One look at any curriculum catalog is all it takes to make someone realize that my philosophy of "keeping it cheap and simple" appears to be a pipe dream. A math program alone can run more than $50...per year!! How in the world is it possible to home school on the cheap?
While this won't work for everyone, here's what we do in our family.
One of the biggest blessings of being home schooled myself is that I inherited a lot of curriculum from my mom and mother-in-law. And when I say a lot, I really mean TONS! On top of that, when other people learned of our desire to home school, I received even more. We have complete, brand-new sets of preschool and kindergarten curriculum as well as first grade English; a slightly-used set of Mortenson Math with Cuisinaire rods; multiple "teach your child to read" methods; books on parental preparation; and pamphlets on "need to know" facts. And this is just the abbreviated list! If you're not terribly picky about which method you use, hand-me-down books (or new books, if you're as blessed as I was!) are an excellent way to keep down costs when home educating (more to come on methods and brands of textbooks).
In addition to free curriculum, we utilize our public library. We can check out books for history, geography, science, art, or whatever else we need that week. I've also found several phonics videos that I let the kids watch whenever I need them to stay occupied for a set amount of time. I do find that I need to check on content before reading to the kids, and this might not work for someone whose public library is less than stellar, but it can be an excellent resource for many people.
Something else I do is scour the internet for free, printable worksheets. This takes care of our spelling needs (for now) and supplements our math and other areas whenever I feel we need a little more work. It's amazing what's available online for the cost of printing a sheet of paper.
Another friend gave us a white board, and a neighbor kindly supplied us with a small American flag. I hung those on the wall along with some "teacher's helper" reminders (turn on lights, dust chalkboards, etc.) that we were given. It transforms our dining room into a cute school room, and the kids love the decorations. When they're older, I may even put together some bulletin boards. Just because we home school doesn't mean that we have to be boring!
One other fantastic idea comes to mind: re-purposing items on hand. A seasoned home schooler gave me a unique item. She had taken the metal disks from frozen juice cans and stuck number and letter stickers in the centers (a Sharpie would be even more economical if you want to try this). Voila! Instant flash cards for letter and number recognition, or, for more advanced students, spelling, addition, and subtraction. And the best part? She'd salvaged a clean, plastic peanut butter jar and stacked the disks neatly inside so that they wouldn't get lost. Cheap, simple, and best of all, the kids think these are lots of fun!
The list of "cheap and simple" ideas goes on and on. There are just too many to list, and I know others have far more splendid ideas than those I've jotted down here. I certainly never would have thought to be creative with juice tops, but I'm learning fun and frugal ways from others all the time. I'd love to hear how others are being creative with limited means. Feel free to share!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Keep It Cheap and Simple
When a friend of mine mentioned that she was developing her home schooling philosophy, I looked at her a bit stupefied.
A home schooling what?
I never did very well with any of my educational psychology classes in college (as demonstrated on one of my finals that I flunked) where words and phrases such as philosophy and doctrine of education were explained. Honestly, terms like philosophy kind of scare me. It's a big word. I've heard it used before and have a vague grasp of its meaning, but it's not a word a generally employ in my daily speech - despite the fact that my husband likes to pick on me for using big words (most of which I misapply or use out of context). It kind of unnerved me when I realized that many home schooling parents have what they consider to be their philosophy of home schooling.
I've since learned that there is the Charlotte Mason philosophy, the Montesori philosophy, the Classical Education philosophy, and the Classically Charlotte philosophy, to name only a few. I'd heard about all of these through my college education, but I never really thought about applying them to my own teaching. I started looking over each of these and ended up feeling even more overwhelmed rather than enlightened.
And then two beautiful things happened, and the light went on. First, I asked my husband what he thought about all of this, and he simply laid out a few ideas for me of what he hoped the kids would learn through home education. His tips were helpful and straight-forward, and they gave me a foundation for teaching. The second thing I did was talk with a seasoned home school mom who had taught all of her children without really directly following any of these lines of teaching. She gave me a wonderful phrase, one that I've turned into my philosophy.
"Keep it cheap and simple."
I loved it! It was easy to follow and, even better, easy for me to understand. Most of all, it fit our lifestyle better than anything else I'd come across. Don't get me wrong; I think it's fantastic that others have been able to create elaborate philosophies that fit their individual family's needs. Some children and/or parents need that high level of detail. There is relief in having constant, ornate assignments. Therein lies the beauty of alternate education: you can tailor it to meet your own situation.
