Methods

Next on the agenda is choosing a curriculum style for your child. Some families may choose a single homeschooling method for their child. Often times parents feel that mixing styles helps them tailor make a curriculum to fit their unique lifestyles and of course their child's educational needs. It is important to remember that choosing a method of learning is a learning process as well. Don’t be afraid to trying new styles and feel free to combine or eliminate the features of each method that don’t work for you. I found an article by Beverly S. Krueger from Eclectic Home school Association that summarizes some of the most popular home school styles. For more information on each, click on link in parentheses as I have provided further information on each.

• Traditional Textbook Those who are traditional textbook style homeschoolers may or may not be attempting to replicate the school classroom at home. Even those who are stout defenders of using a complete curriculum often do not attempt to do school at home. This style of homeschooling depends largely on teacher led learning with heavy use of traditional style textbooks and teacher’s manuals. Many homeschoolers start her knowing nothing else and quickly move on or begin altering their studies.
• 
  Unit Studies
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/sassafrassgrove/homeschool/unit_studies.html sample material)Unit studies are topic or theme based studies that incorporate as many of the academic subjects as possible into the study. Unit studies can be done together by all children of a family because they allow children to work at their own level on specific projects while covering the same topic as their siblings. Lesson preparation becomes easier because the homeschool parent doesn’t have to be current in more than one history or science subject. Johnny is not doing matter while Suzie is doing genetics. Language arts study is incorporated into the study through writing assignments and vocabulary and spelling words taken from the theme. The focus is less on covering a traditional scope and sequence than in developing learning skills that can be applied to any subject. Unit studies can be effectively used to cover even a high school course of study by covering sufficient topics in biology, chemistry or American history to grant credits for those subjects. Unit studiers are most likely to use additional math and language arts texts as supplements to their unit studies.

• Unschooling (frequently asked questions http://www.homeschool.com/advisors/McKee/default.asp ) Unschooling has been defined as child led learning or delight led learning. At its heart unschooling is sort of an inverse of traditional educational ideas. Unschoolers believe that children are naturally inclined to learn. They don’t need teachers or textbooks to learn because their own natural drive will lead them to discover and learn on their own. This means that they don’t believe in lessons, assignments, schedules, or tests. Unschoolers don’t plan their children’s learning but they do facilitate it. When an unschooled child desires to learn about Ancient Egypt, they may ask to visit the library or bookstore. They may need help doing an Internet search. The key is to nurture a child’s curiosity rather than squelch it. Answering questions about butterflies as they are asked during the annual Monarch migration not deciding that today, January 12, is the day we will learn about butterfly migration.

• Classical Homeschooling ( book suggestion: http://books.google.com/books?id=l-La1hCNOPYC&dq=classical+homeschool+curriculum&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=X_JASs7YHpuGNdStlNUI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11 )Classical homeschooling is based on the Trivium. Classical homeschoolers believe that learning is divided into three stages based on a child’s cognitive development: concrete thinking during grade school or the Grammar stage, analytical thinking during middle school or the Logic stage, and abstract thinking during high school or the Rhetoric stage. The teaching methods used during each of these stages are designed to facilitate learning by maximizing the child’s learning strengths at that stage. For example, memorization as a learning technique is used extensively in the Grammar stage when children memorize easily. Studying Latin and Greek is desirable both as a means of understanding English grammar and for studying the texts long associated with study of the classics. Emphasis is placed on reading texts by Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Shakespeare, and other authors in the Great Books tradition.

Where do I begin?

If you're like my husband and I, you may be asking yourselves "Where do I begin"? The thought of choosing material, a curriculum, teachers, and proper education for you is overwhelming. First of all, let me commend you for taking such great interest in your child’s education. Second, let me suggest that you take a deep breath, make a cup of coffee, as we explore the initial phases of home school research. The best thing to do first is to attend conventions or conferences where you can be educated on the different aspects of homeschooling. Many times publishers and writers are present so you will be able to look through sample materials and ask them any questions you may have. Here is a link to a few upcoming conventions around the country. http://www.homeschool.com/Homeschool_Conferences/default.asp

If you are unable to attend a conference, the next best thing would be to contact local organizations, friends, neighbors, or teachers who have experience with homeschooling. They will be able to point you in the right direction and answer your questions regarding legal requirements, suggest curriculums, and help you get started with the research. Home school laws are different in every state and therefore it is important to know what the requirements you must comply with. Here is a link to the homeschooling laws for each state. Simply click on the state you reside to find the requirements for your state. http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp.

While curricula recommendations from veteran homeschoolers is helpful, you must remember that each child is unique. You will want to tailor your child’s education according to their needs. Carefully evaluate and take into strong consideration your child’s developmental stage, learning and thinking style, and find out what motivates them to learn. Here are some books that may be helpful.
“The Way They Learn”
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1012601&item_no=94147

“Discovering your Child’s Learning Style”
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1012601&item_no=520139

Next on the agenda is choosing a home schooling style or method. You're head may be spinning from all this information so we'll save this for the next entry.

Welcome all

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. I just wanted to post a little introduction about who I am and what you can expect to find on my page. I'll start by telling you a little bit about who I am. My name is Adreanne and I am a mother of 3 children. After getting married, my husband and I wrestled with the idea of homeschooling our children. We both had full time careers before getting married and struggled with the idea of being “stay at home parents”. Growing up, I attended public school systems and had mix feelings about the quality of education they provided. He on the other hand was homeschooled and was completely sold to the idea of providing the same education for our children. When we had our eldest son, we were fortunate enough to have flexible schedules in which I would take care of him during the day and he at night. We also had the help of our parents. For a few years, we stopped debating the idea of education. The dilemma arised when my eldest son was old enough to go to pre-school. At this point, our careers were at their heights. We both were in positions that required us to work full time. We lost the flexibility we were blessed with in previous years. We made a decision to send our first child to a public school. He attended a public school his pre-k and kindergarten years. My husband was unhappy with progress he was making academically and therefore decided to give private school a try. The particular school he went to kept him from 7:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. We couldn’t deny that they had a great academic curriculum. However, we realized that we were seeing less of our son as he was spending most of his time either in school or doing schoolwork. We were beginning to wonder if the curriculum was too much for a first grader to handle. Not to mention the costs of tuition and extracurricular activities were adding up. One day, I took a look at his syllabus and realized that with some help, my husband and I were capable of giving him the same quality education. We allowed him to finish 2nd grade at public school as we prepared ourselves to homeschool him.

Although being parents/teachers has had its many challenges, my husband and I are very happy with the results. We definitely cannot take full credit for this as we had a lot of outside help. I will be sharing much of this on the upcoming blog posts. Our eldest son is now entering his freshman year in highschool . We decided to homeschool our two other children. Our daughter is now in 4th grade and my youngest son is in kindergarten.

For all the parents debating the homeschooling question, I'd love to hear some of your input.