Stuff I Never Taught Them

Stuff I never taught them, but they know anyway....

• Nursing
• Copy editing (beyond the basics, anyway)
• Wedding photography
• Video special effects and other tech savvy stuff
• Magic tricks
• Drawing birds in detail
• Skate board riding and repair
• Country cooking
• AP Chemistry
• Knitting
• Soccer
• Basketball
• French
• Italian
• Spanish

So much more....

My ten children -- ranging in age from 7 to 25 -- have learned so much and taught me so much.   Just today, I listened to my oldest daughter intelligently discuss Nicomachean ethics with my sister.  I had absolutely no clue what they were talking about.

Ladies, if you're just getting started in home schooling, don't blow a gasket thinking of teaching them everything they will ever need to know.  You can't.  They can learn jolly well without you if they are interested enough.

Just give them the basic skills.  Read. Write. Speak in public.  Do math. Draw. Science and history too, of course!

Give them the tools for what interests them - butterfly nets, cookbooks, computer software, a camera.  

Let them take time to tinker, explore, take things apart. Making mistakes is part of the learning process.

Classes, clubs and mentors can help in areas where you don't know as much as they want to know.

Have fun learning new skills from your kids!

Virginia Knowles
www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com

P52 Photo Project 

Raising Homemakers 

Oral Language Learning for Young Children

My youngest daughter and my grandson

Dear friends,

Here's an excerpt from my book Common Sense Excellence on teaching oral language. This includes listening, speech, and oral composition.  Oral language is something we teach throughout the day with our little conversations, whether we realize it or not.  Brothers and sisters even learn it from one another!  Oral language is the vital preparation for learning to read and write.

ORAL LANGUAGE

Listening

“Come, my children, listen to me; 

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” Psalm 34:11

“...let the wise listen and add to their learning, 

and let the discerning get guidance.” Proverbs 1:5

“Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; 

apply your heart to what I teach, 

for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart 

and have all of them ready on your lips.” 

Proverbs 22:17-18

Listening to spoken words is where it all begins!  Our children listen to us talk from the time they are in our wombs.  We don’t give them formal lessons, but they learn to talk anyway. Isn’t it amazing?

Take full advantage of the power of warm companionship.  The constant give and take of conversation, coupled with the natural repetition in everyday life, enhances listening skills almost effortlessly. Encourage your young children to tell you about their feelings and the events of the day.  And listen to them!  Be interested! 

Discern auditory problems. Does your child seem to have a hard time listening to you?  There is a difference between hearing and listening.  Your child may seem to be merely uncooperative, but perhaps he can’t hear you well enough to distinguish sounds properly.  Because hearing impairment affects the ability to process language, this can lead to permanent speech delays, so please don’t ignore this possibility. Many auditory and speech problems can be detected by a doctor or speech/language therapist using simple screening tests. If money is a concern, check with your county health department or local public school for free or low-cost testing and/or therapy.

Teach your child to pay attention. Suppose your child can hear you just fine -- when he wants to!  Perhaps he needs extra practical training in the fine art of listening.  Maybe it’s an attitude problem, but it could be that he just doesn’t know how to listen.  First, make sure that he is right in front of you, not across the room or at the other end of the house.  Next, make sustained eye contact. The ability to look someone in the eye as they speak is a valuable skill, and we may as well start now!  When your child is “front and center” paying attention to you, start talking to him.  Keep the sentences short, sweet and specific.  Ask him to repeat after you what you said.  Does he know what you mean?  If you say, “Please clean your room,” does he interpret that as an option because you said “please” or does he understand it as polite but mandatory?  Exactly what does “clean” mean?  Oh, and is there any time limit on this assignment?  Spell it out!  Then check up on it!

 

Work on simple auditory memorization skills. A valuable language skill is to be able to store the “input” in such a way as to recall it for “output” later.  As part of our listening skills approach, we encourage our young children to memorize Scripture passages, poetry, song lyrics, and quite pragmatically, a sequence of instructions that we wish them to follow.  Start small, and go slow.  Give them a phrase or two at a time, and repeat that until it is learned.   When you start using dictation methods for academics (more on this later), you will appreciate the time you have spent developing auditory memory.  Remember that it is better for them to memorize a few things thoroughly than many things shakily.  

Practice rhyming words.  Tell your child several examples of rhyming words, such as cat and mat or nickle and pickle.   Then say pairs of words (some rhyming and some not) and ask your child if they rhyme.  Next, say a word and ask your child to give you one that rhymes it. This may sound silly, but rhyming is an effective auditory discrimination activity and pre-reading skill.

