Well now, if you have self-starters then this might be for you. If not, you still might be interested in using the CD's from this method just for getting all the outdated and hard to find materials that are included here. There is the old Webster Dictionary, plus so much more, including many works that are out of print!

Teach your children to teach themselves and to acquire superior knowledge, as did many of America's most outstanding citizens in the days before socialism in education.

Q U I C K   O V E R V I E W

• 12 Years of Education - 22 CDs
• 120,000 Page Library Resource
• 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1913 Noah Webster's Dictionary
• 2,000 Historic Illustrations
• 6,000 Word Vocabulary Teacher
• Progress Exams Keyed to Books
• Outstanding Science Program
• Very High Academic Quality
• Proven Methods of Self Study
• Long Feature Description

Includes:
22 CD-ROMs, deluxe soft cover folding CD case which flips through the CD's nicely, printable books, science program, vocabulary, phonics, and math flash cards. You will need a PC, good printer, and the Saxon line of math books. That is it! Nothing else except for the occasional classic you get for a $1 at a used book store or garage sale. (Saves you on printing.) You can purchase ink for your printer at a discount through the Robinson website.

(Here below I have taken info from the product literature - see my notes at the end.)

A  U N I Q U E   A P P R O A C H

Self Teaching Works

One of the most important responsibilities you have as a parent is to teach your children to think and to learn by reading books. Most of us were taught with a teacher at the front of the room, using textbooks and workbooks. The Robinson Curriculum shows you how to set up a self-teaching home school where the best minds in history teach your children through books. When your child is able to learn from books, the world is at their feet; anything they want to learn, any field they wish to enter, is open to them.

The Children Assume Responsibilities

Moreover, each one of them has spontaneously, without suggestion or demand from me, taken over an essential aspect of our farm and personal lives. They do all work with the cattle and sheep, they do all laundry, cooking, and housework, and they are working beside me as Laurelee used to do in the scientific research and civil defense work that is our ministry and our professional life.

One by one, my tasks just disappeared as the children assumed them.

In general, they prefer to work independently. They tend not to share tasks and have not divided them as one might expect. For example, 11 year old Joshua is the cook - and already a better cook than I. Zachary does all work with the cattle (about 30) and the chickens; Arynne cares for the sheep (about 100); Noah is in charge of all farm and laboratory repairs; and Bethany does the washing and teaches Matthew. Some tasks are shared such as house cleaning, sheep shearing, and watching over Matthew.

This sort of extracurricular work is especially valuable as reinforcement for the home school.

While self confidence can be built somewhat in sports or other "activities", the self confidence that comes to a child from the knowledge that he is independently carrying on an activity that is essential to the survival of the family is valuable indeed.

It is important, however, not to take advantage of this situation. The development of a young mind takes place in a few short years. A parent must always make certain that the children have more than enough time for their academic studies and for essential recreation. When children show an aptitude for productive work helpful to the parent, there can be a tendency for the parent to let them do too much. This can deprive the children of mental development necessary to their own futures.

***My notes here: While I commend the reasoning behind the Robinson method I must say that there are just some children, in my humblest opinion, that can not or should not work alone. I have 6 children of whom I believe that this method would only be good for two or three of them. It's not a question of discipline but of what I believe to be learning style where a child who just hates to read and must touch, feel, and interact with his learning would suffer. For those who are more like our Competent Carl's or Perfect Paula's, they would do quite well with this program. They would appreciate the ability to move fast and the control over their own learning this would provide them. If you have more of a Wiggly Willy or Sociable Sue, then this is not a method I would recommend. I would tell you this much though, try to focus in on those children in the areas of independent learning. Gently start them out in projects and then get them to finish it on their own. (Of course being there to answer questions and to help.) Gradually adding more responsibility as their age increases and they mature. This is a good time to point out that A) boys do mature more slowly than girls - sorry it is true and B) children of the same age are not necessarily going to be at the same maturity level. Do not grade your child against any other child or even siblings. Just because Jimmy was able to read at 5 does not mean that little Chris can too!

If anything, I would suggest investing in this as a fingertip resource. Especially valuable for those families that may not live close to their local library. The out-of-print books that are included here are worth the cost, let alone the encyclopedia, dictionary and McGruffy Readers. Ideally it would be a great resource for every homeschool group to purchase for a lending library etc.

P.S. (for those who don't know what a Perfect Paula, Wiggly Willy, Competent Carl or Sociable Sue is - please see the 'Learning Styles Article' on my site or write me.)

Visit the Robinson Site at http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com

Click here to go
BACK to Teaching Methods

Home Crusaders webpages copyrighted by Leslie Schauer©1999.