HOW do you school?
jhmomofmany
Posts: 571 Member
Do you school-at-home? Unschool? Somewhere in between? How long have you been doing it, and how is it working out? I'm curious! 
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We're eclectic - semi-unschooling don't know a better way to describe it! I am just thankful when we actually get stuff done on any given day! This is our 3rd year and I really love it. It adds a lot of chaos but I know it's the best for my kids. 0
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Eclectic is the word I like to describe us. My four kids have different learning styles, yet I can't have four very different sets of curriculum to teach so we 're here and there and everywhere.
We start with bible, which is just my kids taking turns reading and us all discussing. We're crawling our way through a chronological plan. Science and History are similar, we read our lessons, discuss, do lap books, experiments and what not.
Math and Spelling is much more like "school at home". We use Math U See, which I absolutely love!
For reading I've flipped and flopped between structured read a book and do a report, and a set up more like a book club where we all read independently and then come together, making sure to point out metaphors and what not.
Then we have miscellaneous other things, like a typing game, art, cooking with mommy and next year we're looking to add Spanish as a second language.
I'd have to say that we don't get to do enough of them, but various "field trips" are probably our favorite. From zoos to museums, I just really appreciate that we're all so involved in learning and discovering new things together.
The one thing I feel we're really missing is music. I so wish I could get them involved with learning an instrument but our finances just don't allow for it. It took years to finally find a good groove for us, but now that we're there we love it. While each of them may have one thing they don't really care for, there's enough variety to keep them interested and "school" is nearly pain free!0 -
We are also in our 3rd year at home.
We started with a curriculum (Moving Beyond the Page) but I had serious issues with their maps - they were terribly inaccurate! - so I got mad and we have been eclectic since then. We tend to change as we need to, either out of boredom, or out of the need to fill a gap. We have used lapbooks, field trips, computer games, computer schooling, text books, and unit studies.
Currently, we are using Singapore and Kahn Academy for math, Time 4 Learning for "core" subjects (including more math), Real Science 4 Kids for science and Story of the World for History. However, we have been leaning heavily on Time 4 Learning (because I'm lazy at the moment) and haven't covered science or history in a few weeks. I know, from past experience, that after our Thanksgiving break, we will more than likely drop T4L for a while and focus more on history and science. We don't tend to take a lot of time off from school - we get bored too easily!
I have also found that we cannot do a "leveled" curriculum b/c the kids function at different levels depending on subject - and they will move rapidly through some subjects, but more slowly through others.
We are early risers, so we tend to get up, get ready for the day, "do school" and are usually finished by lunchtime. We often have outings after lunch (about 2x a week) and other times we'll do "fun stuff" - like history or an art project.
We also lack music, so I am more focused on learning about music -when we remember! I like the Core Knowledge series of books (killer deal on used copies from Amazon!) to help me with things like art and music. We are looking to get a piano or weighted keyboard in the next year so the kids can start piano lessons.
I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind at the moment!
Oh - and we love it most days! Our favorite part is the ability to meet each kid where they are and take them forward with little to no slogging through "known" material.0 -
This is our 9th year homeschooling (good grief, is that even possible? LOL!) and we've unschooled most subjects with more structured learning in the areas of math and writing, and of course, taking about a year working one-on-one with whichever child is learning to read. 0
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We use a loose classical model. I'm pretty laid back about most things, but my girls are learning to diagram sentences and will use correct grammar. It works well for us to have some structure.0
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We're pretty classical with math and reading - I would never skip a phonics lesson and math facts are drilled and timed until they are memorized perfectly - but otherwise much more laid back.0
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After 20+ years of homeschooling I feel like we have done everything! We have had great years and we have had difficult years with moving, complicated pregnancies, job loss, etc. I have learned that in all things God is faithful!!!
I love the philosophy of Classical curriculum and incorporate as much as I can, but the rigor of it just does not fit in with our lifestyle.
We are not laid back...we are go getters! Learning is fun and challenging. It is exciting!
I am very strict but tons of fun!
We do as much school all together as we can.
I am a fan of Konos type learning and love great books.
Math and writing gain high priority but History is our favorite subject.
We spend a good amount of time on religion as well.
For my older students I rely on On-line programs more.
