Jocelyn's blog

Dec. 6, 2007

The Audio- visual world!!

Our pace has slowed a little as we near the end of the year and yet, as I look back, our year has been a rich one. We've gone on more outings but we've also listened to and watched more things to help us with our learning.

In the past couple of months, we've been listening to Jonathan Park audios. This boy and his family have many discoveries and adventures. It is unashamedly from a Creation Science perspective and the boys have learned a lot about fossils, dinosaurs, bats, weather, hurricanes, woodpeckers, horses and even UFOs!! So many scientific facts are just woven into the narrative and they recall them at seemingly random moments.

Recently, we've been looking at the Spanish Armada. Someone (waving!!) kindly reminded me that I had "Queen's Pirate" by Jim Weiss. We'd listened to it a year or so ago when I first bought it. Now was the perfect time to revisit that and the re-telling brought this era to life! Jim Weiss has this way of telling a story that captures the adventure and inspires the listener.

We're reading "Along Came Galileo" by Jeanne Bendick at the moment and when we're done, we'll re-listen to "Galileo and the Stargazers". I originally bought this CD when we were studying Archimedes three years ago. It's one of my favourites.

I realised, after rummaging through the shelf to find these discs, that we had actually listened to a lot of audios this year. The children have listened to all of the Lord of the Rings series. It is unabridged and each book has about 14-16 discs with it. We've listened to several Narnia chronicles, Redwall books, Jim Weiss CDs and almost 3 volumes of Jonathan Park. I also got this great CD from Jim Hodges on World History:

It's a collection of old radio shows and it's done as if a reporter is on the spot, interviewing people as events unfold. We found it was great when we were looking at the Magna Carta last year and there's ones on the Siege at Leyden and the Armada that I still want to fit in with the boys in the next couple of weeks.

That's what I love about audios - you can just put them on wherever - at home, on short trips around town or long car trips and they learn something as well as it being an interesting story!

Added to that, we've watched some Moody Science DVDs, some iMax ones on Wonders of the World, the Eruption of Mt St Helens and freak weather. We didn't get through all of "Seven Wonders of the Industrial Age" as we borrowed it from the library, so I'll have to get that out another time.

I know if I look through my notes from earlier in the year, I'll find more - this is the list off the top of my head. We've certainly benefited from the richness of material that's out there!

I heartily recommend these resources to you if you are looking for something to inspire your children. Check out their websites yourself, listen to audio samples if you are able to do so and then you can judge whether you will like listening to "that" voice for hours on end. If there's a full cast doing the dramatisation, all the better!

Who said learning had to be dry and boring?

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Oct. 15, 2007

What were your "holidays" like?

Posted in Down to Tin-tacks

The public and private schools around us took a two week break recently. Everyone around us assumed that we would be having "holidays" as well.

I find this a tough one. We work well at this time of year and to stop would break the rhythm and yet, everyone expects you to have holidays because they are. There's always the pull of the neighbourhood children being around, available to play, catching up with other "school" friends and even homeschool friends who are on this break.

Sometimes, we've fallen in line with everyone else but the past two years, we haven't. So what have we done?

We usually do the bare basics - Reading, Maths, English and Bible. Other activities tend to stop - like the piano lessons, swimming and other sports and then, the "free" time becomes filled with visits to friends or having other children over to play. In the second week, we had something on every afternoon.

I find this tiring and enjoy getting back to our regular routine but so far, have preferred having this mix to any other. I like saving up holidays for when we want to go away or when we've had enough and need a break.

I'm not sitting here marking roll and notching up days of attendance. I know we are flexible and that's a strength of homeschooling. For me, it's more about our momentum, our pace and working within that.

What have you done in the past or this year when "holidays" have come?

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Oct. 5, 2007

Patience

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Have I mentioned how much I am enjoying using Our 24 Family Ways for Bible? Maybe I just love doing acrostics with the boys!

This week, we have been focusing on patience. Good one for me as well, that one...

I do come up with some of the phrases, the dictionary helps us and the boys offer suggestions as well. Adam mentioned self-controlled, Stephen mentioned perservering and Zac mentioned being calm.

Patience is:

Perservering with one another
A calm person, self-controlled
Tolerant and loving
It is longsuffering
Even-tempered, no matter what the situation
Not worrying
Capable of accepting delay with composure
Enduring trying circumstances well

I am certainly not all of these things by myself as my children know well. We had a time of prayer, asking God to forgive us when we did not act with patience and love. We also prayed that He would give us more patience with eachother.

Part of the study was reading 1 Corinthians 13 - that great passage about love. Do you know what it says? The first thing it says is "Love is patient..."

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Sep. 24, 2007

Another Acrostic!

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We are up to Week 18 in Our 24 Family Ways. A month or so ago, we had to do some acrostics and this week, we were asked to come up with one for wisdom. I asked the boys for suggestions and over half were done without the dictionary, which was nice (although some choices didn't quite fit...)

W ise
I ntelligent /insight
S ensible
D iscerning
O bedient
M ost knowledgeable

I really enjoy this type of exercise. It helps me to see the richness of a word and to think about what that means for us today.

We also read James 3:13-18 and it's a wonderful passage on wisdom.

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Aug. 8, 2007

Diligent or a Sluggard?

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We have been using Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson for Bible. It has been a blessing for our family and I have been enjoying the deep, probing questions. I wrote a review of the book for A Living Education (an Australian homeschooling magazine) in this month's issue.

Anyway, the focus this week has been on "diligence". So, on Monday, we were asked to look at the word "diligent" and "sluggard" and come up with an acrostic for them. With the help of the dictionary, we came up with this:

Determined or devoted
Industrious
Labours
Integrity
Giving
Eager
Not Careless
Thorough

then this one:

Sinful
Lazy
Uncaring
Gluttonous (then we thought about Garfield...)
Given to ease
Addicted to sloth
Resting
Drone

The dictionary actually had "drone" in it as a definition for a sloth. When we looked at it like this, we all agreed that the sluggard was not a pretty picture. We then looked at some Proverbs which talked about the excellence of diligence.

For all that, it is hard to be diligent and the life of a sloth comes quite naturally! It was good to have this stark reminder of what truly is attractive to God and to others. We then prayed that God would help us to be like this.

I also felt an extra weight of responsibility to model diligence to my boys, to encourage them, scoop them up and carry them along in some things. Some tasks are not enjoyable in and of themselves but they just have to be done. What attitude do we have? Do we care? Are we industrious? Giving? Eager?

It was certainly a good challenge and will continue to be so - I need to walk the talk more often, more consistently and by humbly relying on the Lord to do it.

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Jun. 13, 2007

Workshop Notes for Conference

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As promised, I'm putting my notes up here:

Conquering the homeschool curriculum confusion:
an overview of approaches and methodologies

by Jocelyn James, Canberra NHED Conference

If you are new to home education or wanting to change direction, looking at the curriculum choices these days can be overwhelming. The internet, which can be a lifeline, is also a nemesis.

This workshop will seek to look curriculum questions and talk about the options that are out there today. It will also look at the main approaches to homeschooling and fitting in curriculum choices with learning styles.

Notes:
Have you seen the Bob Jones University ad? Do you feel like your curriculum choices have made an unknown “beast”?
(For those who won’t be there, it is a vehicle made up partly as a car, partly as a plane, partly as a jeep)

When I started homeschooling, I was no different to a lot of others and became a curriculum junkie. It followed the latest crazes, spent a lot of money, only to realize that so many of these programs were not “us” or they were competing with eachother. How could I do all the read-alouds from one program plus all the ones from another ? How could my children do a narration on a topic but then be meant to be answering comprehension questions on a similar thing? Which activity should I choose?

