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Oct. 30, 2007
Relaxed, afterall
| After really examining what we actually DO for school, I've noticed that we actually look more like Relaxed Homeschoolers - which was really quite a surprise to me! So, knowing this is how we function (and seem to learn best), I've decided to sort of run with it. Instead of worrying that we pick and choose a new book from the shelf weekly, and never finish anything, and can't sit long enough to finish page after page (after page) of grammar, reading comprehension, spelling, math, composition, history, science, Bible (did I miss anything???)...well, we're just going to do whatever it is that we DO. I am going to insist on completing some sort of math every day. I will check in every once in awhile at Worldbook.com's Typical Course of Study to see if we are on course in certain goals. So far, we look like we're accomplishing those goals, except we appear to be a little off-course in math. Science, Social Studies, and Health goals always make me laugh. If I spent any time with my children whatsoever - if I ever take them to a grocery store, pass by a firestation, get pulled over by a police officer (just kidding!), talk about the weather, see different animals, or brush my children's teeth, we've got these subjects covered. It seems funny to me that these actually need to be "Taught" "Formally" using a "Curriculum". Reading is kind of like that, too (though I wouldn't have said that 1 year ago!) Reading Comprehension 101: If you're child read it, and liked it, and wanted to keep reading it, then they probably understood it. If you occasionally make them write a sentence, capitalize the first letter and end in punctuation, then you've got that one covered. If you, ever once in a great while, point out the little quotation marks and remark, "oh look, they're saying something in this book," well, then you've got that one covered. It really isn't as Big of a Deal to meet those requirements. And if you occasionally say, "you mean the toy broke?" instead of saying "breaked", then you've got grammar covered. Math is the only trickster in the group (for us, anyway). Math is the real question-mark for me. I think we've given it a real effort in the past. I probably could plow ahead and keeping teaching advanced concepts to those little "deer in the headlights" faces, but I'd really like them to understand what they're doing. I can keep pushing us forward, pushing us ahead so I can make checkmarks on my goals list. But for now, I think I really just want to focus on understanding this stuff...really understanding it. I think the big stuff will come much easier if we can understand the little stuff first. |
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Posted by lisaquing 
Oct. 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
I followed your link from the SL forums. I too am realizing I am a relaxed hser. Our way of doing math is to play 'War' with cards. I split the deck with one kid and we each flip a card, said kid then adds, subtracts, multplies (depending on skill we are working on) and if the answer is correct they keep both cards, if wrong I keep the cards. I usually don't get any cards! Way more fun than flash cards and they love it. Yesterday they set up a bowling alley in the yard using short 4x4 boards and a basketball and added/ multiplied the pins knocked over (gutter balls were worth ten since I did not want them always adding zero!) But my 9 yo invented this game, cool huh! Relaxed is great. Enjoy your journey.