I am curious..... How many of us use a set up curriculum and teach principally out of text books? How many of us teach a few classes out of texts but use a lot of unit studies or "other" means (ex - science in a box) How many of us unschool totally? And why have you chosen the route you have? One other question...... How many of us have some sort of Statement of Purpose for our HS??
OK, I guess I'll go first LOL I haven't written a statement of purpose but I do have one in my head. I have purchased the teacher edition of textbooks but we don't really use them. I use them to pick up books and DVDs from the library and also to make file folder games for my daughter. As for what we do... Our typical day includes: Doing spelling with Word Spin (a magnetic toy with all the letters on it that I found for her to use) Doing a tanagram calendar so 1 tanagram a day Doing 1 index card with a math word problem on it Reviewing her Spanish words 1 file folder game Sometimes a craft The above usually takes around an hour at most. Then at night before we go to sleep we read a Bible devotion, some poetry, a living book and a chapter out of a chapter book of my daughter's choosing. The rest of the day we unschool and she also has her activities she goes to - usually karate, piano, bells and choir but with it being the holidays she's got piano, karate, a musical and weekly bowling lessons til February. We also do co-op 1 day every other week but that's done until February. She'll start cheerleading in January and that will last until March. Maybe that's more than what you wanted to know but I hope that answers your question
How many of us use a set up curriculum and teach principally out of text books? Not me How many of us teach a few classes out of texts but use a lot of unit studies or "other" means (ex - science in a box) Ummm maybe this is me? We use a wide variety of things for "curriculum" (Which Way USA magazines for studying the states, Charlie Brown 'Cyclopedia for lots of things, computer games, board games, life etc.) How many of us unschool totally? I would love to, but Garrett would be playing video games 24/7. And why have you chosen the route you have? Because it works for us. One other question...... How many of us have some sort of Statement of Purpose for our HS?? I have never written it out, but my main goal is not to fill the kids heads with knowledge, but to teach them that knowledge is theirs to have. I want each of them to know how to learn anything that they want to know, how and where to find the information and how to make their own ideas and understanding about it.
I am what they say is an Eclectic home Schooler. We are a bit from the box but more and more out of the box ... I generally used AOP for the most part. The last few years I have discovered a world of bigger and sometimes better things in the way of teaching and learning. MY kids have enjoyed a variety of options. Even with the boxed sets I added with map work and projects on the side. Even with the mix mash that I have now I add in things now and again, Simplezine freebies pop in on ds a lot! I think my general idea is as long as he is learning the subjects he needs then whatever I use- that included method or what not - its okay with me!
I am eclectic as well. I am not afraid to chuck something and start again. I am easily distracted by new curriculum. My son is not an unschooler so that method is out of the question for us. Of coruse, he has his unschool moments, especially in history. We use textbooks, not really traditional "public school" texts, but nonetheless, I feel it is critical to have something more than "activities" for our learning. In fact, my son hates hands on stuff even though he is quite the artist and takes pottery and drawing lessons every week. He never wants to bother with labs, though we do them. I am hoping that will change next year with chemistry. We do the unit studies that I make up if they fit into our plans. I was eclectic right off the bat, although my daughter did do a year of classical (our second year of homeschool) but that was not fun for her at all. I have no statement of purpose for our schooling. For my oldest I just wanted her to be safe and homeschool was our answer. For my son, I just want to be his teacher. Not many teenage boys would say that whenever they have a question about something they would go straight to their mom first. I love that part of our relationship.
I was formally a textbook junkie, mostly BJU. I loved the way it was laid out and the teacher's editions were great IMO. But, my son is not a textbook lover (although he liked them better than AOP lifepacs). I had to realize that curriculum cannot answer every need in our school experience. It was nice to think it could--heck, I almost ordered the BJU DVD sets for every subject this year (I am glad it was too expensive)! Now, I am free and eclectic. I still like Apologia and my son may not agree, but he probably would like other books less so... I love Teaching Textbooks. My son even said the other day he likes the pace of that book (pre-algebra). For history-we are changing to a living textbooks type of study. I also want to use magazines and newspapers to help him delve into current events and to help him strengthen his Christian world view. We will just see if I am organized enough. I have often thought of using the magazines in a family setting and not presenting as "school" work. Get some school in without him knowing. For grammar, I use different things, but I don't care as much about some of it like I used to. I used to have him diagram, but not anymore. I probably won't unless someone can prove to me it helps them communicate. I loved it in school, but that is another story ( I am weird). For literature, I am undecided, but some of what we read is going to be linked to our history class and I feel that we can kill two birds with one stone. I like the idea of reading historical fiction/non-fiction. My son does not admit very often to enjoying a boob, but last year I had him read "Slopes of War" and even this year he said he liked it. Spelling-we use Spelling Power, but not exactly the way it is set up. The funny thing is-he does well when we review, but when he writes it is a totally different story. I think it is lack of attention to detail and a little laziness. Vocab-we have used Wordly Wise and now we are mostly using English from the Roots Up. I think it is very interesting (I like linguistics), but my son seems to do well. Foreign language-I want him to study Spanish. We have neighbors who are native speakers and I am 1/2 fluent. He wants to study German. WHAT? I think it is a fad, but we will see. I don't want to spend a ton, just to have him give it up or dread it (because I make him use it) I can't say exactly what is going to happen in the next four years, because I see that things change too easily. But, I have come to the eye-opening conclusion that I cannot teach my son with my preferred learning style. Wow, why didn't I figure that out sooner? I don't have a statement of Purpose, but I probably should. I have some of it figured out in my head, but not on paper.