If this has been you so far, don’t feel paralysed or overwhelmed. Sometimes you can even feel disappointed with yourself for having spent so much money. I really like what Chris & Ellyn Davis have had to say about this in their book I Saw an Angle in the Marble. They emphasize the importance of seeing these things as lessons for us. Some investigation into new curricula will cost us money we won’t recoup. That’s an investment for the research category - our knowledge of what’s out there.

What have “methodologies” got to do with it?

Attached to this workshop sheet is a helpful summary of the main learning styles. This has been taken from above book. For those reading these notes on my blog, you can look at the Bluedorn’s comparison of different methods:

http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/comparison_approaches.php

Why do I mention this topic? Each parent and each child has a way they like to learn. Some may be hands-on, needing that stimulation. Others may like the ordered and structured world of workbooks so they can see exactly what they have to do because it’s all laid out in front of them. Some of our children may be socialites, who thrive in group activities, drama roles, unit studies. Still others may “go with the flow”.

Cathy Duffy has put together an extremely helpful book, called 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum . In this book, you can look at your child’s natural learning tendencies and match these against the programs that are more geared for that sort of learner. Of course, your child can never be put in “one box” but the general guidelines are helpful.

She also mentions an important point – the learning tendencies of the parent. I have bought curriculum that has seemed appealing to me, only to realize that my boys don’t like it. I have an arty, creative bent that has not been passed on to all of my children. In a way, this is wonderful because it makes us have to work with together - our strengths and weaknesses – to bring the best out in each other.

So, do I use these as my filters? Is there flexibility within this?

My husband and I sit down periodically and think about what we want to achieve with homeschooling. It can be helpful to think of each child individually. What are your goals? As we are Christians, part of our goal is raising our children with those values and the faith that we have.

I do look at my children’s learning styles and my own philosophy of education as well. At the end of the day, because I am the main one organizing things, we will go with what I find the easiest to use but also what accommodates their needs as well. It can be a balancing act. That’s where the flexibility comes in. I let them have what they like to use for Maths and Grammar but I will always chart the course for History.

Other helpful questions to keep in mind are: How much time do I want to be spending at this each day? How much bookwork do I want them to do? What particular interests do they have that it would be good to cultivate?

We usually do all our bookwork in morning. Some reading, art and piano is done in the afternoon. Often, they have the whole afternoon off. Charlotte Mason’s words on allowing time for creative play have struck a chord with me (and my boys, funnily enough!)

I would also recommend the following Australian site for help:
http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/

Is any one curriculum going to be “the answer”?

Well, it’s a rhetorical question, isn’t it? Yet, as a beginner, I was searching for “the” Maths program and “the” History program. It has taken some years to realize that these are tools or aids in our education and not to be followed slavishly.

We still use various curricula but now it is a guide. Sometimes, I switch between many different books and ideas and then plan what we are doing from there. It can be like making a meal. If you have never done it before, you follow the recipe religiously. Once it becomes practiced, you will know the general principles, consult the recipe occasionally and improvise for the rest.

Can I justify spending the money on some of the choices I make?

The answer to this will always change. One year, I feel I can justify some expense but then, after I have overcome a hurdle in my confidence or my child’s, I can wonder whether we really needed to get that curriculum to help us through that. Some things are worth trying to put a price tag on. You are already giving of yourself and your time for a closer relationship with your child. If an extra workbook or an answer book aids you with that, it is money well spent.

I sometimes catch myself saying,” I’ll buy that in hardback because I have 4 boys and paying the extra will make it last in the long run.” If you know you are going to keep a book, this approach may be helpful. You are investing and building in your children’s future. I like the fact that my children can access information and knowledge and so many topics so readily at home. That can cultivate a spirit of wonder and investigation.

So, weigh up your choices, talk them over with your spouse, your homeschool support group and your children.

I would strongly recommend taking a lot of notes, researching websites and not buying very much (at full price) in the first year.