Match spoken words with visual images. In the beginning stages, you can point to a picture and name it for your child.  When he knows many of the words, you can point to a picture and ask him to name it, or you can name an item and ask him to point to it.  (This is an example of Dr. Maria Montessori’s Three-Period Lesson.)  This activity naturally provides for continued discussion about the things you see on each page of a picture book.  For example, you can talk about shapes and colors of items, their uses, and other educational concepts -- all cuddled up on the couch having a grand time!

Speech

Moses said to the LORD, 

‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent,

neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. 

I am slow of speech and tongue.’  

The LORD said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? 

Who makes him deaf or mute? 

Who gives him sight or makes him blind? 

Is it not I, the LORD?

Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’"  

Exodus 4:10-11

“Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.” Psalm 139:4

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

Coach your children on how to control their voices.  Proper volume, tone, pitch, inflection and speed will make them pleasant to hear. They should know when a quieter “inside” voice is appropriate, and when it’s OK to be more exuberant.  For example, if they are visiting someone who is wearing a hearing aid, they need to be sensitive to the fact that loud noises might cause a very unpleasant screeching noise in the person’s ear.  Start early to teach your children to control their voices!

Discuss when to speak and when to be quiet.  Do you have a little chatterbox who won’t let anyone else get a word in edgewise?  Teach her how to take turns in a conversation!  There are also times when we have to be totally quiet.  In most church services, it is important to be silent during the pastor’s prayer and sermon.  However, we should sing out enthusiastically during a rousing praise chorus, and greet others in a normal conversational tone (not a shy whisper!) during the “meet your neighbor” moment.  Part of this will come by your example, but you will probably also need to issue some gentle reminders when the actual time comes. 

Work on correct pronunciation and diction.  You may be able to understand what your child is saying because you know him and can practically read his mind, but can other people figure out his speech?  Some pronunciation problems are developmental, which means that the child usually grows out of it with time and practice.  The ability to correctly pronounce the R sound, for example, often does not appear until age seven.  Work with your child gradually, practicing sounds with him as you read stories, learn nursery rhymes and carry on simple conversations.  Try not to call undue attention to the problem; nervousness tends to make it worse.  Consult a physician if you suspect a physical problem, such as a tight connecting tissue under the tongue.   A speech therapist can also help diagnose and treat problems.  If you can’t afford to see one in private practice, ask for a free screening with a public school therapist.  Your child, even as a preschooler, may be eligible for special education sessions.    I had a speech impairment until minor surgery at age seven, and two of my children have had significant speech delays and/or diction problems which eventually improved, so my full sympathies are with you!

Let your child play with accents. This is the beginning of drama!  Some of the easiest accents to imitate are Southern USA, Boston, New York, British, Australian and Spanish. In the process, children learn to listen carefully to what makes each one distinct, and to reproduce the sound patterns not just in a given word, but in a whole spontaneous conversation.  Can you hear the gears clicking in their brains?

Show how the meaning of a word or sentence can change with tone of voice or vocal inflection.  Try changing your tone of voice (jovial, haughty, sad, excited, mildly sarcastic, serene) or emphasize different words in the sentence.  How does this change the message that comes across?

Teach your child how to answer the phone correctly, as well as make outgoing calls.  This will vary from family to family, but instruction should include what to say when you answer the phone, how to inform a family member that they have a phone call, what to say if the person they ask for is not available, how to take a message, how to dial a number, how to leave a message, what hours are appropriate for phone calls, etc.  I often remind my children that if they make a comment in the earshot of someone here who is on the phone, the person on the other end can probably hear it, too.

Practice reciting short pieces of literature.   Poems and famous speeches are good material for this activity.  Recitation helps a child to speak clearly and expressively, to cut out dead words such as um and you know, and to control his body movements.  Do this in the privacy of your own home until your child is ready for a more public audience.

Accustom your child to public speaking situations.   As ambassadors for Christ  Jesus, it is so helpful to be able to get up in front of a crowd and say a few intelligible words without fainting!  Start with a simple recitation, and move up to more original presentations.