I USED to be an outta-the-boxer with our schooling, textbooks/workbooks, etc. We are completely ecclectic now. Using a different curricula for each subject. This way is definitely more work BUT, it's also more satisfying and more fun for us, and I really feel like i have a finger on the pulse of what they are learning and retaining. We use some textbooks, some workbooks, some Charlotte Masony type stuff, and some hands on, really ecclectic. I'm tied to no one's schedule but my own....and the reality is, I LOVE it that way, and so do my kids. We're thriving for the first time in 5 years.
Really interesting so far! I guess what got me thinking about this were the responses in the History thread. When I was schooling my 3 kids (my youngest went into PS 4 years ago), I guess I would have been somewhere between ecletic and fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants...lol. I used textbooks as a base, and then took off! I always believed that most children learn best when they can participate. So we leaned very heavily on hands-on, field trips, demonstrations, plays, activity days, crafts, all types of things that pertained to whatever we were studying. Our typical year started out at point "A" in a certain text and by the end of the semester we had incorporated unit studies, field trips, movies, original writings, spelling and vocabulary words, several texts and/or reference books, cooking, crafts, all the while following the general "outline" of the text. I always felt that a statement of purpost was very necessary, at least for me. I didn't have one for years, and I found myself frequently falling into the "trap" of school at home. After all, it is much easier to do whatever it is you are familiar with. I wanted more and better for my children. I remembered how I hated history in school, but loved it in college. I found that after I wrote my statement of purpose, I revisited it often. However, my statement of purpose answered the 5-W's and the H. It was not a single PAGE long, let alone a single sentence. It laid out all the reasons I home schooled and what I hoped to accomplish by doing it, and even how. When I felt myself slipping into the textbook trap, I would simply revisit my SOP to get myself back on track. It also was a useful tool for showing family and friends when they questioned our HSing experience. There was just so much more I wanted my children to learn than names and dates and grammar! I was so blessed to have been able to teach them the way I wanted to for so many years. I sincerely hope to have that opportunity with my gs.
How many of us use a set up curriculum and teach principally out of text books? Mostly books, yes. How many of us teach a few classes out of texts but use a lot of unit studies or "other" means (ex - science in a box) Did for preschool, but not anymore. How many of us unschool totally? nope And why have you chosen the route you have? I went to PS, I was a PS teacher, and everyone in my family is a teacher of some sort. It's all I've ever known, so it's hard to get away from that. This works for us so far, so why change it? How many of us have some sort of Statement of Purpose for our HS?? Nope
How many of us use a set up curriculum and teach principally out of text books? No. One year we used AOP Lifepacs when we were getting ready to sell our house and build another one. Very handy when you literally have no choice but to be so preoccupied with other things. They only used them for a couple months. How many of us teach a few classes out of texts but use a lot of unit studies or "other" means (ex - science in a box) If you want to refer to Switched-on-Schoolhouse as 'texts', then we fall into this catagory this year. We are using SOS for ds13 for language arts, science and history. We use MUS for math. We are not going to be using SOS next year. I am already starting to use the SOS subjects as a springboard for researching information in other ways, like documentaries, internet searches and in some instances 'interviewing' real people. How many of us unschool totally? We did this for a time when ds was in early elementary. We got some great historical books from the library, as well as cultural books regarding whatever holiday was nearest. We went on lots of outings. For science, whenever ds would ask a question, we would go find the answer. Sometimes that meant setting up an experiment on his own. Sometimes that meant studying the water cycle at 10pm because that was his teachable moment when he was curious. I'd love to go back to this method. He learned more, I swear, unschooling than he does now. I just want to KNOW that it will serve him well when it comes time for me to write transcripts. I need to start another thread for that one. And why have you chosen the route you have? I switched to boxed math when I came across MUS. Ds needed something structured for math and it fits him to a T. As for switching to other boxed curriculum, it was more to keep me on track at times that I was easily distracted or unmotivated to give my total attention to learning 'whims'. Now I realize that one of the ideal ways to learn is at the moment curiosity is peaked. Actually, I've always known that which leads me to answer the next question..... How many of us have some sort of Statement of Purpose for our HS?? I don't have one, but I think I need to make one. Whoever said they break theirs out when they need to remind themselves of their goal and purpose...even their methods...was a genius. Why I ever let popular culture dictate how I was going to "teach" my kids is beyond me. I thought I was stronger than that. Great thread! I love it here. (((warm fuzzies)))
