Simple Question (Ha!): What curriculum did you use?

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 8^th grade and Cassie through 12^th.) 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:

http://www.palmsofhishands.blogspot.com/2009/08/advice-for-new-homeschoolers-part-1.html






http://www.palmsofhishands.blogspot.com/2009/10/looking-back-on-fourteen-years-of.html











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!

If I Could Give You Anything

Dear Candace,

It’s graduation time.  You know what that means:  family gatherings, mushy cards, caps and gowns, hugs and kisses… and presents!  (Who doesn’t like presents!)  A few weeks ago I sat thinking about graduation gifts and what I would truly like to give you.

After much pondering this is what I came up with:  

If I could give you anything…

I would give you eyes to see yourself as God sees you:  Fully known, dearly loved, treasured possession, unconditionally accepted, Divinely equipped, especially chosen, wonderfully made, destined for victory.

I would give you confidence that is not shaken by popular opinion, criticism, the latest fad, test scores, beauty pageants, failures (or successes) bank accounts, number of friends, or fear of the unknown.

I would give you strength to choose the eternal over the temporary, right over wrong, endurance over quitting, substance over popularity, compassion over judgment, forgiveness over retaliation, and love over hate.

I would give you wisdom to always know what to do in any and every given situation.  Wisdom that sees the big picture – that sees everything in it’s true light.  I’d give you the mind of Christ.

I would give you love – a love so powerful and overwhelming that it more than satisfies your deepest emotional needs with such abundance that it spills over all those around you.  A love that is patient and kind, that always seeks the best and never fails.  I’d fill you with the love of Jesus.

Since these things are beyond my ability to give I am asking our God (out of His glorious riches) “to strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

Be on the lookout for them.

I love you!

Mom

P.S.  The mushy letter is coming. :-) 

Looking back on fourteen years of homeschooling I wish I had...

1. Taken a “School Picture” every year. Don’t get me wrong. I took and take lots and lots of pictures; I just wish I would have taken one around the same time every year. I suppose this is the only thing I missed from not having a “traditional” school experience.

2. Bought a file box for each child and made a folder for each year of their life. That way I could have easily organized important keep sakes and pictures. Instead I either threw things out or have no idea how old the children were when they created those things. Pictures could be slipped into the appropriate folder to be scrap booked later.

3. Read The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald Davis sooner. Just because a child struggles with learning doesn’t mean they have a learning problem. It just means they see things differently. That’s a good thing! This is a must read for anyone who thinks their child is dyslexic.

4. Been more relaxed in the early years instead of feeling like a failure if I didn’t do everything exactly like the public schools. If I had the opportunity to start over, I would concentrate on the 3 R’s in and not feel guilty. I would also read the books Mommy Teach Me and Mommy Teach Me to Read by Barbara Curtis. She is a certified Montessori instructor who has twelve children. Her ideas and suggestions are awesome, but geared mostly toward children younger than my own. (Check her out at www.mommylife.net.)

5. “Thought outside the box” more. My college degree is in Elementary Education and it took too many years to realize I didn’t have to do every thing the way I was taught to. I wish I had built more replicas and done more hands-on activities. (And not fretted over not finished page whatever in the math book.)

6. Not worried so much about what people thought. If you think homeschooling is a radical idea now, think what it was 15 years ago. Lots of people questioned our decision. Most of those have come around and realize what a great thing it is. Those that didn’t come around, well, they aren’t responsible for my obedience to God, and they can never take away the joy this time with my children has brought me.

7. Not allowed my oldest two to go to public high school. I won’t go into the thought processes that sent them to PHS, just know it was their desire, not mine. My son went all four years and graduated. My daughter went a year and a half and decided on her own she didn’t want to be there. I don’t think the experiences they had there were good for them. However, something good did come out of it: it removed any doubt that I would be able to handle their high school education. In four years My son had maybe four teachers I felt were dedicated and really taught him something. There was a lot of time spent doing busy work, watching pointless movies, learning what was on the state competency tests, and sitting in the gym because the teacher didn’t have work for them to do. They never, ever finished a text book. They were doing well if they made it ½ way through. (How can they go on to Biology 2, Chemistry 2, or Algebra 2 if they haven’t completed the first one??) I know there are some great teachers in the public school system, but in my children’s high school experiences they were few and far between. (Disclaimer: I know there are circumstances where public school is a necessary option. I’m not condemning those who send their children there; I’m just discussing my personal observations and experiences.)

8. Discovered Apologia Science and The Mystery of History sooner. These two resources are teacher/kid friendly and just downright interesting! These would be appropriate beginning in the upper elementary grades.