Train your children to speak sweetly to each other and to you.  If I had it all to do over again, I would have majored on this.  I can tell you from experience that if you fail in this area when your children are young, you will pay for it later.  Name calling, bickering, tattling, slander, whining, sassing -- these can all poison the atmosphere of your home to the extent that you allow them.  Once ingrained, they are hard to shake off.  You can help your child find ways to communicate his feelings which do not tear other people down and stir up conflict.  This includes tone of voice, body language, and actual words.

Oral Composition

“Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; 

he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 

So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: 

‘I will open my mouth in parables, 

I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’”  

Matthew 13:34-35

“Listen, for I have worthy things to say; 

I open my lips to speak what is right.” Proverbs 8:6

“Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,

but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.” Proverbs 20:15

Moving beyond the mechanical aspects of listening and speaking, I would like to talk about something which requires a little more brain power: oral composition.

Oral composition starts at birth.  The earliest exposure your child has to language formation is  hearing you speak from the time he is born.  How do you choose your words?  How do you organize your thoughts?  Can he follow the sequence of events when you tell about something that has happened, or when you make up a story just for him?  As he grows through the preschool years, he will tell you about life as he knows it, like what happened when Daddy took him to the baseball game.  It may be out of sequence a little bit, or perhaps he exaggerates here and there, but it’s his story.  Yes, this is oral composition in its seedling form.  Water it, and it will bear fruit.  Listen!

Oral composition sneaks in when your child is at play.  If she is building in the sand box, she might tell you that she is making a castle.  If he is dressing up, he might be a clown or a soldier.  If she is playing with dolls, she might speak to her babies in sentences that sound uncannily like your own (for better or worse)!   If he is racing around with a toy fire engine, he might describe how he is putting out the flames.  Talking about what he or she is doing is a vital part of the pretending process!  You can help by providing the props and asking an occasional question.

Oral composition is developed by narration.  For a more academic approach, let me elaborate on oral narration, which I mentioned in the Literature section.  Charlotte Mason advocated this method for all ages, but especially for young children.  It means telling back what you have heard in your own words, and perhaps adding in your own opinions or ideas about the topic.  This can be done after listening to a story or poem, reading a chapter of a book, or even looking at a piece of fine art.  The narration might be sprinkled with a few new vocabulary words from whatever was read.  In this way, he not only shows that he understands the material, but he is also developing his own language skills in a powerful and natural way.  These sessions can be short and sweet, perhaps just a few minutes.   If you must ask questions, try to keep them open-ended so that your child can’t just reply with a yes or no, or answer with a bare bones phrase.  You don’t want to extract the information, but let it flow.

Oral composition flows from a topic which grabs your child’s attention and interest.  Maybe you are out in the garage doing laundry when he comes up and starts chattering about an exciting book he’s been reading about snakes or astronauts or whatever.  You can tell he is psyched about it.  You know the information is rattling around in his brain, just waiting to be released through his mouth!  Let it stay at this level for quite some time, just getting him comfortable sharing verbally, either with factual information or a story. 

Oral composition blossoms into original storytelling. After a child has had ample exposure to read aloud literature and plenty of practice in oral narration, he may be ready for original oral storytelling beyond what would normally occur in conversation.  Working orally should definitely come before any attempt at formal written storytelling!  A few children may want to make up fanciful stories, but most would do well to stick with the familiar, such as a description of things they have experienced with their senses, or a narrative of a recent happening. You can easily incorporate oral storytelling naturally and spontaneously by asking your child, “Tell me all about the Christy’s birthday party!” or “Why are you so excited right now?” or “You didn’t like the way that story ended.  How would you change it?”    Keep in mind that you can use oral narration and composition with a child who does not yet know how to read.  Even a three year old can offer a few sentences here and there.  These little conversations are part of your warm and loving relationship with your child, not some complex scholarly skill!  Many years ago, our little children would beg to hear my impromptu stories about the fictional Blake family.  When I was too tired to think of anything even halfway original, Joanna, then nine, came to the rescue with her own Max and Liz stories.  After all, she has heard mine often enough that she had a pattern to go by, and she has a lively imagination of her own.  The younger ones began to prefer her stories to mine.  (I won’t take that personally!)  The older ones still tell stories to their little brothers and sisters. These story telling sessions may be after regular school hours, but I’d be the last one to complain!

Oral composition is a crucial academic skill.  Parents may discount the value of oral narration or story telling because there is no paper trail to prove that the child has done “language arts” for the day.  If this is your concern, just mark down on your child’s record sheet what he did:  “Gave oral narration about Abraham Lincoln biography,” or “Discussed Charlotte’s Web book with Mom,” or “Described paintings at art museum,” or “Made up original story about exploring Mars.”  These are all perfectly valid educational activities, and you should be proud to have them listed in your child’s portfolio. Just think of how pleased you will be when your child can carry on an interesting conversation with the adults and children at your next family reunion!