I find that the older that they get the more creative I must become and the more strict. That sounds like an oxymoron but the truth is, as it gets harder, it takes more effort to keep attitudes high and commitment strong.
My first two got into the college of their choice and did very well on standardized tests. My third graduate has a reading disability but is still maintaining a 3.9 in the nursing program. I say this not to brag but to encourage that we are doing some things right.
I never regret this decision! It is the best thing we have ever done as a family.0 -
I'm new here but I thought I might jump in............
We use a lot of literature and a lot of discussion in our homeschool. We are currently using the Bible (Exodus) to cover religion, history and geography. We are using an amazing commentary called Herein is Love, Exodus: A Commentary for Children. The kids totally love it!
We do a lot of hands on math (mine are under 10) and a lot of games for memory. My husband does science with them in the woods or at the river. They've also done quite a bit of hands on science in raising chickens for eggs and meat!
We like messy projects and singing hymns 0 -
We're definitely eclectic, some of the stuff is sit-down work, some of it is un-schooling, I'm a fan of unit studies. The only thing I get firm on is the writing and maths in the morning, then it's pretty much what he wants to work on. He's only 5.5 so we're still in the baby stages. Just started in November! Still getting our groove on. lol 0
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Ecclectic. My kiddo has ADHD, possible FAS, lots of learning disabilities. So everything is geared directly for his abilities, interests, and attention span.0
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I am not sure how long we have been homeschooling. As long as I have had kids I have wanted to homeschool, and I have been teaching them since they were born. There has not been a line drawn between not homeschooling and homeschooling. We learn as much as we can whenever we can. We also don't use grade levels. They may be learning at one level in math and a different one in reading. For electives such as science, history, etc we are doing them together as a family.
My son is 4 and my daughter is just about to turn 6. My son has been working on learning how to read and has started sounding out some words on his own. What I have used so far for teaching them both is the book, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". I love it because when you finish the book your child should be reading at a 2nd grade level. My daughter is now at a 5th grade level. The book worked very well for us, and is working great for my son who I thought would have a harder time. Guess I was wrong.
We have a loose schedule each day. After breakfast we read the Bible together and do our math lessons. After lunch we do any electives. We don't do our lessons at the same time each day. It works for us because if we are going to say ballet that day we can do our lessons before we leave, or do them in the afternoon and skip our elective. Also, if we need to we are free to play after Bible and do math a little later. I just try hard to get Bible and math done before lunch, but at what time doesn't matter to me. For the afternoon electives we do all the work together.
Homeschooling is working very well for us. If we are having an off day we take the day off. we school year 'round so if we miss a few days we can make it up during the summer. Right now we are set to finish math up in April so I think we may take a couple weeks off here soon and maybe take a trip to visit someone. I love that we can do things like that.0 -
I use a literature based curriculum and it's definitely not "school at home" at our house. I guess I would consider us eclectic. This is my 19th year to homeschool and when I figured that up the other day, I was in shock! My two youngest are 15 and 17.0
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Y'all are amazing! this is my 2nd year in homeschooling and we use the Lifepac Curriculum from Alpha omega. I have to have the structure of the units to feel like i am in control, but I have noticed this year I add to what they are doing or change the lesson to suit us! I have 4 children ages 10,9,6 & 3 and I teach 3 levels of math and Language arts, and we do our science, art, history, music and PE together. I try to keep it structured and get most of our schooling done in the morning so we have the afternoons for electives or cleaning(they hate that lol) I Never in my life thought i would homeschool my children but due to the education cuts in a lot of states they closed the school down we were attending & we found it better then cramming them in an already full school and i am really not liking how the public school system has changed with the no child left behind. I absolutly love seeing my children learn and do well.0
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We are very structured with Spelling (Spellling Power ), and Math(Saxon Math) For the rest, we are much less structured...We use Konos unit studies which I love since topics change fairly often or if not, we can change due to lack of interest or increase in interest. This is our 3rd year as well. I feel like we are lacking in Writing and Language Arts. While Konos gives variety and different assignments for the areas..I feel like I need to add a more structured program for those two areas. Anyone have some suggestions?0
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Eclectic here too. We use Mammoth Math for math and Reading Eggs for reading/phonics/spelling. We rely on our local library and community resources (zoo, botanic gardens, etc.) for the rest. It helps that my son is a voracious reader so he teaches himself so much just through reading. We've done a few unit studies for social studies/science as well, and are involved with a co-op that gives us a lot of exposure to different subjects (and kids!). I'm thinking of using Five in a Row next year just to add a bit more structure in. We also are lacking in phys ed and music... hoping to focus on both of those more over the summer and maybe do piano lessons at some point. (Getting *me* exercising more would automatically help with the phys ed!)0
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Hmm..We're in our 4th year...Years 1-3 were really close to "school-at-home"..Now we're leaning toward Eclectic. We've done school-in-a-box curriculum so far, but next year we are breaking away and creating our own stuff. Our local nature preserve offers some really cool science classes for both of my kids, so we hit those up when we can for some extra hands on stuff. Other than that, we have some online stuff we do, reports & presentations w/ my HS group, etc. Somehow we get it all done.0
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We have been homeschooling for 7 years.
