Our schedule is tied to Sam's speech classes--MTTh from 8:15-8:45. Also since I plan to enroll Harry in some classes, I need to figure out when those will be. I'm struggling with coming up with a schedule for those reasons. There are things I know I need/want to incorporate in our lives, so I need to enter those in first and use them as a framework for everything else.
I know Harry's classes will be Tuesday and/or Thursday depending which school I go through.
I want school to primarily be in the morning so we can have the afternoons to do fun things. But at the same time, Annika naps in the afternoon, so maybe that would be better...
I want to go see Soda at least twice a month for at least half a day
I want to get outside as much as humanly possible. We live in such a neat area where we can be outside comfortably most of the year, so I need to take advantage of that.
I'm sure there's more, but I'll have to think about it in the morning.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
The Specifics
In an attempt to organize my own thinking, this is what I plan to use in my home school for the remainder of the year:
Math: Math U See Alpha
Grammar/Copywork/Dictation: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind
Reading: "real" books; some he picks, some I pick. I plan to have a book list drawn up by Wednesday.
History: Story of the World Vol. 1
Geography: Harry's cool new globe and driven mostly by his interests
Art: Pick an artist per month and study one work per week
Music: Similar to art, just with composers
Science: I'm not real sure. I plan to have him start a nature notebook and go outside as much as possible. But as far as actual curriculum choice, I don't know.
So, that's it in a nutshell. It's not real specific for a couple of reasons, one being that I'm just not ready yet. I have most of my ideas floating around and this will be where I organize everything.
Edited to Add: Spelling: Spelling Workout A
Writing: Handwriting Without Tears Level? (I can't figure out if he should be in Kindergarten or First Grade)
Math: Math U See Alpha
Grammar/Copywork/Dictation: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind
Reading: "real" books; some he picks, some I pick. I plan to have a book list drawn up by Wednesday.
History: Story of the World Vol. 1
Geography: Harry's cool new globe and driven mostly by his interests
Art: Pick an artist per month and study one work per week
Music: Similar to art, just with composers
Science: I'm not real sure. I plan to have him start a nature notebook and go outside as much as possible. But as far as actual curriculum choice, I don't know.
So, that's it in a nutshell. It's not real specific for a couple of reasons, one being that I'm just not ready yet. I have most of my ideas floating around and this will be where I organize everything.
Edited to Add: Spelling: Spelling Workout A
Writing: Handwriting Without Tears Level? (I can't figure out if he should be in Kindergarten or First Grade)
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Just how do you think you'll be able to...
teach your child at home?
I've given a lot of thought to that question. I've spent many hours reading books, looking up websites, organizing things...all the things that you are supposed to do when you begin to home educate.
I was first attracted by The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. It's a complete curriculum in a book--everything is laid out for you and really all you need to do is buy or check out the products they mention. That part is great. Along with that is a conviction that we should not use textbooks for history and reading, but go to the sources. I totally agree with that and love the idea. But the hallmark of the classical education as they set it out are Latin and the Trivium. They write that everyone should study Latin before any other language. The Trivium is a way of studying history--start at the beginning and work your way to the end. (novel idea, I know). History goes in four year cycles, so ideally you would study the history of the world three times, progressing in thinking each time. That makes so much sense to me.
There are some problems I see though. Wise and Wise Bauer really want little kids to sit down and get to work at an early age. And although this is homeschooling, the schedules they present in their book have children sitting and working for hours on end. Which isn't why I want to keep Harry home. Also, I do not see the need for everyone to know and be fluent in Latin. It may be important to know the endings, but the language, not unless our kids are interested. Harry isn't, he really wants to learn Swedish.
That's one theory or method I've investigated. The other way of teaching is sort of diametrically opposed to The Well-Trained Mind. But at the same time, it can be adapted to work with it. In the 1800s a lady named Charlotte Mason opened a school in England. She advocated short lessons, narrations, and lots of time outside. She also didn't believe in textbooks, but in what she called, "living books." Living Books are those written by one person--so for example, instead of reading a text on how pioneers lived in the 1800s, you would read books written by people who were pioneers in the 1800s. Make sense? It does to me too.