"Whoever said they break theirs out when they need to remind themselves of their goal and purpose...even their methods...was a genius" :lol: No, no genius here. In fact, my son's IQ is hier than mine.....lol But HSing was the ONE big thing in my life I really KNEW I was following the Lord's leading! Since my kids have all moved on, it's really left a huge void in my life - I just can't seem to find what the Lord wants me to do now! :cry: But sharing my experiences is one way I can still help a little once in a while....maybe.....
Countrygal, Anytime you want to share your wisdom with us you can. I love meeting with/posting with other homeschoolers or former homeschoolers. In fact, I am meeting with a former homeschooling mom on Tuesday to glean anything I can. With the transition I am going through I need help (although I am picky about the type of person-I don't want anyone too judgemental about alternative methods).
I use an eclectic method. School-at-Home simply wouldn't work for us, neither would Unschooling. I use textbooks or programs for some subjects - like Math & Foreign Languages. We do lots of hands-on projects, Science experiments, and creative assignments. We sometimes use a textbook as a spine, but add tons to the 'class' to make it more interesting. For example, my dd is doing her High School Earth & Space Science this year. We have an Earth & Space text we're using. She reads the units & answers the questions. However, she's also writing a book on each of the four topics covered (this was her choice), and has at least 1 project to do for each unit (like planning a lunar colony for 100 people for one year, for the unit on Astronomy). In the younger grades, we don't use textbooks for Science or History. Instead, we build pyramids & Roman Courtyards, make mummies, dissect things, do experiments, watch educational DVDs, and read lots of books. From the time they can read, they read pretty much whatever they want. I will read somethings first to make sure the content is appropriate for a child their age, but it's rare that I say no to something. I suggest books that I think they'll enjoy, but I don't require specific books. I allow them a certain amount of say in what they study, but not complete control. I ask for their input when choosing materials, but I have final say. We've decided that next year, ds's Science will be based entirely on the Magic School Bus. We have the DVDs & many of the books. I found Science/Literature units to go with the books & MSB Science Kits. So we're going to get those & have that be his Science next year. His History will be Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece (and maybe a few other Ancient Civs) because that's what he's interested in right now. My dd has come up with very interesting courses to take to fill her high school history requirements. So, I need to do lots of prep & planning on those. Luckily, I have a few years before those need to be ready. Basically, we use aspects from many different methods. We pick & choose the aspects that work for us & combine them to make our own method. We also pick & choose materials - finding what will work best for that child, for that subject, that year. Most of our curriculum is pieced together from supplemental materials, books (from the library or our collection), materials I create, and various different assignments, projects, and experiments that I come up with. Math & Foreign Language are the only 2 subjects that we use a textbook or program & don't tweak it, add to it, take away from it, or change in some other way. Why do we do it this way? The answer to that is simple. This is what works for us. My kids aren't doing one grade level work for all subjects. They aren't doing the same work kids their age are doing in public school. They're both hands-on learners, both gifted, both have ADHD, and dd has Bipolar. Expecting them to sit & do a school-at-home approach - with textbooks, workbooks, all work at one grade level, the level being decided by age not ability, boring, no fun, bland education - that would just lead to constant fights & no real learning taking place. We require flexibility. We have to be able to change something if it isn't working. The kids have to be able to work at their own pace, not a pace determined by someone else. They have to be allowed to do things in non-traditional ways sometimes. This is what works for us, so It's what we do. I don't have a written Statement of Purpose. Our purpose, our reason for homeschooling, is to provide our kids with the best education possible, to prepare them for college & life, and to make sure they are well-rounded individuals with knowledge & interests in various different areas. I want them to be well-rounded, productive members of society, happy & fulfilled in thier lives, able to take care of themselves & be independant, but also capable of loving others & being in healthy relationships. I want them to be prepared for whatever life throws their way. In short, I want them to be healthy, happy, and have the opportunity to be successful in whatever they choose to do with their lives. To reach that end, I have to expose them to as much knowledge as I can, make sure they know how to learn & enjoy learning - that they see learning as a life-long journey, not something that ends once you have your diploma or degree in hand.