We are structured with reading, spelling, writing, and math, and we do them daily year-round, taking breaks as needed. We move according to each child's abilities. My 11yo would be finishing up 5th grade in public school. She's still working on 4th grade math, but she's years ahead in reading. I haven't assessed her yet for the year, but I'm guessing she's at least on a 9th grade level.
My almost 8yo is between 1st and 2nd grade in both reading and math. I started him later. Unlike his older sister, he had absolutely no interest in sitting still and holding a pencil when he was 6yo. So I didn't force it, and we did other things instead. When he started asking if he could learn to read and write, we started reading and writing.
My 5yo is just now showing an interest in "doing school" with her siblings, so we have just begun Letter of the Week at starfall.com.
With everything else, we're more "unschooling". Since they are naturally curious about the world around them, they learn a lot on their own. My 18yo daughter bought an old set of encyclopedias from the library and gave it to my 11yo daughter for Christmas. She inhales them! She also reads through my old nursing and anatomy textbooks for fun.
At this time, I am also having to keep a 3yo entertained, and I am still breastfeeding my 1yo. Once everyone is weaned and potty-trained, I plan to devote more time to history and follow a more formal curriculum there.
ETA--I love Google and my iPhone! Everytime the children ask me a question that I don't know the answer, it's right there at my fingertips! I love going back and looking through our google searches at all the crazy things we've looked up. 0 -
Hi I'm new. Have 3 age 5 and under, two with speech delays.
Prayers, thankfulness to God, and evidence of God's work is all throughout the day, like sprinkling a bit of salt on your meals. "We had such a fun day today - lets thank God for the day he made!"
I take them to classes for fitness, sports, play group, chemistry, nutrition/cooking, music and movement, story time. We do one to two hours a day of class followed by an hour of recess at the playground, every other quarter. We do the at home subjects daily during this time, but get more involved when we don't go to classes.
At home we do various things for the different subjects - songs, workbooks, computer, videos, puzzles, manipulatives, field trips. Subjects are reading, writing, art, piano, math, science (bio & physics), wood crafts, cooking, life skills, computer, general info, geography, mechanics, photography
We are now doing a unit study on gardening. We do a lot of subjects, but it's not a really big deal - math can be worksheets, games, watching Team Omizoomi on tv, or doing math on the computer. Mechanics is fixing a machine while they watch and snap photos, woodshop is gluing pieces of wood to make toys. I try to introduce hard subjects in age appropriate ways so that they wont be intimidated with high school subjects. We don't usually sit down at the table for every single subject.
We are working on habits now - cleanliness, because I'm exhausted from their mess making, and I feel calmer when my house is in order. Thinking of sending one to vacation bible school for a couple weeks but the idea of getting everybody up and out this quarter makes me tired.0 -
We tried a few different methods but school at home worked best for my daughter. She has bipolar and a structured curriculum is better, she needs to know what to do when and what's expected of her. She also is a perfectionist and doesnt want to learn something unless she is tested adn passes with 90% or more right.
that being said, it was tough with lots of tears when she was younger because she didnt always pass the tests with high grades, but being homeschooled we sat and went over her answers, i showed her how to study and such. Now she's in a distance high school and is flying thru with straight A's in honors/ap classes. She wants to take the SAT tests for college. She's a self starter and really wants to work on getting her schoolwork done, even the parts they dont ask her to turn in.
we still look up silly things on the internet, or have discussions thru out the day on different subjects, one day we went yard-saling and i had her print the maps, use the gps on 'follow me' and tell me how to get where. we had her give us turn by turn directions on how to get where we were going and home again so now she knows the town she lives in. We also have lots of pets, Live in the woods in the country and have chickens and ducks, so nature/science is an everyday learning experience.