Synthesizing Your Own Style - and - Duty and Delight

Dear friends,

It's the start of a new school year, and while most of us have already chosen our curriculum to use, we are still adjusting as we go along.  This article is an excerpt from the chapter "Choosing Your Own Approach to Education" in my book Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade.  I've been thinking about it since we are always trying to find the right blend in our home of structured and delight-directed living and learning.  What works for you?

Virginia

SYNTHESIZING YOUR OWN STYLE

Are you boggled after reading about the different approaches to home schooling?  Which is right?  Which is right for your family?   If you think about it, what the people who teach these approaches are trying to describe is how you can most effectively allocate your family’s time, money, space, attention and decision-making capabilities to secure the best education for your children.  To that extent, each one is valuable.  I doubt that any single approach offers everything you will ever want, and there are so many overlaps that we can’t even say they are mutually exclusive. I use what I call the Eclectic Approach: attempting to combine the interest and organization of unit study, the natural methods and love for beauty of Charlotte Mason, the order and discipline of traditional education, the freedom and imagination of relaxed home schooling, the scholarship of the classical approach, and the convenience and fun of computers.   I cherish the freedom to pick and choose from whatever will work with each child.  If you ask me what my philosophy of education is, I would say:

“God is the Creator of the Universe, the Author of Life, the Prime Moving Force in History, and the Ultimate Teacher.   He has chosen my husband, children and me to be members of one family, to live and learn together.  In his grace and wisdom, he has given parents the awesome responsibility to train and educate children so they can know, worship, and serve him in practical ways all of their lives.  Our children can learn by being with us, watching us, listening to us, conversing with us, and working with us as we go about our daily lives.  Through personal relationships, reading, and writing, they can acquire and share knowledge and skills with others.  They can gain direct experience with the world around them through hands-on discovery and projects.   They can learn self-discipline as they follow plans that are not all of their own choosing, but they will also enjoy the satisfaction which comes from individually pursuing their own God-given interests and talents.”

DUTY AND DELIGHT

Did you notice that last sentence in my philosophy of education? Here it is again: “They can learn self-discipline as they follow plans that are not all of their own choosing, but they will also enjoy the satisfaction which comes from individually pursuing their own God-given interests and talents.”

The dilemma for many home school moms is: “Do I make my children learn what they need to know, or let them learn about what excites them?”   The answer is YES... to both!  It’s not an either/or situation. Education needs to be a balance of duty and delight.  I think of duties as those things that must be done, the fixed expenses or work in our daily routines.  Delights, on the other hand, are the things we naturally want to do, our discretionary activities, our play.  “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” the saying goes, but I must add that “All play and no work makes Jack a useless boy.”  How do we find the optimum combination between duty and delight?

Realize the value of your work, and take joy in the accomplishment. The ideal is always to love what we do and do what we love, but it just doesn’t always work that way naturally.  It takes attitude changes.  As we think about the benefits of what we must do, then we can enjoy it more. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  He is also our blessed example in this, “who for the joy set before him, endured the cross...”  (Hebrews 12:2) Let us be an example to our children!

Make your “delights” more productive.  Use them to build relationships, serve other people, learn new skills, and improve health.  Examples of “diligent delights” for children include cooking with mom, taking a brisk family walk around the neighborhood, planting flowers, making cards or gifts, or practicing math while keeping score in a game. 

Balance the day to make time for duties and delights. Charlotte Mason always recommended doing the more structured lessons in the morning, and then leaving the afternoon free for “purposeful” delights such as pleasure reading, nature walks, art, music, tea time, etc.  As I now tell my children: “Get my assignments done in the morning, and the afternoon is yours for anything at least halfway educational!”  If they don’t get their morning assignments done, this can eat into their “delight directed” time.

