There's No Place Like Home...
for School!
We're in our 3rd formal year of homeschooling and still learning what works for us! I certainly don't claim to know all there is to know about home education, but we are all learning together as a family. There are as many reasons out there for home educating as there are families who are doing it. Some of my reasons may be considered "protectionist" in nature, but I don't feel that's any reason to defend our choice. After all, isn't that what we as parents are instinctively called to do... protect our young? I especially think that our younger children shouldn't be forced to submit to all the (sarcasm on) wonderful (sarcasm off) things that public education has to offer. I really recommend parents read "Dumbing Us Down", by John Taylor Gatto, an award-winning teacher. He pulls no punches in laying out for us the hidden agenda behind compulsory schooling. For a taste of what he has to say, look at The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher, a copy of a speech he gave after named New York State's 1991 Teacher of the Year.
Emily was reading on a 3rd/4th grade level before her 6th birthday. This is because learning to read was something she wanted to do. I used the book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with her, although we didn't use the whole thing. We only did about 70 lessons before she felt like she didn't really need the book to learn to read. During our first "formal" year of homeschooling, we followed a pretty relaxed education plan, supplementing her natural curiosity with the Five In A Row unit study curriculum and MathUSee. We have also used Sonlight curriculum. It is a literature-based curriculum, that uses lots of good books kids love. Emily's favorite parts of this curriculum were the math and reading elements.
We are still learning what kinds of things work for us as a home educating family. The longer we do this, the more we are realizing that life is an education, so we are leaning more towards "life learning" these days. I see it especially in my 5yo son, who is in no way ready for nor interested in "formal" teaching, but learns something new every day, just through his normal course of play and exploration. One site that has helped me in this journey is Unschooling.com. There is a wealth of information and support there!
Sites for Parents
Home Education Magazine: Great resources and a wonderful magazine!A Peerless Method for Transmitting Values: Article by Michael Farris will make you think twice about the socialization issue some people try to make a big deal of.How Do You Go About Homeschooling?: Written from a homeschooled teen's perspective... very refreshing!Puzzlemaker: Great site for making different types of word puzzles for your home learner!Fry's Readability Graph: Ever want to figure out on what grade level a particular book is written? Use this to find out!Timberdoodle: A homeschooling family's homeschool catalog. They have firsthand experience with everything they sell!Shekinah Curriculum Cellar: Another curriculum supplier, they have a variety of materials available, from traditional curriculum, to living books.R.O.C.K. Solid (Resources Of the Christian Kind): Another fast, dependable supplier of curriculum.Kaleidoscapes: Message boards for beginners and veteran homeschoolers alike!Unexpected Benefits of HomeschoolingUnschooling Undefined: Unschooling is a word coined by negating the idea of schooling; it starts off with a negative definition. What, specifically, is it about schools that unschoolers want to do without?Heather's Homeschooling PageHomeschooling: Nurturing Children’s Natural Love of Learning: Great article by Jan Hunt of the Natural Child ProjectResearch about Homeschooling Socialization: Debunking the socialization mythMagazines and Articles on Homeschooling: descriptions and subscription informationEducational SitesFunbrain: The place to go for online games that are educational!Draw-Write-Now: A drawing/handwriting program for kids. Step-by-step instructions for how to draw animals, storybook characters, and more! A sample picture is included, so your kids can give it a try. Emily loved the first book I got so much, that I've ordered the rest of them!Draw and Color with Uncle Fred: Another drawing site, this one by the artist/writer of Barney Google and Snuffy Smith comics.Bonus: a safe place for the kids to learn and to play games.National Wildlife Federation: Kid's page with games, activities, and more! Math Facts drill: a java math facts drill to test your knowledge and your speed.Time for Kids: a special edition of Time Magazine just for kids. Great way to bring current events to a more understandable level!The White House for Kids: Socks and Buddy take you on a tour.Reading Rainbow: If your child watches this PBS show, here is a good source of activities to complement the program. Features an index of programming with suggested activities
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