I don't have a statement, but may consider one after reading this thread. We use an online program for our main work, and then add to it with other resources. We also have plenty of workbooks that we use to reinforce what we are learning. We are not unschoolers, but do have a relaxed style. This is only my second year homeschooling, so we are still learning as we go. We still kind of jump all over the place, and we take a break when needed. I enjoy reading what others do, it is very helpful.
Another eclectic homeschooler here... My son attended ps through 3rd grade and I started out very "Schooly" because I was so nervous and worried about homeschooling but now that I have some experience and realize how much of ps education learning can irrelevant, pointless and useless I go with what I think my son needs to know. I'm a lot less schooly partly because I'm in Illinois which has basically few rules on hs and it seems silly to replicate what my son was doing in ps. Now that my son is nearly 13 he knows the 3'rs very well and is a reader so he's way ahead of many adults in that respect. We don't use a specific curriculum -different books for each subject - Apologia for science, TT for math, etc. and then I'm constantly looking for unique, not boring ways for my son to learn. We try to do as many classes and trips as our budget will allow. The mornings are for learning because that's when my son's brain is at it's best and he's motivated. 3 or 4 hours every morning with some days interrupted by helping grandma with her chores, classes, unplanned things that pop up, etc.... Today is internet-free day until after dinner because he was online a lot Sunday. This forces him to find non-internet things to do. I am really drawn to the concept of unschooling but can't take the plunge completely because I don't agree with those who say if you give a kid complete freedom he won't spend 8 hours a day on the computer playing video games ... mine would. He absolutely would and I think he needs more direction than unschooling can give him. Because of his age, I am now moving more towards teaching my son things he will need to become independent. I really see so many adults that are so lost when it comes to the basics of taking care of themselves financially, physically, socially, etc. that I want my son to be a confident and competent individual who can take care of himself as much as possible. I don't care how many books he can read but that he can and loves to read, I don't care if he can memorize and regurgitate facts and information, I care that he can use facts to critically analyze and observe the world around him and use information to help himself. I care that he can think critically and globally, act with mercy and justice, and love others. Jane
We use textbooks for the most part. History, Bible, and literature are done from Veritas Press, which uses cards with classical paintings on them and info on the back for the history/Bible. You then use a selection of suggested books on the card to cover the info more in-depth. Our literature is reading classical children's books [e.g. we just finished the Narnia series and Homer Price and are working on Misty of Chincoteague]. They have study guides for the books that are mainly comprehension questions. Otherwise, we use textbooks for everything else. Singapore and Bob Jones for math, Abeka for grammar, Wordly Wise for vocab, Sequential Spelling for spelling, Real Science 4 Kids & Apologia for science, and Song School Latin for Latin. We also do some logic puzzles for critical thinking. I've never unschooled and don't have any formal statement of purpose.
I use textbooks for some subjects like Math, but then add in all the games and fun learning that I can. We do lots of unit studies in science and history. I usually have textbooks to guide us, but we enjoy going more indepth and usually add lapbooks and etc. to dig in deeper. I perfer field trips to reading about places and try to get out as often as possible. We also are not in one grade level. I adjust based on their abilities and it is working very well for us.
Amen. I want my boys to have exposure to many, many, things and ideas. I want them to be able to have an intelligent conversation and be able to defend thier opinions. I want them to be able to see the other guys position also. I don't have a particular mission statement...although our "motto" is "Whatever risk, yet go forward" and our name is Cygnet Preparatory Academy for diligent and resourceful boys. So together I think that is kind of a mission statement. The idea of the ugly duckling is important to me...that we don't know what God has in store for us and we can only do our part by moving forward. We do some "box"y stuff, and some not. We are kind of a discussion oriented school. Maybe as the boys mature, a Socratic sort of idea.
We have on the most part used A Beka. It works for us, so we haven't changed. If you have read any other of my posts, you will see that my ds doesn't like school, so it wouldn't matter what I use, he wouldn't like it. This year, we are using A Beka dvd's, for 9th grade and K. I needed a break!!!!