Accept that learning can be fun, but it doesn’t always need to be fun.  Yes, our children should have a sense of adventure and imagination in their studies. However, if they demand that school always be “a thrill a minute” without any drudge whatsoever, not only will you burn out trying to be their entertainment director, but they will miss out on some very crucial knowledge and skills that can only be gained by disciplined work.   In future years, they will not likely have the perseverance necessary to succeed in higher education, career, and family life.   A person who bails out when the going gets rough will not make a worthy disciple of Jesus Christ.  He will be like the barren ground littered with rocks and thorns instead of good, fruitful soil that multiplies an abundant crop.  (Matthew 13:1-23)

Allow your child to choose some studies, but oversee the results.  In the unschooling model of education, the child chooses what to learn and when to learn it.  Yes, it works for some people, depending on the motivation level of the child.  I think this would be most successful if the child sets a plan for each day, instead of flitting aimlessly from one thing to the next without really finishing anything at all.  He should also still be accountable to the parent for progress, especially in weak areas. Gregg Harris has often taught about delight directed studies, where the child chooses assignments based on his own interests.  We have done this to a limited extent in our family, especially in the middle and upper grades.  Younger children usually require more direct input from their parents with this.  Those who have not yet developed self-discipline need intervention.  If your child can stay busy doing what needs to be done, that’s great!  But if he can’t motivate himself, he’ll need a little pressure from you.

Start a short seatwork time each day.  While it is not wise to push massive amounts of written work in the early years, it does not hurt to sit down and write for a little while every day. This could be just five or ten minutes for a preschooler to practice writing a few lines of letters.  In early elementary they might have a paragraph of copywork, or a short list of spelling words, in addition to a math workbook. These focused activities will help to lengthen a short attention span.  Most children can, with proper discipline, handle at least a brief session of some focused work each day.  It says to the child, “I have confidence that you can do this!”  

Transition into more structured assignments as needed.  In the primary grades, you can let children read just about as much as they want, knowing they will naturally pick up most of their language arts skills this way. However, they still need to be willing and able to complete whatever written assignments you deem necessary for them. This is especially true as they approach fourth grade, which is when many children can be expected to concentrate more on  structured materials.  Like it or not, you will need some sort of paper trail for their portfolios, including written language arts samples. When I determine that a child needs to make the transition to more formal assignments, I usually find it necessary to plan very specific lessons. I try to target the subjects which they typically neglect, while letting them continue autonomously in the areas where they excel.  I might buy a small brightly colored workbook, or assign page numbers in an easy text, or design brief Charlotte Mason style grammar lessons somehow related to their favorite school subjects. Then we work one-on-one for several weeks until they are done.  Children who are not accustomed to this will fuss about it for a while.  Don’t let this deter you!  It takes an adjustment to break into a new routine, but once they get there, it gets a lot more comfortable for both of you.  You will need to be right by their side for a while until they can do it themselves.  This takes a time commitment on your part, but it will pay off in the months and years to come!

And, a summary from the very end of the chapter...

1-2-3 Ideas to Remember About

Choosing Your Approach to Education

u Know your child’s learning style and personality, as well as your own preconceptions about education.

v Keep a balance between structured and creative methods. Hold your children accountable for their work. 

w Research different approaches, and be open to changing methods as you go.

Home School Rules

These are some habits we are working on developing at our house.  You would think we would already have them down pat after nearly 20 years of home schooling! 

Home School Rules


1. Always follow Mom's instructions right away.
2. Ask questions if you don't understand something.
3. If you can't get help right away, keep busy until you can.
4. Work hard and get everything done on the day assigned.
5. Do an excellent job.
6. Be quiet so others can work, too.
7. Put your name and date on all of your papers.
8. Make sure you keep all of your papers in your notebook.
9. Clean up after yourself as you go.
10. Enjoy learning with your family!


What are your family's rules?  How are they working out for you?  Do you have any great tips for the rest of us in actually carrying them out?  Do tell!

Virginia Knowles
http://www.startwellhomeschool.blogspot.com/

Our First Week of School: Schedule, Curriculum, Record Keeping

Our First Week of School: Schedule, Curriculum, Record Keeping



Dear friends,

Back in March, on my main blog, I wrote an article about our family's plans for the 2010-2011 school year. (You can find that here: What We're Doing for School Next Year (The Big Switch!). We've pretty much finalized most of the details already, and, in fact, we have already started our school year! We had two full months off after co-op ended, and I want to do a six-week-on-one-week-off routine this year, so July seemed a reasonable time to start. One of my teenage daughters has been doing Algebra 2 and Web Design 2 on-line with Florida Virtual School this summer to get a jump on things, so I guess she never took any substantial amount of time off.   My two older boys, who are in middle school, had basketball camp at church the week of July 5, so I decided to ease into the new schedule that week with just the three younger kids, who are 9, 7, and almost 5. This proved to be a great decision, especially since I'm starting a new kindergartner who wants (but does not get!) all of my attention. Then this past week, the big boys started, too.

