I have been pondering the idea of homeschooling for several months now. Why? Why not? I am a college educated mother who loves her children and lives in an area where the public schools are sub-standard and the cost of private schools is outrageous? So what's a caring mom to do? Homeschool!
Homeschooling with a Christian worldview seems to be the best hybrid of public school + Christian privateschool, but without the drama and the cost.
I have been researching various resources on the history of how public schools began (to indoctrinate kids to be loyal and not question government authority and decisions), the various homeschool curricula with its multi-facted philosophies. I must admit I am a bit lost. All of my homeschooling parents use different resources and curriculum meshed with their personal views and desires for properly educating their child.
Today I am encouraged by a guest blog I read at Raising Homemakers from Sarah Mae on the Phonics Museum offered by Veritas Press. The Phonics Museum is based on the classical method of instruction and combines teaching reading with fine arts. Veritas Press is giving away a Phonics Museum Curriculum to a Raising Homemakers reader. I really hope I win!
Actually, by exploring and deciding to homeschool, I am already a winner ~ my kids too!
Be encouraged! You do NOT have to, at this point, attempt to peer down the long, long road toward the "high school" years to determine what would be the best curriculum approach, etc. It's almost always the case that people start out with something, only to adapt it, or change it altogether, even numerous times, as they find things that work better for their teaching style, their child's learning style and their particular goals (that may only be revealed over time, as the Lord brings things to light). These formative years should be a time of answering a child's natural desire to learn and explore. There should be no pressure in the way of tedious schoolwork, but instead, it should be a time of play. A natural extension of the interaction between a mother and toddler - reading, talking, singing, playing hands-on, etc. We must be flexible, realizing that God has created each child to be a unique individual. They may even be very different from us. With their own talents, giftings, bents and interests. The freedom that comes with homeschooling - being able to adapt the pace and the direction to accommodate the child's individuality, without the artificial pressures of conformity to a group situation or meeting external time-tables and expectations - allows us to find just what fits. This may mean trying something out, only to find that it does not meet our needs and then moving on to something that works better. It can be a bit overwhelming, at first, looking at the buffet of choices and trying to determine with which option you should start. You may be able to find a beginning homeschooling class in your area. Or even a smaller homeschooling convention (I do not recommend attending a larger convention until you have been homeschooling for a good while - they are fun, but can make you feel like you are drowning and don't know which way to turn and everything sounding wonderful!). It is helpful to learn about some of the basic approaches and curriculum styles. Then you will want to start out with something that does not require a major financial investment. If you find that it is not working for you/your family, you do not want to feel locked in because of the expense. In fact, you may be able to do the preschool/early years with almost no cost. I love to use library resources, as well as inexpensive workbooks at Wal-Mart. And then, of course, the small cost of supplies such as crayons, play-doh, etc. There are lots of good, fun, free resources online. The biggest expense I have made is in quality materials for making scripture part of our daily lives - good music CDs (such as the Seeds Family Worship series), great animated Bible videos (Nest Family Entertainment), children's Bibles (for the early years, I LOVE The Word & Song Bible by Stephen Elkins). Use the library (or even start building your family library) for good books to read aloud to your child from a young age. Read, read, read. Utilize the Interlibrary Loan System for any books not available locally (you request a book which will be sent to your local branch, from a library anywhere in the country and you check it out normally - very handy!). You can find wonderful book recommendation lists by age online. You can find recipes and crafts to go along with the books you are reading - makes it fun! You can do fun crafts for learning letter shapes and sounds, such as: http://totallytots.homestead.com/NowIKnowMyABCs.html
ReplyDeleteI love workbooks for things like beginning math, counting, shapes, etc. For reading, I have something that I purchased once and will last me, with all of my children, through college level. It's called Spell to Write and Read, by Wanda Sanseri. I teach my children the sounds of the phonograms (70 basic sounds used in English) and they progress, learning how to write simple words, which teaches them to sound out words, learning to read, following a progressive method of learning all of the (surprisingly consistent) spelling rules for our language. Designed for those with learning disabilities and discovered to be of great use to those learning English as a non-native speaker, it also works very well for teaching English speaking children in a systematic way. They also hear the words used in the context of wonderful, character-building quotes and sentences. The list goes from preschool words, progressing to college level vocabulary. I begin with preschool games (such as making "fish" on construction paper, upon which I write the phonograms, for which they fish and say the sound, or fish for the sound I have named... fun!). Very soon, they are writing for themselves in a little spelling book. It's wonderful to watch their ability to write and read, while also building their handwriting skills, right before your eyes! (It's also easy to introduce cursive handwriting very quickly, and it actually makes for easier writing - since it's flowing letter formation!) I like to invest in something that I will get to use for years and years (and can always resell if desired). Once they are of an age, I move to Saxon Math for mathematics. It is a regular school curricula. That is about the only thing I do use that is a typical textbook. I shy away from a traditional classroom approach. (It's funny... because, when I began with Merry in Pre-K, I used Bob Jones University Press and the books themselves were for classroom teachers. I had my one "student" and all of the instructions were for many pupils.) Classroom textbooks do not appeal to me. I know many people who use private school curriculum, across the board, even using DVDs where the student is taught by a teacher and then does the lessons, as in a classroom setting, but that is not my style at all. It would not work for us to have my children doing seatwork for most of the day. Nor is that my desire. I am also happy to not have the expense of such an approach. But, it works for others.
ReplyDeleteThe Lord cares about these matters and is very willing to lead and guide us. He is very good to place people and resources in our path. And I know He will show you just what He has for you and your family.
(Note - many of us find our schooling experiences to actually be a hindrance... having to distance ourselves from the classroom mindset. But we can learn with our children. He teaches us how to teach them. :)
Just so happy that you are taking this path on life's journey!! I believe it is part of God's heart to bring us back to the paths He designed for us, and our families, from the beginning.