like:

Science: A Closer Look for elementary science, Holt Science & Technology for middle school

History of US & K12 history textbooks for late elem/middle school

Math in Focus for elementary, Holt for middle/high school

 

Still evaluating our high school textbooks. I mostly use Holt, and so far so good. We have tried some Glencoe and Prentice Hall stuff and didn't like it as much.

[Melissa in Australia]

Workboxes. Although maybe they aren't as popular now as several years back. Why do all that work segmenting all the lessons into the workboxes? I never understood that.

 

We also just couldn't make Latin happen. (Sorry SWB!) I wanted it to work. I learned a fair amount about Latin roots when I was a kid and so I envisioned my kids taking that much farther than I did. They didn't. Now I have seventy billion Latin flashcards that I simply cannot bear to part with.

. Ohhh me too. Each child had their own little box of cards with derivatives written on the back. It was so much hard work getting each child to write them out that I also cannot get rid of them.

[Barb_]

:lol: Your post made me laugh twice, Faith. First of all, corn mazes. What a weird thing to think of and yet, how perfect.

 

Secondly, my kids always started the year with uniforms, but it was never my idea. They begged me to buy them every year. They would choose their plaid skirts and ties (yes, ties) and I'd buy them cheap white button downs and knee socks. They would actually pack their lunches and LEAVE THE HOUSE every morning to walk around the block and come right back in the front door. Weirdos :D I always wondered what the neighbors must've thought.

Quoting myself because, uniforms

 

[IfIOnly]

A history centered homeschool. Latin.

 

Said from a mom who listens to SOTW in the car, and that's been it for history for a few years. The car rides are so quiet because the kids love the series though. ;) We pause each chapter and discuss. I almost always ask what they thought, and the discussion goes from there.

Edited January 14, 2017 by ifIonlyhadabrain

[Liz CA]

My homeschooling years are apparently so far back in the rear view mirror that I don't even know what lapbooks and workboxes are. :lol:

I worked off the first edition of the WTM book. :)

 

I never bought "packages" but loved to piece it all together and got many great curriculum recommendations on this board.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Liz CA

[Ali in OR]

I do like my math manipulatives. It's not that they were used all that often--mostly the kids played with the weighted counting bears and the pattern blocks and cuisenaire rods and tried to build things with base 10 blocks! But that playtime with manipulatives does some useful things to their brains. Just today 14 yo dd and I were trying to find the volume of a regular hexagonal pyramid and needed to find the base area. I showed her how we could divide the base into 6 triangles and asked her if we could determine for sure if the triangles were equilateral. "Remember your pattern blocks? You can build a regular hexagon out of 6 (equilateral) triangles." It was one piece of evidence that helped us know for sure the triangles were equilateral so we had enough information to find the area. Base ten blocks weren't used much, but they sure were cool when we discussed place value every year for several years. And I love my scale and weights (even weighted bears) for demonstrating keeping equations balanced by doing the same operation (adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing bears) to both sides!

 

 

signed,

Math Geek Mom

 

[Catwoman]

After reading all of the posts in the thread, I realized I forgot all about those stupid Latin flash cards. :glare:

 

Add those to my list, too!

 

SOTW was a big success for us, but not the activities. Once we got the CDs, life was good. (Apparently books on tape are not the same as read-alouds...)

[cjzimmer1]

Saxon - I'd rather poke my eyes out with flaming skewers than teach math that way ever again.

 

My high school used Saxon, I hated it.  It was so boring and repetitious.  I wouldn't even look at when picking math for my two oldest.  And then my DD came along.  She doesn't love math nearly as much as I or her brothers do, in fact she downright hates it (gasp, how can anyone hate a perfectly orderly and logical subject like math).  Out of desperation I bought her Saxon after she struggled with multiple other programs.  And she LIKES it.  Ugh!  I did buy her the DVD's so at least I don't have to teach it but it still boggles my mind how anyone could like it but my DD is very happy with it.