The Morning: History & Science

We generally spend the first part of the morning, from 9 - 10:30 AM, reading from the Bible, singing, then doing history and science together. Then until 12 noon, each of the kids has individual assigned reading related to our American history topic. The older ones are supposed to write a paragraph or two about whatever they read, but this usually turns into a page or two. I won't complain about that! The younger ones -- ages 7 and 5 -- do an oral narration or a few sentences of copy work about what we read.

I must say I am really glad we are doing school all at home this year instead of the co-op. We need it just now. I love the direct teaching approach. I love learning together as a family instead of just overseeing assignments someone else has given them. I love the flexibility. I love how we can pack in a lot of content just reading on the couch. Yes, it took a few days of getting used to sitting still and not interrupting too much. They still have a bit of the summer wiggles. It's good that our assignments have been a little light this week just to break back into things, but we've still covered a lot.

Our American history resources are books and videos we have on hand (hundreds of them), as well as library books and A Beka American history texts at each grade level. (Next month, I'll try to write a blog post about teaching American history.)   We are taking several weeks on each major historical period: Explorers, Colonial, the Revolutionary War, the 1800's (Pioneers and Civil War), Early 1900's (World Wars and Depression) and Late 1900's.

We are using Apologia's Human Anatomy and Physiology text and notebooking journals for science for grades K-6th. Read my review of this excellent curriculum by Jeannie Fulbright here: Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology. Having this organized science program is going to make my year so much easier, and the kids' year so much more interesting and productive.  We do have other books about the human body to supplement the text for individual reading.

If we have any time left over, I read from whatever other book looks interesting.  This week, we started What Would Jesus Do? by Helen Haidle.  It's the children's version of Charles Sheldon's classic In His Steps.

The Afternoon: Math & English Skills


After lunch, they do their math and English skills assignments. For grades K, 2nd, 4th, and 6th math, we are using Horizons. I also bought Comprehensive Curriculum workbooks at Sam's Club for some of them during the summer, and there are still plenty of language arts pages for them to work on. I just tear out a page or two from each section (such as Spelling, Reading Comprehension, etc.) and put it in their Current Week notebook, which contains all the assignments for the week.

Kindergarten


My kindergartner's assignments are obviously different. I do phonics with her almost every day. She already knows how to sound out a lot of simple short vowel words, so we practice tandem reading with little stories in a basal reader published by Scott Foresman that I picked up for 50 cents at our library's used bookstore. You can read more about my "tandem reading" method in this article, Learning to Read, or in my book Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade. We also do Italic handwriting and Horizons math together. She's zipping through the pages of both.  I also give her coloring pages from the Bible Story Coloring Pages book related to whatever Bible story we have been reading.  Each picture has a simplified story to go with it.  When we read about God creating the world, I had her circle the word "God" wherever she saw it on the page, and she copied a sentence or two.  I pick out picture books from the library to read to her, usually two or three a day. The older ones can listen along if they like.

After School


When they are done with their schoolwork as well as any chores, the kids can have free time for the rest of the afternoon. This includes outside play, computer time, PBS or videos, card or board games, crafts and hobbies, inventing things, etc. We might also go to the YMCA or run errands. At the moment, my 6th grader is trying to camouflage a fish tank filter in a large bin of water (making a frog pond), and my kindergartner, not wanting to be left out of wet fun, is floating boats made from plastic cups in another bin. It's a good thing we have a back porch.

Planning and Record Keeping

What about planning and record keeping? I like to do mine on the computer since my kids are doing so much of the same things.   For each week, I type a list of what I plan to do as a group, broken down by day and then subject.  This makes it easy for me to follow as I'm sitting with them.

A typical day for our group work might look like this:

Thursday:

• Bible: Read Genesis 4 and sing "For the Beauty of the Earth."
• History: Read & discuss The Secret World of the Aztecs pages 20-26.
• Science: Read pages 30-33 of anatomy text and draw diagram of cell on page 18 of journal.

I give each child a page with individual assignments, too.  They keep these in their notebook so they can check what they need to do each day. The assignment pages are broken down by subject, then by day. Here are the history and English assignments for my 4th grader. 


