Can someone give me a definition of what eclectic schooling is and how it differs from unschooling? Thanks!
I think it's mostly on line school or dvd school. Where they listen or watch a dvd and then do school work when the teacher is done talking about that subject.
Also eclectic schooling means you use some prepackaged curriculum along with other workbooks, DVD's,co-ops and/or internet virtual schools. Just a mixture of materials. Example: You may use Saxon for Math and Alpha Omega for English, Science and MOH for History. You might also use free materials, printables on the internet, instead of a boxed curriculum. Unschooling could mean some of these things also, but your child guides you to what they want to learn. Say your son loves sharks. So you rent some DVD's on sharks, then you go to the library , borrow every shark book he likes and when he is done reading about them you take him on a feild trip to the local aquarium and then he MIGHT do a report on which sharks he likes best. If he doesn't write a report about sharks no big deal, you are an unschooling so your child is basically in charge. You are there to make sure that they don't attempt anything dangerous (chemistry gone bad) and that they get the materials they need for whatever interest them at that moment. It could also be that say your oldest child knows what they want to do as a career. So you do everything possible to help them get there. My oldest wants to design clothes/handbags. We went to the library and got every sewing /fashion book we could find (mind you we have done this over the course of a year now), she is using my sewing machine and she sketches out designs all the time. When she is older (16) she would like to take a few college courses on fashion design before going to a design school. So that is one goal that she is working toward.We also watch Project Runway together so that way she knows what she is getting into. But she still loves it and knows it will be a hard industry to break into. I would say that we are a little of both styles. My two dd's (soon to be 11 and 9) use workbooks,textbooks, printables from the internet, library books and CD-roms/DVD's. They have to do Math and English everyday. Science is on the weekends because my husband likes to do that with them, History was just started this year ( more formally) and we are starting with World History first, so the next 2 years (or more)will be that, then followed by more intense U.S. History. We use Netflix quite a bit when it comes to other educational studies so if there is some DVD that the girls are interested in , and it is educational, we will branch off a subject with that DVD. I am REALLY flexible in our schedules and teaching. If is a really nice day here ( which are few and far between here in the desert) we do park day. We go to the library , its next to the park, we run around the playground, have lunch under the trees, then take a walk on the trails and then we feed the ducks in all 4 ponds around the park. We get home, do reading time , with the books we just borrowed and then they help make dinner. I love those days. Sorry do go on and on , I hope I explained it good enough for you. Crystal
Eclectic just means doing something by using information from different sources. That is the type curriculum we are using right now. I am wondering if that is the best way to go for high school or if a boxed curriculum is better. I would love to hear from those of you who have already done or are doing high school.
My oldest is 7th grade this year, but I can't see us going with a boxed curriculum. How can ANY boxed curriculum understand what my daughter's interests are? We plan on using Apologia for science (started this year). I eventually want to use "Streams of Civilization" for history. My DSS used this at his Christian school years ago, and I was REALLY impressed with the book. We use "Total Language Plus" for language/literature. Right now, math is year by year. We have several old free textbooks that we are using.
I found this site. I thought it was informative. http://homeschooling.about.com/gi/d...mbers.aol.com/_ht_a/clayvessel/index.htm#what
I think eclectic homeschooling is doing a little of this and that, out of the norm of home schools. I like to think I do that, because I don't do things excactly like it says in the books, and I add in whatever looks like it would be helpful... my mother in law is considered eclectic, and she has a style thats all her own... does that help?
