20 Years of Homeschooling a Houseful

10 November 2007

Charlotte Mason - The Ala Carte Menu

Curriculum is a lot like a gorge-yourself-for-$4.99 buffet these days. It is abundant, inexpensive, and somehow still leaves you unsatisfied. Stuffed full, but with the distinct feeling you've missed something better. So many of us are longing for more simplicity. I want to recall here how I homeschooled some of my oldest children...."back in the day". Twenty years ago, we were blessed with fewer choices. This allowed for a whole lot less planning, and a whole lot more educating!

So here is my recipe for an abundant, rich, but SIMPLE education.

The Core Ingredients:

1 Loving mother who wants the best for her children. Must be patient and willing to take time from her busyness to really engage her children actively.

Several children who are excited to learn because there is an abundance of rich material around them, and a learning lifestyle is modeled before them daily by their parents and atmosphere.

A houseful of good habits regarding eating, sleeping, exercise, attitudes and behaviors, personal care, and care of the home. We may not have all those habits perfectly mastered, but everyone in the home knows what is expected and strives to achieve it.

Add to this base every day the following:
(For best results use this order every time you prepare the recipe)

Bible reading all together
(I recommend and use the Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos. We read over breakfast)

Reading instruction for the non-readers & independent reading for the fluent.
(I recommend a combination of living books and a core like Phonics Pathways. I also follow many of the recommendations in Ruth Beechick's 3R's series for instruction. Let the older children choose at least some of their own reading from a list you approve)

A Math lesson for everyone
(I take a day every week to read math literature and play games that are very math dependent. The least expensive and thoroughly designed math program would be to use the The Math Worksheet Site through middle school. If you feel you must have curricula, then I prefer Singapore followed by Teaching Textbooks.)

Language Skills for everyone
This includes dictation (spelling), copywork (handwriting/grammar), formal grammar instruction, oral and written narration.
(The best inclusive program for this are Emma Serl's Primary & Intermediate Language Lessons. You don't have to work in all five of these areas each day, but you must work in some of them EVERY day. We keep a copy of the cover of each book the child reads with the narration on the back. Oral, copied by mom for the young child; written by an older child. I use the child's current literature book for additional dictation, as well as a list of the most common English words for older children who need other spelling practice.)

Family Read-Aloud
This is the fun time where memories are made and great ideas are forged and grown. We can take turns reading, and those who are not reading may be quietly engaged in drawing, handicrafts, or lego-building. We read a literature selection daily, followed by something in another inspiring subject like history, geography, nature study, science, or current events. We might read a biography of an artist, composer, or missionary. Discussion, in my opinion, is the highest form of narration. The older children model longer narrations for the younger children. The little ones get to try out their skills. Sometimes they all look like they've tuned you out completely...but then supper time comes and they narrate to Dad! If the weather permits, spend this reading time outside in the fresh air and sunshine...or this morning at our house, snowflakes!

Family Time Outside
Sometimes this is utilitarian in nature (garbage out, wood chopped, animals fed, bodies exercised, food gathered or hunted) and sometimes purely for the joy of it (outdoor games, nature hikes, leisurely walks spent visiting).

Time for Individual Pursuits
Following this family time, older students can engage more serious studies if they desire. Those who love reading can do more. Big boys can stay out trapping, building, inventing. Children can be crafting, cooking, and playing with dolls. Moms can cook, do paperwork, clean, nurse babies, and feel refreshed knowing that their children are growing healthy and happy.

Even with no additional ingredients this recipe is a winner every time. It is the recipe I use when life has been full of too much "junk food" (literally and figuratively), and we must get back to some homemade goodness. We may also post some lovely art prints to enjoy or play delightful music when we are about our Father's business.

Once we are ready to spice things up and cook creatively, then we can add some other ingredients to "make it our own". We choose to add back music practice, foreign language, art projects, science experiments, and working on our Book of Centuries. Just like a real recipe, those ingredients change over time. Sometimes we cook it a certain way for awhile, and sometimes we throw in something new. It's all delicious when it's made at home with love!

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31 August 2006

The Perfect Curriculum

Posted in Curriculum

Homeschoolers today face an array of curriculum choices that are nearly mind-boggling to veteran homeschoolers like me. I recently received a catalog that was bigger than a phone book. Larger, certainly, than all of my curriculum catalogs combined during those first few years. You could spend the whole year just planning a great program, and never have time to get around to teaching it!

I've never been able to pinpoint exactly why it is that we put so much effort into our curriculum choices. Of course, much of it is because we love our children dearly and want what's best for them. But, I would speculate that when we start drawing up our 10-year plans (that include even our "potential" family additions), we do it just because it's fun to dream.

The biggest problem with overly specific long-range plans, is that life circumstances change. Your homeschool, like your family, is in a state of flux. What works best for your size family, your ages of children, your learning styles, your budget, your spiritual foundations, your special needs child, etc...may not be right for mine. The best curriculum is the one that is right for your family. Beware of anyone who hawks the "one size fits all" program.

That is what sets my homeschool consulting apart. Most free consulting services are set in place to sell you their curriculum (which is why they are not really "free). I'm able to recommend exactly what suits your family at one particular stage in your life. That could range from a Bible and a library card, to a full-fledged program complete with bells and whistles galore.

The first step in choosing a program is to seek the Lord concerning His will for your family. Consult your husband next. Even if he isn't involved in the day-to-day operation of schooling, God gives him wisdom and insight into the needs of your children that mom is sometimes "too close" to recognize. If you still need assistance, consider a homeschool consulting service like mine. If doubts remain...just begin someplace and stop overthinking your options.

I know many of you have heard me say this time and again....but I'm still at it...the perfect curriculum is the one that gets used!

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About Me

When I was a young mother and homeschooler over 20 years ago, I searched for a mother of many as a mentor. I found a few women along the way that helped me with parenting, but I was blazing my own trail for the most part with homeschooling. I see now how God used that situation to draw me closer to Him. It also forced me to develop my own vision and legacy of homeschooling, rather than simply copying the plans of another. Other than simple teaching experience, I have been mostly heavily influenced by the philosophies of Charlotte Mason and Thomas Jefferson Education (Oliver DeMille). I have read extensively about all kinds of homeschooling, and have enjoyed or endured brief forays into other methods. Later, as more books were available, and especially when I went online in 1993, many doors for fellowship and sharing ideas were opened. Now that I have moved into a new stage of mothering (no babies or toddlers, children moving out and marrying), I wanted to capture some of those things I most wished I had known when I had a houseful of small children. I want to encourage other moms to "stay the course". I have never regretted these years spent homeschooling. It was the best decision I have ever made. I now know that choosing a philosophy and curriculum need not be the basis for educating my children. God gives the vision, and we just need to get out of the boat and start walking toward Him.