History
Finish reading Leif the Lucky: Discoverer of America (LL) by Erick Berry:

• Mon: Read chapter 4-5 in LL and write a paragraph.
• Tue: Read chapter 6-7 in LL and write a paragraph.
• Wed: Read chapter 8-9 in LL and write a paragraph.
• Thu: Read chapter 10 in LL and write a paragraph.
• Fri: Color Leif Ericson page in your notebook.

English
• Mon: Start CC pg 79-82 (Reading Comprehension)
• Tue: Finish CC pg 79-82 (Reading Comprehension)
• Wed: CC pg 192 (Sentences)
• Thu: CC pg (Capital Letters and Periods)
• Fri: None!

I keep a copy of all of the assignment sheets in my own notebook, so I can check off what they are doing as we go. When the week is done, we transfer completed work from the Current Week notebook into an archive notebook. The Current Week notebook, along with their math workbook, science journal, and history books (for individual reading) go in a plastic bin with their name on it. The bins are usually stored on a shelf in the dining room, but they often get left in the living room, where most of them do their work. If I find anything left out, it's easy just to pop it back into their bins. I have my own bin with my planning notebook, a Bible, history and science books for group reading, etc. You can read more about my bin system here: "Bin There, Done That" (Or How to Keep School Clutter from Turning You Into a Basketcase)

Home Schooling on a Trip

We are leaving on vacation soon, but counting it as school time since we will be taking field trips to Monticello, the National Zoo, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Valley Forge, and the monuments and museums in Washington, D.C. After we get back, we'll pick up the pace on the more formal school assignments.  When we go on our trip, we will bring along minimal schoolwork. Each of them will have one notebook with lined paper for writing about the places we visit, photocopied coloring pages about the Liberty Bell and other landmarks, a laminated US map (folded page, designed for a notebook) and simple workbooks (from Target's Dollar Spot) about U.S. Presidents and/or the 50 States.  I copied U.S. maps (blank and filled in with state names) so they can memorize the location of the states or mark them in when they see a license plate from there.  I may bring along some books to read aloud, too, especially if they are about the places we are visiting. We aren't bringing any math at all.  If you would like to read my article about vacation preparation, click here Tips for Your Trips: Planning a Vacation to Enjoy Rather than Endure.

I guess that's enough for now!

Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
http://www.startwellhomeschool.blogspot.com/

What is the Charlotte Mason Approach to Education?

Miss Charlotte Mason was a late 19th / early 20th century leader in British education. Her Parents National Educators Union schools, in homes and villages around that country, championed natural learning methods, high quality literature, the fine arts, orderly home atmosphere, healthy outdoor time, and the dignity of the child.

Her methods, outlined in the six volume Original Home Schooling series, have made a comeback in modern home schooling circles where they are also known as “living books” or “life experiences” education. Mind you, I haven’t yet been able to plow through all of her own writings, but I do appreciate the books and magazine articles I have read about them. If I had to choose one approach to home schooling, this would be it!

For language we use dictation, copy work and narration; choose interesting “whole books” written by authors with a passion for their subjects; and teach children to read with a commonsense blend of phonics and sight words. There are so many other ways we have used Charlotte Mason to appreciate art and nature, but to list them would start another whole chapter! My favorite book on this is The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola.

Quick Tips for Using
The Best Facets of Charlotte Mason

♥ Choose interesting “living books” and biographies for reading aloud or independent study.
♥ Keep lessons short and varied so that the mind does not become dull.
♥ Assess comprehension by oral or written narration (the student tells what he has learned).
♥ Use the methods of dictation and copying to practice grammar, handwriting and spelling.
♥ Go on nature walks and draw what you see.
♥ Allow plenty of time for unstructured outdoor play.
♥ Study fine art and listen to excellent music, focusing on one artist or composer at a time.

The brief article above is excerpted from my first book, The Real Life Home School Mom.


Charlotte Mason Web Sites 

Here is a collection of several popular web sites that teach about various aspects of the Charlotte Mason approach to education. Please note that I do not endorse everything on each site.

I recommend that if you see a link that interests you, either in this Charlotte Mason section or the next one on my blog links, that you right click and open in a new tab. That way you can read each one in turn without losing track of the others.

Charlotte Mason Research & Supply with Karen Andreola www.charlottemason.com/ (I'm not sure if this site has been updated recently since it doesn't list Karen's newest book, but there is still a lot of great stuff there.)

