Posted in Issues and Encounters

When I think about how difficult it must have been to homeschool 20 years ago, I'm always thankful for those pioneering families who helped rejuvenate the concept of home education.

If you're one of those folks reading now, thank you.

I've actually heard homeschooling called "mainstream" recently.  I think that moniker was used a bit loosely, though in our county there are plenty of people homeschooling and this fact may have contributed to the statement.

But there are certainly many more resources available to homeschoolers than there were five, ten, or twenty years ago.  Of that I am certain. 

Of course, this is both a blessing and a "curse" of sorts.  Granted, I'm thrilled to have lots of options from which to choose.  But, sometimes they all look SO good. 

It's like being at a chocolate buffet - what's there not to like? 

Recently, a friend shared with me her sense of overwhelm at all the great things she has on her shelf to use with her only son next year.  With all the options, she sensed a lack of a plan as to how to use these resources. 

I think this could be a common problem - especially for those folks who have access to brick and mortar homeschooling stores, curriculum sales, book sales, garage sales, and the like. 

If you're going to be studying Ancient Egypt next year, why not pick up that great garage sale book on mummies for a quarter?  Or that one on Ancient Greece?  Or Knights?  Or....?

Except, when you get to the point of trying to figure out what to *do* with all those resources.  Then it can be ovewhelming. 

I won't claim to have all the answers here.  But, I've had some practice from another realm - cross stitching, where the options are also endless!  And some of those techniques and ideas translate to any collection of materials.

Note - I just called our homeschool resources a collection.  Think libraries and their collections.  That's essentially what you have.

So, here are some suggestions to help those drowning in the Resource Seas:

1. Organize the materials you have, both on your shelves and on paper or computer.  The point of this is to see how much you have for whatever you're planning. 

If you're following a Classical schedule, then maybe you've got LOTS of resources for Ancient Egypt and barely anything on the Romans.  Both are great subjects with lots of materials available, but balance can be helpful. 

Just knowing what areas are "light" and which are "heavy" can be helpful at the next used curriculum sale.

2. One or two great books on a subject are better than five mediocre ones.

This is my worst downfall.  As an adult, and a reader/writer/scholar too, I'll read several books on the same subject, looking for a few new details or better illustrations.

But most of our children, especially in the early years, aren't going to be interested to quite that level.  Not yet - that comes later, with maturity and more exposure to more ideas. 

So, consider - how many books on kangaroos do we really need to read at this level to cover the basics?  One or two good ones will probably suffice. 

The last thing you need is to go over and over materials to the point that your child thinks s/he is an "expert" on this topic, because they know everything that is in all the books you've provided.  That can stifle an interest as much as too little information.

3. Once you've organized your materials and figured out what's on the shelves, do nothing. 

This is difficult, I know.  But you need time to process what's there and what's really appealing.  Some folks need more time than others, of course.

But then, the next step is the fun one....

4. Look at your printed list (not the books) and consider each item. 

Which ones excited you when you looked at them as you organized?

Which ones did you look at and say, "My dc is going to LOVE this!"

Which ones can you not recall a thing about?

Obviously, put the non-recall items somewhere else, use them as extra readers if your child is extremely interested in the topic, or donate them to the charity or book sale of your choice.  These may not be the items you want to use. 

5. Once you've got your top choices narrowed down, then you can weed through and see, once again, where your needs are and where you can stop looking or shopping. 

Maybe you've got gaps in what you need.  And maybe you've got resources that can fill those gaps yet they didn't "light your fire" when you were looking at the printed list.  That's OK.  Check those items again - maybe it's because the topic is unfamiliar or the title was too non-descript to help you remember.  And, if the budget is tight - it's OK to use them.  Not every topic in history, or science, or literature is gripping is gripping to everyone.  Your dc might suprise you.

Maybe you have gaps and need to keep looking.  Now your search can be focused.  And, once you've evaluated the other items you do plan to use, you have some criteria for filling in the gaps.  This is really helpful as you move into areas where you might be less familiar with the subject matter.

 

Finally:

Try to reduce the amount of resources that you acquire to begin with.

This can be easier said than done.  When you start considering homeschooling,  often catalogs are your best friend.  You can look at resources, read articles, and consider options through catalogs. 

But then, those "friends" become marketing tools.  You start to get sucked in by all the great terminology, promises, and theories.  That company has a great art book; this one has wonderful history readers.  Maybe you look at these things at a convention and just can't resist.

And, of course, there's the Internet.  The options there seem endless.  But the Internet is my greatest tool in determining which resources may get my money and attention. 

I keep a wishlist.  It's a file in Excel in which I note the resource, the weblink to see it, and other vendors, plus price.  If I hear of something I want to look at more closely, I make a note on the wishlist.  Then, I research it online. 

If it's a curriculum or spine type item, like Story of the World, or Mystery of History, or a math or science program, I see if there's a Yahoo Group for it.  If there is, I join.  You can often get a sense of the program from the types of questions users post, how much activity the list gets in general, and what types of files the group keeps available to members. 

I also will make an inquiry with my "chat" type Yahoo Groups.  There are plenty of veteran homeschoolers on these lists that have, collectively, seen it all - almost.  They can give real user feedback, which can really help.

If the item is a story or other book that would get limited, short time, use, I check our library.  If they don't have it, but something about it makes me think it would be a *great* thing if they did, I make a note about that in my file too.

Then, with any resource, I wait a while and do nothing.  

I review the list occasionally and sometimes I wonder, "What was I thinking?!" and the "must have" item comes off the list.  Sometimes I think about an item and decide I really want to use this, but only if I can "see" it first or return it easily.  And, occasionally, I mark an item as something I really plan to use for now.  Until something better comes along.

It also helps if you can work ahead a bit.  I've got most of our resources for our history studies for the current year on the shelves.  So, my research, wishlist, and information gathering is focused on 2nd grade materials - medieval studies, new art ideas, science options, etc.  If a resource just calls to me and I think it would be a great thing for our public library to own, I put in a request for them to acquire the item.  I've done this maybe five times in the past year.

I try to be selective with this.  If the library already owns several titles by an author, but this one is new or different, then I add that note to my request.  If the library has nothing on this topic for younger children or readers, I add that note. 

All of this doesn't eliminate the "white noise" of all those curriculum options.  But it helps. 

It also helps to remember something we hear all the time, but forget to actually implement - this will not be the first time your child will go over or learn this information, especially in the elementary years.  So, if three history options sound fascinating to you, consider which one is best for now. 

The others, if they are any good, will still be there when it's time to cover that material again.  And, something even better may be out there by then, too.

I try to keep in mind something that I read from A Thomas Jefferson Education, 2nd ed. by Oliver Van deMille: "Teaching, not education, should be our focus because great teaching inspires students to educate themselves....Education occurs when students get excited about learning and apply themselves," (pg. 12). 

That's what all the resources are about, in the end.  To excite our students so they will choose to educate themselves.  And there's nothing they can't learn when they apply themselves to something that inspires them. 

Aspire to inspire your student with the resources you provide.