If we'd had more kids, my style would have depended on their learning style, im not opposed to eclectic or other type of homeschool syles at all. I think homeschool is the best if you tailor it to how your child learns.0 -
I think homeschool is the best if you tailor it to how your child learns.
I agree!0 -
We use My Father's World and stick pretty closely to their suggestions. It is a great fit for us!0
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We are using MFW this year, and we both (my 9-year-old son and I) both like it pretty well so far. We're finishing Week 6 tomorrow. This year's focus is Exploring Countries and Cultures, and the curriculum is a unit-study based curriculum. We school year-round, but take a week off between each country (sometimes do two countries if they're short or similar). We've always used Horizons for math, and this is our second year of using Alpha Omega Lifepacs for language arts.
This is my 4th year of homeschooling. DS totally surprised me this morning by telling me that each night he goes to bed really looking forward to school the next morning. I was like, "Who.Are.You?" (He's such a reluctant learner - it's actually the reason he's at home.) Then he proceeded to tell me that what he looks most forward to each day is math and reading biographies of missionaries. Again - color me dumbfounded! (Not that I'm complaining!)0 -
I think it's great you are teaching your children the bios of missionaries.0
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We are using MFW this year, and we both (my 9-year-old son and I) both like it pretty well so far. We're finishing Week 6 tomorrow. This year's focus is Exploring Countries and Cultures, and the curriculum is a unit-study based curriculum. We school year-round, but take a week off between each country (sometimes do two countries if they're short or similar). We've always used Horizons for math, and this is our second year of using Alpha Omega Lifepacs for language arts.
This is my 4th year of homeschooling. DS totally surprised me this morning by telling me that each night he goes to bed really looking forward to school the next morning. I was like, "Who.Are.You?" (He's such a reluctant learner - it's actually the reason he's at home.) Then he proceeded to tell me that what he looks most forward to each day is math and reading biographies of missionaries. Again - color me dumbfounded! (Not that I'm complaining!)
Yay! We use MFW also. I love it. This is my fifth year homeschooling. I love being able to tailor my children's education. I have one daughter who is very studious and detail oriented and her younger sister is the opposite. When the younger one was learning to read I did all of her reading lessons on my lap to keep her focused. Now, she loves to read! It really is such a blessing to see the light bulbs go off and them get excited over something new learned. I love when their Dad gets home they say "Hey, Dad do you know why Egyptians wore kohl around there eyes?", and many other things they have learned. I also love learning with them. I know so much more about myself and my faith since we started and I thank the Lord for that.0 -
I use the Heart of Dakota Curriculum. It takes very little preparation and can be done in a few hours. It is structured, yet is flexible enough to fit anyone and any time frame. I use my own reading plan and writing lessons. You can plug in pretty much whatever you want, or use what they provide. I would really recommend it to anyone.0
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Hi, I'm new in here but thought I'd jump in.
I home educate my 2 kids and have done for about 5 years now. We are in the UK and I follow the Natoinal Curriculum albeit loosely. School at home works for us mostly though we do have days when the sun is shining where we put the books away and go to the beach.0 -
So, everybody started/ready to start a new grade? We've been homeschooling from day 1, and are just starting high school (grade 9) so only 4 years left (or however long it takes to complete grade 12, we might add an extra year or two, depending on what kiddo decides he wants to do and how much we get accomplished. Remember he is special needs/multiple learning disabled.)
Normally we homeschool year-round, but this year my kiddo is determined to get the whole summer off with no homeschool, so I've set up a schedule which will get us through our work and still get him 2 weeks off for each of Christmas/Easter Break and 2 months of summer, so we'll see if he can stick to it. I've moved science experiments to Saturdays, but he now has a song/dance practice every Saturday for the next two months, so we'll see how that goes. I think we've still got lots of time to cover the required topics.
The math text I've been using the last couple of years only goes up to grade 8, so I had to find something else to use. We're going to try out "Life of Fred", which goes all the way up to college level if we need it. I'm hoping he'll like it better than what we have been doing.