Ambleside On-line -- free curriculum, booklists, schedules, including free on-line texts, plus CM's original series in modern English paraphrase http://www.amblesideonline.org/

Simply Charlotte Mason http://simplycharlottemason.com/

~~~

I wrote a blog post called Nature Study: It's For the Birds! about a little bit of Charlotte Mason style nature study in our home and co-op. My sons Andrew, Micah, and Ben took the beautiful bird photographs in this post. Check it out! (Update in 2021: They are all adults now!)

Choosing Your Approach to Home Education: Where Are You Coming From?

Dear friends,

Are you trying to choose or modify your approach to home schooling?  Here are a few things to think about...

WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?

Let’s talk about you for a few minutes. The preconceptions that you bring to the planning stage have been formed by your own childhood, the research you have done about education, and your experiences teaching your own children so far.

Recall your childhood educational experiences. Recollections of our own school years profoundly influence how we think about the whole process of education. If you have negative memories of a particular method or situation, you may be tempted to avoid anything that reminds you of it. I encourage you to consciously acknowledge these thoughts, and make an informed decision about whether or not this will affect what your children do. For example, when I was in fifth grade, I didn’t perform up to my potential using self-paced Independent Learning Units (ILUs). Though I was intelligent enough, I was too lazy to motivate myself. I could have used that failure as a basis to avoid unit studies in our own home school. However, I realized that one major problem with the ILUs was a lack of careful oversight by the teachers, which was something I could overcome while teaching my own children.

Ask yourself these questions about your childhood:

• How were you educated in the preschool years?

• How were you taught to read?

• Were you a bookworm, a reluctant reader, or somewhere in between?

• Did you “get” math?

• What did you like?

• What frustrated you?

• Did you slip through the cracks?

• How were your relationships with the teachers and other students?

• What were your own strengths and weaknesses?

• What resources were available in your home?

• Did your parents help you with school work?

• What hobbies did you pursue?

• What role did Scriptural principles play in your education?


Look back over your research into home schooling. One of the main ways we can learn what works is by gaining insight from others who have been doing it for a while. However, there are so many different opinions about how to educate, that we have to use major discernment to pick and choose from among them. I will be describing some of these approaches later in the chapter, but for now, ask yourself these questions:

• What motivated you to think about home schooling?

• What visions did you have at the start for how you wanted things to be?

• Who were your early mentors and examples?

• What books and magazines have you read? Have these covered a good variety of approaches, or just one or two?

• Is there any one major approach which attracts you the most?

• What Scriptural principles do you want to see worked into your home school?

Evaluate your home schooling experience so far. This can actually be one of the most accurate gauges of what is going to work (or not work) for your family. However, even if something hasn’t worked yet, you don’t have to automatically give it up; it may just need some tweaking or some time. The other temptation is to cling to something that worked before, even after its most effective season has passed. Children change, and sometimes we need to go with the flow and move on! Do give your decisions a healthy dose of clear thinking first, by asking such questions as:

• Do you really want to home school or are you just doing it because someone else (in your family, church, circle of friends) is putting you under pressure to do it?

• Are you afraid, intimidated, or overwhelmed?

• Do you have one child, a few children, or a houseful? How has this affected your approach and your routine?

• What methods have you actually tried, and how well did they work?

• What would your children say about what you have done and how you have done it?

• What observations have others (spouse, relatives, friends, etc.) made? Are they valid?

• If you had one question to ask a home school guru, what would it be?

• Are you in a network of supportive home school friends?

• What role do Scriptural principles actually play in your home school?


Get to know your own children. This is a continual process, since they change over the months and years. Periodically sit down with each of your children to discuss their education. It gives children a sense of dignity and worth when they see that we care about how they feel. When we know our children, this enables us to customize their education to focus on their strengths while stretching them in their weaknesses. Each child is created very uniquely and learns in a different way.

• What is your child’s learning mode? No child can be lumped into a single category, but for simplification purposes, a visual child learns best by what he sees, an auditory child by what he hears, and a tactile/kinesthetic child by what he touches or moves.

• Does your child learn best with Mom, with brothers or sisters, with a group of other children, or off by himself?

• Is your child self-motivated and excited about his education, or does he require a bit of prodding to get going?

• Does your child prefer creative and spontaneous explorations, or does he want his information to be organized and sequential?

• What does he like? What bothers him? What does he not understand?

• What new thing does he want to try?

• What else does he want to tell you about himself and how he learns?

This is a short excerpt from the chapter on "Choosing Your Approach to Education" from my book Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade.