Though I would
never consider myself a homeschooling expert, eighteen years of experience has
taught me a thing or two. I am passionate about HS and love encouraging people
who feel led to walk (sometimes crawl) this road less traveled.
One of the
first questions I am asked is, “What curriculum did you use?” It is a simple question with a not so
simple answer. I have used MANY different things in my efforts to teach my
three children in ways that fit their learning styles. (Sometimes I was more successful than
others. :-)) So
here you go:
I began my HS
journey with Abeka simply because their unsolicited catalog mysteriously
appeared in my mailbox the exact day I wanted to pull my First-grader out of
school. I used it for several years mainly because I doubted myself and HS
resources were minimal. Abeka is
designed for those who like the structure of public school curriculum but want
a Christian perspective. You can
get teachers’ guides and handbooks - all the bells and whistles a traditional
schoolteacher would have. (For a
price.) A child who completes
twelve years of Abeka is more than ready for a college experience. I will say
that I REALLY like the beginning Abeka reading program and their emphasis on
phonics. (I kept the flash cards
for my grandchildren or for tutoring because I liked them so well.) I also
enjoyed their history for the early grades. However, I began feeling overwhelmed by the amount of
material to cover and the expense of the curriculum so I explored other
possibilities.
Math: Eventually I changed
to Saxon Math and used it for my two oldest throughout their homeschooling
experiences. (Kyle through 8th
grade and Cassie through 12th.) Saxon Math moves very quickly from
one concept to another, but some students, like my youngest, need more
reinforcement and practice than it offers. When Candace was in junior high I
used the “Keys to…” collection of booklets. (Keys to Algebra, Keys to Geometry,
Keys to Fractions, and Keys to decimals.) This is excellent material for a
child struggling in these areas. When Candace was ready to move on to actual
Algebra and Geometry I found the Video Text series. (www.videotext.com) I LOVED IT! This is
pricey, but VERY worth it in my opinion.
You watch an instructor on a video then do the work. Everything is broken down into very
simple steps and there are a lot of practice problems. This is great for the student who can self-learn
and also for the teacher who needs a refresher. I wish I had found this sooner. (It isn’t a high-tech video, but simple
and more than adequate.)
Language Arts: I
used Learning Language Arts Through Literature for several years until I felt my
children needed a bit more grammar instruction. I picked up Easy Grammar
Plus by Wanda Phillips. It is
simple to use and gives a lot of opportunity for practice. I also picked up Spelling Power
and used it for a while. It is
basically a spelling program for all grade levels. My only “problem” with it is that it doesn’t have all the
fun spelling activities a lot of curriculums have. That is easily overcome with Internet sources that allow you
to create your own worksheets and provide other creative ideas. I liked Spelling Power because
it has comprehensive lists for every grade. A fantastic method for teaching language arts is
note-booking and copy-work. I want
to address those in a separate paragraph.
History: I’ve used Abeka, unit studies, Life Pacs and living books for
this. My favorite (one I wish had
been written sooner in my HS career) is Mystery of History. This could definitely be started in Jr.
High. It is very straightforward
and interesting. They use a note
booking approach to learning. Much
different from the Lifepacs, so it all depends on your child’s learning style.
Science: I’ve used Abeka, my
own material, note-booking and Apologia (www.aplogia.com). I really like that last one. They have material from upper elementary through high school.
Like Mystery of History they use a note-booking approach. The material is easy to read and
interesting. Great supplements to any science curriculum are the Lyrical
Science CDs and books. (Cassie, my
middle child, really took to the songs.
During her 1.5 year stint in public high school she aced several quizzes
because she remembered the information set to music. :-) )
Note-booking and copy-work: It
is incredibly wonderful for any teacher when her students learn the way she (or
he) does. For example: I am a very visual learner and I need
to see the information on the page.
I like charts and diagrams and pictures. I teach the way I learn.
However, some people are auditory learners and others, like my Candace, learn
by moving (kinesthetically). What
worked with my other two didn’t work with her. Fourth grade found us both frustrated and struggling. We seemed to hit an educational
brick wall. I cried out to God for
help, and He answered by directing me to Cindy Rushton and
note-booking/copy-work. (For much
more information Google “Charlotte Mason”, “Note-booking”, and
“Copy-work”.)
The whole idea seemed too good to be true, but I
was desperate. I grabbed a
three-ring binder and a box of protector sheets. I let Candace choose a topic that interested her and took it
from there. I think our first
topic was cats. I did a little
research on cats ranging from lions, tigers, cheetahs, lepers, etc., down to
the house cat. I printed out
simple paragraphs and info on each cat and had her read it and copy it word for
word with correct punctuation.
We’d then find and print a picture of that particular feline, glue it to
her copied page, and put it in a protective sheet in the notebook. We’d include poems we found or wrote
and any other pertinent material.
Compiling this notebook (along with a little math and reading aloud) was
our entire curriculum for a year.
Spelling improved. Reading
improved. Composition
improved. Grammar Improved. Punctuation improved. I became a believer in this process! This is a great tool especially in the
early years. Just make sure that
the material to copy is age appropriate in length and language and is well
written. Amazing! This process could be used for any
subject.
Reading: Read. Let your
children see you reading. Read aloud.
Have your child read aloud.
Their age doesn’t matter.
Cassie was reading aloud to me when she was a senior just because we
loved it so much! Do an Internet
search for living books, those are the best kind! Honestly, Cassie was such an avid reader we hardly had to do
history. Historical fiction was
one of her favorite genres and she learned much more than she did from stuffy
history books!
Several people have asked me about pre-school:
For
pre-school and even K-2 I would spend a lot of time reading aloud and doing lots
of hands-on activities. Take lots of pictures of what you do and have your
child narrate back to you what happened while you write it down. Add pictures
to the narration and make lots of notebooks. Putting your child’s work in protective sheets and notebooks
lets him or her know the work is important. No one likes to work hard at something only to have it
thrown away. Begin copy-work as
soon as they can form letters.
Forming letters can be the copy-work! But I wouldn’t push too hard in these early years. Make learning so much fun that they
don’t realize they are learning.
Make an alphabet book with pictures and drawings and items. (For example: The “C” page could have cotton balls glued on it.)
You are
fortunate to be homeschooling now. There are a ton of free resources available
for you online. We didn't have Internet when we started, and when we finally
joined the World Wide Web it was nothing like we have now.
If I were
starting over knowing what I know now, I would have taken a much more relaxed
approach than I did. And I would have explored Charlotte Mason's ideas about
education.
Recommended Resources:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/420053631380793/?fref=ts This group is led by Ruthie Shepherd the leader
of the Florence-Richland Homeschool group. She posts TONS of free and cheap
resources/links/etc. You should also follow her on Pinterest. ALMOST makes me
wish I had a young one to homeschool again. LOL!
www.Jimmiescollage.com Jimmie uses the Charlotte
Mason approach and shares a lot of good information and ideas.
My previous HS posts:
www.enchantedlearning.com - They have a lot of worksheet and
activities! You can use some of
the resources for free. Membership
is $20 for a year. (At least the
last time I looked.) I actually
joined the site twice and found it well worth my money.
I’ve said recently
that if I were starting over again in 2013 knowing what I know now, I’d buy an
Ipad if possible and utilize all the incredible educational apps they
have. (I bought Candace a Kindle Paperwhite
during her senior year. You can
get hundreds of classics free for it without having to bother with the
library. It also gives you word
definitions and Wikipedia entries.)
There is so much information
out there it can be overwhelming.
YOU CAN’T DO IT ALL! So
don’t try! Just like you go to the grocery store, browse the shelves, and buy
only what your family needs, check out all the resources and see what works for
your family. Every family is
unique and so is every homeschool.
That is the beauty of this mode of learning/teaching. Customize and ENJOY!
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