[Barb_]

My high school used Saxon, I hated it. It was so boring and repetitious. I wouldn't even look at when picking math for my two oldest. And then my DD came along. She doesn't love math nearly as much as I or her brothers do, in fact she downright hates it (gasp, how can anyone hate a perfectly orderly and logical subject like math). Out of desperation I bought her Saxon after she struggled with multiple other programs. And she LIKES it. Ugh! I did buy her the DVD's so at least I don't have to teach it but it still boggles my mind how anyone could like it but my DD is very happy with it.

Kids are weird, lol

[heartlikealion]

In the past I tried to use Khan Academy because it's mentioned so often, but honestly, I guess I was too stupid to maneuver their site. I didn't know how to find what I was looking for. I guess I need to try again. That's not just a homeschooling thing, but I've mainly heard about it from homeschoolers. As for Bravewriter, I read about it but it sounded like a lot of work and not at all what I was hoping for (open and go resource).

 

Getting up early for everything. I thought, why??? Are the crowds worse at 2:00 pm than 10:00 am? Does no one want to do things in the afternoon?? But I kinda get it. People have other things to do, routines to keep, etc. Really 10am isn't that early at all, but I live far from all the homeschool stuff. I was relieved one homeschool group I was in did park days in the afternoon at least part of the year.

 

Barb_, they are adorable!! Lol about walking around the block and coming home.

[Chelli]

Busy bags and sensory bins that are supposed to be the magic answer to keeping your toddler occupied while the olders do school.

 

All those turned out to be was a great big mess maker as my son proceeded to dump them out in two seconds flat. Yay for dry oatmeal, rice, and beans all over the floor because cleaning that mess up didn't take up any time out of our school.  :glare:

[PinkTulip]

Barb, your kids are darling!

[Barb_]

Busy bags and sensory bins that are supposed to be the magic answer to keeping your toddler occupied while the olders do school.

 

All those turned out to be was a great big mess maker as my son proceeded to dump them out in two seconds flat. Yay for dry oatmeal, rice, and beans all over the floor because cleaning that mess up didn't take up any time out of our school. :glare:

Yes! Who are those children who play quietly in their high chairs with a bowl of rice?? Not in my house. Or yours either, apparently.

[Barb_]

Barb, your kids are darling!

⤠Thank you. That was fall 2014 and the last year they did it. I used to be sort of secretly embarrassed by their parading around the neighborhood, but looking at them now I miss it, lol

[LMD]

Yeah, I keep looking at bravewriter but... it annoys me. The marketing and super supportive lets all be joyful best friends. And I can't figure out what exactly it is. The arrow editions I've seen were very underwhelming.

[IfIOnly]

Busy bags and sensory bins that are supposed to be the magic answer to keeping your toddler occupied while the olders do school.

 

All those turned out to be was a great big mess maker as my son proceeded to dump them out in two seconds flat. Yay for dry oatmeal, rice, and beans all over the floor because cleaning that mess up didn't take up any time out of our school.  :glare:

My kids love playing in my 5 gallon buckets of rice and other grains. It's one of their favorite things! I figured it gets boiled anyways. LOL

[HSmomof2]

Bravewriter, and I want to love it. But just don't. I read TWJ, own Partnership Writing and Help for High School and have Arrow/Boomerang subscriptions. It's all very underwhelming to me. I do love her 'devotional' books though. I do find them very encouraging.

 

Classical Conversations. I just can't get over the price tag for 'tutors' who aren't teachers or subject area experts. I'd rather pay a low regular co-op fee if I'm just going to have other homeschool moms teach my kids.

[abba12]

Lots of little bits, or reading 20 books concurrently! sorry CMers. But the idea of reading a few pages from a dozen books each day drives me insane, if I like the book I want to finish it, and if I don't like it, well, I want to be done with it. Plus, I am a block-scheduler at heart, even as a homeschooled high schooler I eventually worked myself into a schedule of doing one subject per day (yes, including math).

 

This year we have four 'subjects', Math, English, Assigned Reading (literature, but also lots of non-fiction covering every other subject, from a master list I made) and our Unit Study. And no, my unit studies are not cross curricular masses of resources and 100 different parts. They are 1-2 week intensives (maybe I should use that term instead...) and single tasks/objectives. Some are naturally cross curricular (exploring early Australian songs and poetry, which covers english, history and art along with technology for our presentation of what we learned) and others are single subjects (crystal making kit, which is set up in such a way as to easily and thoroughly teach scientific theory, hypothesis, measurement, recording, analysis and comparison). I am SO happy thinking about my 4-task school day. 

 

Your schedules with 8 subjects, a morning basket covering 3 or 4 more, and a dozen read alouds, scare me  :leaving:

[Liz CA]

Margaret, it took me a while to figure out what "preshus" is but I finally got it (sounded it out. Smart, huh?). I think I am one of those who needs more education.

 

On a serious note, this notion that girls should grow up to learn nothing beyond what is deemed necessary (by the parent) to be a wife and mother has always bothered me.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Liz CA

[LucyStoner]

I don't understand combining subject lessons for kids of vastly different age groups. I get doing stuff together or even having the kids do different levels of the same topic or whatnot. But I honestly do not see how a 7th grader is well served by science that they can do with their 5 year old brother.

[happi duck]

Egypt.

 

None of us are fascinated, not even a little.

 

I think it's genetic.

[DawnM]

What?  I can't believe how many of you hated Lapbooks.  We enjoyed them.

 

We threw out (not literally) the Sonlight worksheets and suggestions and just went with reading real books as suggested and doing corresponding Lapbooks/Projects, Amy Pak's Homeschool in the Woods CDs with lap books and projects.  My kids enjoyed them and they still talk about building Jamestown with paper (we also visited Jamestown that year, so that helped.)

 

Lap books and projects were the "ok, I am going to sew or talk to a friend or hang out on WTM, you kids go do your Lapbooks" and they were perfectly happy.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2017 by DawnM

[DawnM]

I don't get literature based, living books, no-textbooks programs for science and social studies (Sonlight, BookShark, Winter Promise, Guest Hollow, etc.). I personally just can't abide by a schedule that asks me to flip between a zillion different sources and just have my kids make a notebook about what they've learned. I do SO much better with using a well-written textbook as a spine - all of the important vocabulary is right there, comprehension questions are right there, optional activities are woven in, and I can give tests to show mastery. Plus, the literature based programs are so expensive!!! And good luck finding the books at a library when you need them. I can find my own supplemental books on my own.

 

I think Bravewriter has great brand marketing. When I read about their products, it all sounds like stuff I would use. However, everything I've actually owned has been underwhelming to me. I have tried to read The Writer's Jungle a few times without skimming and I can't do it. I can't focus on it! I have given up on the Arrows that I purchased for now.

 

I don't get Teaching Textbooks or any other hands-off math program. I know people say it works for them, and I'm not saying they are wrong, but it would never work for me. Unless I am involved in teaching every lesson, I can't know how well my kids understand what they are doing. And if I don't keep up with the lessons, then I don't know how to jump in and help without confusing them more.

 

I don't get online classes that are essentially just access to the teacher's materials.  I know some classes have teachers who are subject experts, some have discussion, and some kids need accountability to someone else. However, we haven't needed any of that (yet). I can buy the teacher resource CD on Amazon and have all the quizzes, tests, answer keys, and supplemental activities for a fraction the cost of the online class. And I can load up Brightstorm videos to explain math and science concepts another way.

 

I don't get IEW. We tried the SWI A a while ago and I didn't see how it would make my kid a better writer. And so expensive!

 

 

We threw out the guide and/or didn't use it much.  I basically just wanted the book list and we would pick and choose.

 

One year I decided to try Winter Promise.  Holy COW!  There were typos, grammatical mistakes, and outright errors in their guide every DAY.  I could not take it.

[Guest]

Quoting myself because, uniforms

 

The best part of this is the bare feet! :)

 

I never had uniforms, but I did sometimes think it would be nice to have them when we were out during the schoolday. People would assume we were part of a private school and there would be less explaining. (And they were, in fact, part of a private school. Very exclusive!)