9. Been more patient and kind. It can be so frustrating when kids don’t “get it” or if they’re fidgety. I ashamedly lost my cool more than once, especially with a certain young man during math.

Hands on learning...literally!

Some of you may remember that Cassie (DD16) wants to be an interpreter for the deaf when she grows up. With this in mind, I've really been trying to connect her with anything and everything I can to help her explore this interest. We've signed up for an online signing class, and we've toured the Mississippi School for the Deaf. (We're still waiting for word on whether we can volunteer there or not.) It seems like God is in on this whole thing too as He's made an interesting arrangement of His own. The mother of one of our friends is deaf. (I'll call the mom "L".) Because our friend recently had surgery, his mother has come to stay a few weeks. Last Sunday she taught Cassie some ASL (American Sign Language) signs for "Amazing Grace". Today "L", her daughter-in-law "C". and "C's" mom "D", came over for cake and coffee. (I've decided I still like the occassional tea-party even though I'm 43.) While my girls and I didn't get much done in the way of "book learning" today, we all had wonderful lessons in hospitality, cake baking, and ASL. Since none of us is fluent in ASL, it made for interesting conversation to use what we knew, plus lots of finger spelling and even paper and pen to communicate. Not only did we learn a lot, we had fun doing it.

Mom in Space!

NASA had a display trailer set up outside the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science for three days this week. Since Candace is studying space, I thought it would make for a good field trip. I’ll confess I was a little disappointed (which is what happens when one’s expectations fall short of reality) in the space exhibit. The really cool interactive floor wasn’t working and there really weren’t that many interesting things to see. L We did have our pictures made in space suits and received a free pencil. (Well, actually, our pictures were superimposed on a picture of a space suit. Does that count?)

All was not lost, though, as we decided to go into the museum itself and have a look around. Their newest exhibit is Hunters of the Sky. It has to be their coolest exhibit ever. Though all of them were stuffed, there were many very cool looking owls, several eagles, assorted other raptors, and even a California Condor. We saw owl pellets, whole and dissected, real x-rays of wounded birds, and an eagle’s nest. There were several interactive stations such as viewing various feather types under a microscope, experimenting with air currents, and trying to identify different raptors. Unfortunately my girls weren’t quite as eager to read the wealth of information as I was, but I’m sure they learned a lot anyway.

To me, the coolest thing was the eagle’s nest diorama. It was huge! I can’t imagine seeing such a sight in real life. I’m sure it would take my breath away. I had wondered where they got the birds since I know the museum staff didn’t go out and kill all these birds just to show them to us. One of the plaques said that the baby eagles in the display had been killed in a storm.

Since Candace and I had been reading about owls, it was really neat to see all the different owls right there. And that California Condor! O, my goodness, if I ever saw one of those flying over I’d think the dinosaurs were back. That thing is huge. It is sad to note that the one on display had died from drinking anti-freeze. How tragic!

We pretty much had the place to ourselves which was nice. Though we didn’t spend the entire day there, it was really cool. I’m so glad we went. I hope I can go again before it leaves December 30th.

Bonus picture:

Ever see a giant praying mantis made of pine straw?

What homeschooling's about.

When Cassie (16) discussed ending her public high school experience after 1.5 years, her one question was, "Can I learn sign language if I come back home?" ASL (American Sign Language) has always facinated this daughter of mine, so I readily agreed. After much searching, Cassie actually found her own materials, an online course she discovered. After checking it out I agreed to give it a try. Three weeks into it and she loves it! (You can check it out for yourself by clicking here.) Truly, one of the great advantages to home education is that children can persue their interests.

Not only is Cassie interested in learning ASL, but she dreams of working with the deaf one day, perhaps as an interpreter. With that in mind we (Cassie, Candace dd12, a friend, and I) took a tour of the Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind today. What a treat! Not only is the MSDB a beautiful facility and campus, but our tour guide was more than eager to show us around, answer any questions, and introduce us to people. We popped into the end of a basketball practice, a science class, a preschool class, and a second grade class. We talked with teachers who were hearing and some who were also deaf. One teacher who works with blind students showed us how a braille typewriter works! (How cool!) One teacher mentioned having Cassie come help her with her class sometime, and a director gave the kids forms to fill out in order to be able to volunteer. Cassie was even able to use some of the signs she's recently learned!

This homeschool mom's heart was breathless with joy to hear Cassie, Candace, and M. talk about how interesting the tour was and how excited they'd be to volunteer. Their lives may be forever changed by this encounter in a real and positive way. What a joy to watch your child really persue something that truly interests her (him)! Cassie may never learn the periodic table; and if she does she'll probably forget it the next year. But she will never forget this day and our trip to the Mississippi School for the Deaf and blind.

That's what homeschooling is all about!