What if I change my mind?

There’s always others who may want to buy something from you if you change your mind and secondhand boards are great places to pick up curriculum in the first place. That way, you can try something without paying full price!

You may want to look at this board and I’m one of the moderators:
http://homeschoolads.proboards51.com/index.cgi

As mentioned before, switching curricula is a common practice. Someone cheekily asked one day how many history programs we all had on our shelves at home. Slightly embarrassed, I had to say “Six!” and then added, “But I use them all!”

Well, I don’t use them all. I have sold about three but I didn’t do that until I had been homeschooling for 5 years. It can take a while to work out which direction you are heading in. I was hanging onto some of those programs until we had worked out what our direction would be for now.

Finding “my little patch”

I have found that I don’t need teacher’s manuals with step-by-step instructions. My boys love workbooks, especially for Maths. I like integrating subjects so we use History to cover Art/Craft, Geography, literature and science & invention. All my boys seem to love it when I read aloud to them and they like me to do some of the more hands-on things with them.

Time and a lot of prayer have seen us find a rough place to be. The road is not perfect and there may well be a few deviations coming up. The best thing is knowing we are facing that together and we can cope with the changes when they come.

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Jun. 9, 2007

Going to the National Home Education Conferences?

Posted in Down to Tin-tacks

The National Home Education Conference is coming to Canberra next week. John Taylor Gatto from the US and Alan Thomas from the UK have been touring the country for the last couple of months. I'm quite interested to hear what these speakers have to say.

I'm scheduled to do a workshop on Tuesday on Curriculum Choices. I'll put the transcript of my notes up here after it's been delivered. It's more of a workshop for those new to homeschooling.

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May. 8, 2007

Narration

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Someone emailed recently to ask what I do for narration. She had younger children than mine. It was good have this prompt to think about what we are doing right now.

First of all, what is narration? Well, most of us are familiar with the term "narrator" or even "narrative". Narration is a skill to be learned whereby the child learns to tell back what they have heard or seen. In a way, it is learning the art of summarising and crystalising the main points.

It doesn't come naturally to most children. In fact, theirs is a world filled with detail! Seeing the detail is great and can be encouraged in other settings though.

Anyway, this is what I wrote back:

I think if you start small, it is more satisfying for you and your child. For instance, reading a picture book and then asking your child straight after they read it what the book was about. As they get a little better with it, you can ask them to tell Daddy at dinnertime about the book or just ask your child later in the day to see how much has been retained.

Short passages that can be narrated back in a few sentences are good too. Aesop's Fables are often used as beginning passages for that reason. My 6 year old is asked questions about Bible readings at night time and is now at the stage of remembering what happened in the narrative from the night before.

So, if you don't want to get overwhelmed, just start there.

Pam has put together a great list, with the help of others. It can seem overwhelming and your children may not ready for most of it. I like to have the list on hand for ideas, knowing that I only need to do one thing from it occasionally. You can find her list here:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/paminoz/138607/

Some recent narrations at our place:

Stevie & Zac taking turns to narrate the whole of Mattimeo to Adam so he's ready for the next Redwall Day
Stevie & Zac having to tell me their personal Bible readings each day
Telling Dad about a fun outing that has been held recently
Narrating back what we read about John Wycliffe in History
Adam narrating the whole of Make Way for Ducklings, even doing direct quotes at times.

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Apr. 5, 2007

Singapore Maths - Primary Mathematics Series

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I have used Singapore Maths for 4 and a half years and we just love it. We were using Rod & Staff and I don't want to disparage those who use it but we found it too dry and repetitive. My Maths-loving son was dying a slow death. I looked around on the internet, found some links through Sonlight and we went from there. Being able to print off sample pages and give him a taste of it made a big difference.