[MyLife]

c-rods

 

just blah...they don't do it for me

You just broke my heart. 😜

[Guest]

Co-ops were a huge disappointment. Also, we never made special home school friends. Not in 17 years of home schooling. We had to make do with regular friends who attended public school, lol. I SOOO wanted my kids to have special home school friends they could do stuff with in the middle of a random Tuesday morning, but it was never meant to be. Evidently my denim jumper was too tight. Or something.

We have a lot of homeschool friends, but one thing I never wanted that some hs friends sought was "doing things on a random Tuesday morning." I've never been into that, in part because I work part-time, so I already need to organize the schoolwork around that. And then too, I despise having schoolwork stretch late into the afternoon. So if we went to the park with The Jones Family at 10:00am, we're almost surely going to shave off some of our real work.

 

It always annoyed me when other homeschool moms would assume that, because we homeschool, our schedule is wide-open.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I basically don't get anything that isn't 'Hey read this! Now let's talk about it.' OK. Done. 

 

Yes!  And I don't seem to learn.  I keep thinking we need to do formal and specific reading comprehension stuff.  So I'll buy something in that category.  We get to the questions and assignments and I end up scrapping most of it because it's just stupid.  Stupid pointless questions.  I joke with my kid sometimes when I tell him to learn about XYZ.  I'll say ok read that....write a paper about it...and then I'd like you to put together an interpretive dance and recipe to go along with it (these last two being the joke) because that's what some of those assignments are like.

[SparklyUnicorn]

You just broke my heart. 😜

 

Some people really like them.  My older kid and I both just don't get them.  I guess we aren't visual and tactile.  But my younger kid really likes them.  So much so that I bought another set (not c-rods, but similar) recently from MUS and he loves those things.  Tinkers with them all the time and wants to use them.  I hate them. 

[Junie]

:lol: Your post made me laugh twice, Faith. First of all, corn mazes. What a weird thing to think of and yet, how perfect.

 

Secondly, my kids always started the year with uniforms, but it was never my idea. They begged me to buy them every year. They would choose their plaid skirts and ties (yes, ties) and I'd buy them cheap white button downs and knee socks. They would actually pack their lunches and LEAVE THE HOUSE every morning to walk around the block and come right back in the front door. Weirdos :D I always wondered what the neighbors must've thought.

 

:smilielol5: This. Is. Awesome.

[Guest]

C rods are just tiny, colorful, rectangular sticks you guys.

[SparklyUnicorn]

C rods are just tiny, colorful, rectangular sticks you guys.

 

Yes.  Except they don't DO anything.  Not like Lego...ya know? 

[SparklyUnicorn]

:lol: Your post made me laugh twice, Faith. First of all, corn mazes. What a weird thing to think of and yet, how perfect.

 

Secondly, my kids always started the year with uniforms, but it was never my idea. They begged me to buy them every year. They would choose their plaid skirts and ties (yes, ties) and I'd buy them cheap white button downs and knee socks. They would actually pack their lunches and LEAVE THE HOUSE every morning to walk around the block and come right back in the front door. Weirdos :D I always wondered what the neighbors must've thought.

 

I love this...

[Alicia64]

Quoting myself because, uniforms

 

 

This is absolutely adorable! What a fun picture to have and a great story to tell when they're older. So cute.

 

Alley

 

 

 

[Alicia64]

I'm nervous to bring this up. . . . because I know so many people who do this.

 

Here goes: I don't get homeschoolers who tell their kids that they're gifted. I mean, I get telling them once or twice through the years, but I don't understand the point of emphasizing it pretty constantly so that the child feels different in a "better" (elite) kind of way.

 

Thankfully I once heard SWB (a gifted kid herself) explain that nothing great comes from selling kids on the gifted label. Her point was that the kid will eventually hit a tough topic and not be able to deal with the difficulty. The "gifted" child ends up feeling like, well, I should be good at everything because I'm so smart. But I'm not good at such and such, so I'll just stop doing it.

 

I don't agree w/ SWB on everything -- I also have Latin cards that I can't part with -- but, boy, did she have a few good tips that really helped me.

[SamanthaCarter]

This thread is so freeing! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Guest]

Homeschoolers who don't take Snow Days. We rarely get snow but every time we do some homeschooled posts on FB that their kids don't take snow days. God himself is telling you to relax and enjoy Netflix for a day!

[HomeAgain]

Non-accredited outsourced HS classes.  I sorta get it, but then I'm like, why pay twice the cost for something giving me half as much?

 

School rooms.  We tried.  Ours ended up as the rec room with the big comfy couch and a variety of sitting spots plus the computer desk.

 

And a few years ago I would have said C-rods.  I actually bought 3 sets and gave away 3 sets.  Then I had the child who hated the MUS blocks with a passion.  He actually likes the rods and will occasionally pull them out to use.

[Carrie12345]

Okay, so it's not something that I don't get, but it's something that others don't get, and I still don't get quite how to explain it to them. (Does that make sense?)

 

People who are interested in or new at homeschooling, who ask me how to homeschool.  I have absolutely no idea how YOU should/could/would homeschool.  I barely know how I'm doing it, and I'm 10 years in!

[kewb]

As someone else said, I don't get radical unschooling. Some days you need to do what I say and brush your teeth and learn how to count your change.

 

I also don't get the derision I receive when I don't tow the party line about how awesome it is that my kids can hang out with kids of all ages. Yes, my highschooler can hang (babysit) with your ten year old. She doesn't want to. She also doesn't want to hang with your 13 year old because they are both teens. She wants to hang with her friends who are her age so they don't have to police what they are saying and the field trip doesn't have to be brought down to the younger kids level.

[LifeLovePassion]

Homeschoolers who don't take Snow Days. We rarely get snow but every time we do some homeschooled posts on FB that their kids don't take snow days. God himself is telling you to relax and enjoy Netflix for a day!

If we did that we would have a lot of time off. We got 2-4 inches a day Monday-wednesday.

[Barb_]

The best part of this is the bare feet! :)

 

I never had uniforms, but I did sometimes think it would be nice to have them when we were out during the schoolday. People would assume we were part of a private school and there would be less explaining. (And they were, in fact, part of a private school. Very exclusive!)

And the hair on the two littles that probably never did get combed that day. They'd be like, "Bye mom! We're walking to school!" And I'd call back, "Ok, see you when you get here!" Smirk-head shake-eyeroll.

 

Sarah (the tallest one in the picture) was going through a cosplay wig phase and had 5 or six of them. Some days she'd leave the house in blond milkmaid braids and then the next day as a redhead with bangs. Sometimes I'd take one or two out still wearing the uniform and a question would catch me off guard. I'd mutter something about it being a very small school out west they've likely never heard of.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Barb_

[heartlikealion]

Okay, so it's not something that I don't get, but it's something that others don't get, and I still don't get quite how to explain it to them. (Does that make sense?)

 

People who are interested in or new at homeschooling, who ask me how to homeschool.  I have absolutely no idea how YOU should/could/would homeschool.  I barely know how I'm doing it, and I'm 10 years in!

 

:lol:

 

When I was researching it I found a couple books that gave approx times to spend (daily) homeschooling per grade. I go by that loosely and that is the type of thing I would probably volunteer if put on the spot. Even though I don't really know what I'm doing I do like to tell people asking that you don't have to buy a box curriculum. I think a lot of people assume you have to go that route.

 

[Barb_]

Homeschoolers who don't take Snow Days. We rarely get snow but every time we do some homeschooled posts on FB that their kids don't take snow days. God himself is telling you to relax and enjoy Netflix for a day!

When we lived in PA we always took off the before-Christmas snow days. It was so exciting! What's the point of a flexible schedule if you can't play in fresh snow, right? But mid-January I was over it lol

[Barb_]

School rooms. We tried. Ours ended up as the rec room with the big comfy couch and a variety of sitting spots plus the computer desk.

 

.

This sounds like the perfect school room! Like a progressive school :P