In the end, there are parts of both methods I like. It think The Well-Trained Mind is too rigid and Charlotte Mason can be too loose, so I plan to use a combination of the two. And most of all have a really good time with my kids.
I've given a lot of thought to that question. I've spent many hours reading books, looking up websites, organizing things...all the things that you are supposed to do when you begin to home educate.
I was first attracted by The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. It's a complete curriculum in a book--everything is laid out for you and really all you need to do is buy or check out the products they mention. That part is great. Along with that is a conviction that we should not use textbooks for history and reading, but go to the sources. I totally agree with that and love the idea. But the hallmark of the classical education as they set it out are Latin and the Trivium. They write that everyone should study Latin before any other language. The Trivium is a way of studying history--start at the beginning and work your way to the end. (novel idea, I know). History goes in four year cycles, so ideally you would study the history of the world three times, progressing in thinking each time. That makes so much sense to me.
There are some problems I see though. Wise and Wise Bauer really want little kids to sit down and get to work at an early age. And although this is homeschooling, the schedules they present in their book have children sitting and working for hours on end. Which isn't why I want to keep Harry home. Also, I do not see the need for everyone to know and be fluent in Latin. It may be important to know the endings, but the language, not unless our kids are interested. Harry isn't, he really wants to learn Swedish.
That's one theory or method I've investigated. The other way of teaching is sort of diametrically opposed to The Well-Trained Mind. But at the same time, it can be adapted to work with it. In the 1800s a lady named Charlotte Mason opened a school in England. She advocated short lessons, narrations, and lots of time outside. She also didn't believe in textbooks, but in what she called, "living books." Living Books are those written by one person--so for example, instead of reading a text on how pioneers lived in the 1800s, you would read books written by people who were pioneers in the 1800s. Make sense? It does to me too.
In the end, there are parts of both methods I like. It think The Well-Trained Mind is too rigid and Charlotte Mason can be too loose, so I plan to use a combination of the two. And most of all have a really good time with my kids.
Why?
So, you ask why, after all of this time am I taking Harry out of school? Well, there are a multitude of reasons:
1. He's not learning ANYTHING there.
2. He has two teachers, one who is there MT and every other W and the other who is there ThF and the other W. Neither of them want to be there and it shows. I can't help but think "hey, you work 2 maybe 3 days a week, act like you're happy."
3. One of his teachers is out on maternity leave and the sub is a complete dingbat. I was thinking idiot, but I don't think she's malicious. Just not all there.
4. More than half his class are ESOL learners.
5. The accomodations they deigned to make for Harry already being able to read are a joke. They sit him at a table by himself to to more work. He hates it. Plus with the new teacher there, nothing is happening.
6. He gets completely stressed out if he is at school for an entire week. He thinks it's fun to see his friends and will be unhappy when I tell him he's not going back, but in the long run it'll be better.
In the end, we are the parents and get to make the hard decisions for our kids. In this case it means no more school for now. I don't know about first grade, for now we're taking it one day at a time.
1. He's not learning ANYTHING there.
2. He has two teachers, one who is there MT and every other W and the other who is there ThF and the other W. Neither of them want to be there and it shows. I can't help but think "hey, you work 2 maybe 3 days a week, act like you're happy."
3. One of his teachers is out on maternity leave and the sub is a complete dingbat. I was thinking idiot, but I don't think she's malicious. Just not all there.
4. More than half his class are ESOL learners.
5. The accomodations they deigned to make for Harry already being able to read are a joke. They sit him at a table by himself to to more work. He hates it. Plus with the new teacher there, nothing is happening.
6. He gets completely stressed out if he is at school for an entire week. He thinks it's fun to see his friends and will be unhappy when I tell him he's not going back, but in the long run it'll be better.
In the end, we are the parents and get to make the hard decisions for our kids. In this case it means no more school for now. I don't know about first grade, for now we're taking it one day at a time.
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