On a positive note, he is really getting into texting and multiplayer games, which means that he is improving his typing and language skills during the time that I am not teaching him.
In a couple of weeks he starts early-morning religious instruction, which means I have to have him at the church at 6:15 a.m. Halfway through my usual work-out time. So that means I'm going to have to get up at 5:00, do half my workout, drive him to the church, continue my workout (run in that neighbourhood, use the gym, or go to the nearby pool/weight room,) then drive him home. I'm actually looking forward to having the pool and weight room available, even though it means getting up a bit earlier!
What are you starting that is new and exciting?0 -
We're ending week 4 of our 11th school year (began in 4K). We have 9th, 7th, 5th, & 3rd grades in our house. Our homeschool looks very different from the early days. In the beginning, we were home a lot with lots of cozy reading times and such. We used ABeka almost exclusively in the beginning. Now, we do a lot of schoolwork on the go and it's more eclectic in nature. Each of my kids have large binders that house most of their assignments for the week. This makes them portable since we spend a lot of time sitting in rinks and driving. We also participate in a local homeschool co-op.
After 10 years of doing this, I can honestly say that I am so thankful the Lord prompted us to do this.
~Blair0 -
We're ending week 4 of our 11th school year (began in 4K). We have 9th, 7th, 5th, & 3rd grades in our house. Our homeschool looks very different from the early days. In the beginning, we were home a lot with lots of cozy reading times and such. We used ABeka almost exclusively in the beginning. Now, we do a lot of schoolwork on the go and it's more eclectic in nature. Each of my kids have large binders that house most of their assignments for the week. This makes them portable since we spend a lot of time sitting in rinks and driving. We also participate in a local homeschool co-op.
After 10 years of doing this, I can honestly say that I am so thankful the Lord prompted us to do this.
~Blair
What things do you like the best about it?0 -
We have just completed our second week of school here.
Math is just review right now for our 3rd grader, so he's a bit bored but it will ramp up soon. It's Saxon Math and I really enjoy the detailed scripting, takes all the guess work out. And I supplement with fun math games and other stuff on the 5th day of the week (if we're home all 5 days that is) or if he wants more math on any given day.
He enjoys both Growing with Grammar and Editor in Chief for structured instruction in language arts. We start a new spelling/dictation program next week and cursive writing. We are also doing conversational french (we are in Canada), chapter book reading, pioneer studies, some science, art and hopefully piano lessons soon. After Christmas we will focus on studying about Canada when pioneer studies are done and I am also looking at a monthly series that he can receive in the mail that focuses on a different country each month. We also try and throw in some creative writing and he is always reading or writing or creating something. And I know he's paying attention and curious because yesterday after reading about how the pioneer children couldn't wait to taste the first dandelion leaves of the year he went outside after school and tried some out to see what they tasted like - lol - wasn't what he expected!
As for PE, we live in the country on a hobby farm so the kids get lots of outdoor time, and now that I am on this journey of my own to get healthy we will be doing more family walks ( I hope).
Wow this sounds super structured but it isn't really and most days the core stuff is done very quickly and early. Oh and we also do KUMON - 3rd grader does reading and math (quite advanced in reading, grade level in math) and our 5yo just started in reading.
As for his schooling, it is Saxon Math K and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons (starting on Monday!), art, PE, listening to stories, workbooks for printing and kumon books for building motor skills. He has a speech delay so we also work on that.
Homeschooling is so rewarding and everything we do is a learning experience for the kids (all 3 - our 4yo "plays" at school for now, doing some prek workbooks, art, etc), our 3rd grader was in public school for JK, SK and Gr1 and although he misses some of his friends, he is much happier at home. We would have homeschooled from the start but he was a foster child until partway through Gr1 and we couldn't, but as soon as we got the adoption finalized we made the decision to take him out at the end of that school year. Sometimes when we are on the road during the day and we pass a school he will make comments about how he is so much luckier than the kids at the school. That's when I know we are doing the right thing.
Whew, wasn't intending to be so long winded, just so glad to be able to combine both my current passions in one place and have like minded people to tell it all to. Thanks for reading.......and if there is anyone interested in being friends, I promise I will try to keep the posts a bit shorter - lol0
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