Ahhhhh.... how to describe what we use to educate our children?

 We use a mix of things, to be honest.  We are somewhat relaxed -- seatwork doesn't take very long (usually under an hour) and then we have the rest of the day for reading (and how we all love to read!), going off on rabbit trails about what we are reading & learning, doing a unit study, going off and doing nature studies, playing educational games, focusing on life skills, working on being creative and using our imaginations, having the kids be kids, and "doing life."

 When our daughter was 4 ½ -- and I was fretting about “there is all this great curriculum and resources out there, so how do we choose????!!!!!!!” -- my husband calmed me down and gave me great advice.  “Teach her to read.  That is our only goal right now.  Once she learns to read, and can do it well, and develops a love for it, she is going to have the foundation for doing writing, spelling, and other things very well.”  Well, he was right.  She loves to read and is figuring out grammar, spelling, and writing on her own very well.  She learns TONS, just because she reads about it, asks questions, and learns more about what interests her. 

 I’ve implemented the same philosophy for math this year:  learning the math facts well.  And it’s working.  We use Math-U-See to help us out too, but we want her to MASTER the basics, not just “get through the workbook.” 

 Here’s some of what we use to give us the framework of our education:

 1.  Robinson Curriculum      We really like how easy it is to use and the great base it give us.  We have found by focusing on the 3R's, we've gotten a solid foundation -- something we feel is extremely important.  (There are many good articles on this site, so grab a cup of tea when the kids are napping, print them out or read them online, and have a "mom continuing education" session.)

 2.  KONOS for occasional unit studies.    We really love this curriculum, and when I used it to teach a class at our local co-op about the midieval time period, all the moms and kids were amazed at how much they learned, and how getting hands-on really gets the information to the brain. 

 3.  The Library     Repeat after me:  "The library is my friend.... the library is my friend...."    To me, going to the library is like shopping for free:  you choose what you want, you take it to the counter, they ring it through, and it's all free because when you are done you just bring your stuff back.   Pick out what you like and leave the books with things that you don't agree with.  Become friends with the librarians and they will be so tickled that this nice, well-behaved family comes in every week that they will be happy to help you locate the things you are looking for.  Go during school hours and avoid the crowds.  Explore the Juvenile Biography section, which is one of our favorite sections.  Check out videos and books on tape – my DD loved the movie about “Degas and the Little Dancer.”

4.    Math-U-See      We like the hands-on approach and how this curriculum helps kids achiev mastery.  Last year we used "Introduction" and it helped give us a very strong base.  This year we are doing "Foundations," a 2-3 year program, and DD is already 1/3 of the way through after 1 semester (August-Dec 2005).  My father-in-law, a retired math teacher, was amazed when he found out that they were introducing alegebra concepts at such a young age, and what DD was learning.) 

We take breaks from MUS to master the set of facts we are to know for the lesson.  In Jan 2006, I take a longer break from it to focus on getting her to master all of the addition & subtraction facts, and then we will start MUS again.  MUS also have an on-line math drill that we use to help us learn our facts, along with good old-fashioned flashcards, and Calculadder drills.  (We are trying to do some sort of math drill every day, because I've noticed if "ya don't use it, ya lose it."