What do we like?
The colour/two-tone coursebooks. These books introduce the concept to your child and are not for writing in. You can either have your child read through this or sit together, go through it orally and then move on to the workbook exercises. Concepts are taught in a way which promotes understanding, rather than mechanically doing the set problems for the day. I actually like word problems now - perhaps I finally understand it all!

The workbooks are black & white and just get down to business. I found some colour student books in other courses to be too busy and confusing and like this approach. The workbooks are relatively inexpensive too, especially as you go up in levels. I have also bought the Home Instructors Guides for upper levels to help me with teaching concepts and to give me the answers all in the one book.

I bought them in bulk from Singapore and got the 3rd edition series, the most "tried & true". I cannot answer for the other series. I would say, however, that the Singapore levels are generally harder than our levels in Australia and from what I've read, in the US too. Perhaps the 1A book is not but it does progress quickly after that. You may like to look at the Earlybird series if your child is just starting out.

My gripes? Only two..

If your child is struggling with a concept, then you need to add more review in yourself. This may be one of the Singapore practice/ review books or using other means like flash cards, wrap-ups, tables songs etc. This is a small thing for us and I don't think any program can teach every single concept thoroughly to your child. Other learning methods are helpful anyway!

No one series looks as good for high school as the Primary Mathematics 3rd ed has been. We really don't know where to go next.

I remember talking to my husband about SM at the beginning. I told him it was the cheapest program I had seen, it was far more interesting than what we had used, my ds liked it and it had the best reputation internationally. He looked at my furrowed brow and said, "So...what's the problem?" I was so fearful of making a mistake and really should not have been. It has worked out so well for us and even if it hadn't, it is fairly cheap so you haven't lost that much.

I looked at Singapore programs from the Sonlight site. They used to have articles comparing it to Saxon and also why they preferred the PM series over the newer ones. I couldn't find them readily but maybe they are still there. Here's some links to get you going:

http://www.sonlight.com/singapore.html

http://www.singaporemath.com/Default.asp

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Feb. 19, 2007

Reality check

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I recently received an email and was a bit "blown away" by one of the paragraphs in it. This person has met me (& my children) in person but we are now confined to a cyber-space friendship. I'll include part of her email (anonymously so as not to embarrass her):

I have long admired your homeschooling journey and the many things you are able to achieve(writing and being published+more). Recently I was on CM and Friends (email loop) when they were discussing devotionals etc and once again I was amazed by what you are able to accomplish. Upon much pondering I realized that as individuals we work out what we want to do and when we see how long our lists are, we prioritize. And I guess what I was wondering is what are some of the things that you choose to prioritize and what are some of the things you let slip to accomplish what you do.

I was touched to read this but also shocked. I think I stopped and realised that it is not very often that I sit down and chronicle the "bad" days or when things aren't working or when I have had to coax a child to do things. My days are far from perfect and I am a wife, mother, home educator and then, at the end of the day, a writer.

It can be hard to put all of these things down, as I do want to show what is working and how we have benefited from various programs or routines or influences in our lives. I will try and put a few of those moments in where things didn't quite work just for a bit of balance. Our life is not always rosy!

I will start with an obvious example with priorities. I think we all have our weaknesses and mine is definitely cleaning. Our house looks loved and lived in most of the time but often, it isn't tidy. It's an area I struggle with. If I have to choose between the computer and the vacuuming, I can tell you what will win!

Prioritizing is never easy and is something that needs to be constantly reviewed with my husband and with prayer. It's hard to get the balance right and I often wonder if I ever will. I know I take on far more than I should and my dear husband has to call me back sometimes when I am on the verge of exhaustion to take stock of what I am doing. Last year was very much like that and as much as I enjoyed writing for the Knowledge Quest biographies, it was sapping. It's hard to live in another world with some characters when the real world is constantly knocking at the door and those diapers still need to be changed.

This year will be much more low-key as a result and if anything, finding motivation has been harder!

I'll answer you personally, my friend, but just wanted to share some of my rambling thoughts on the blog.

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