I really like having a philosophy, and I'm thankful that I found one that gives me purpose and direction. It was something I'd never before thought about, which is why getting together with other like-minded families can be so beneficial.
Soon, I'll try to outline our "cheap and simple" home schooling ideas. They won't work for everyone, but they keep me motivated and have kept me from (totally) losing my mind.
That, to me, is the mark of a good philosophy!
A home schooling what?
I never did very well with any of my educational psychology classes in college (as demonstrated on one of my finals that I flunked) where words and phrases such as philosophy and doctrine of education were explained. Honestly, terms like philosophy kind of scare me. It's a big word. I've heard it used before and have a vague grasp of its meaning, but it's not a word a generally employ in my daily speech - despite the fact that my husband likes to pick on me for using big words (most of which I misapply or use out of context). It kind of unnerved me when I realized that many home schooling parents have what they consider to be their philosophy of home schooling.
I've since learned that there is the Charlotte Mason philosophy, the Montesori philosophy, the Classical Education philosophy, and the Classically Charlotte philosophy, to name only a few. I'd heard about all of these through my college education, but I never really thought about applying them to my own teaching. I started looking over each of these and ended up feeling even more overwhelmed rather than enlightened.
And then two beautiful things happened, and the light went on. First, I asked my husband what he thought about all of this, and he simply laid out a few ideas for me of what he hoped the kids would learn through home education. His tips were helpful and straight-forward, and they gave me a foundation for teaching. The second thing I did was talk with a seasoned home school mom who had taught all of her children without really directly following any of these lines of teaching. She gave me a wonderful phrase, one that I've turned into my philosophy.
"Keep it cheap and simple."
I loved it! It was easy to follow and, even better, easy for me to understand. Most of all, it fit our lifestyle better than anything else I'd come across. Don't get me wrong; I think it's fantastic that others have been able to create elaborate philosophies that fit their individual family's needs. Some children and/or parents need that high level of detail. There is relief in having constant, ornate assignments. Therein lies the beauty of alternate education: you can tailor it to meet your own situation.
I really like having a philosophy, and I'm thankful that I found one that gives me purpose and direction. It was something I'd never before thought about, which is why getting together with other like-minded families can be so beneficial.
Soon, I'll try to outline our "cheap and simple" home schooling ideas. They won't work for everyone, but they keep me motivated and have kept me from (totally) losing my mind.
That, to me, is the mark of a good philosophy!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Operation Co-Op
The biggest home schooling worry I hear voiced is the "what-about-their-socialization?" concern. Truth be told, proper socialization is not something that concerns me much (I may or may not go into further detail on this in a later post), but this question serves as a good reminder for me to make sure that we're either getting out of the house occasionally or are having others over. To help with this, we meet regularly with a couple of other home school families for a co-op-type setting. It gives the moms a chance to catch up and encourage one another; the kids get lots of play-time with friends; and by including instructional/educational content and/or activities, we have yet another learning style at our fingertips. Really, I think it's one of the best things ever!
The first time we met, we put together a science day with several experiments for the kids to try. Our theme for the day was seeing God's design through science. We dumped ice cubes in water to see if they floated or sank; we did the soap-and-pepper experiment; and we hypothesized and tested the end results of cooling and heating chocolate chips (tasting as we went along, of course!!). Lastly, each child brought something from home and shared with the group why it reminded him of God's creation. We had lots of laughs and managed to get lots of water and chocolate on the dining table - always a clear sign of time well-spent. :)
Our next meeting was to prepare Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child. This was the first time that my kids and I had participated in this kind of project, and it was really good for us. All the families helped by contributing various items. Our goal for this was to help the children understand that Christmas is much more than simply receiving gifts on December 25th. The hosting mom also prepared the kids by reading a Christmas story about giving before we began. I have to admit, those were probably some of the most-stuffed Christmas Child boxes that the organization received!
Most recently, we did a nativity re-enactment. We used stuffed animals for sheep and donkeys, towels for the shepherds' headdresses, and very convincing shredded gift packing for the hay. One of the moms supplied a preschool-appropriate narration that we followed, and the kids did a great job of transforming from one character to another since we didn't have quite enough participants for both wisemen and shepherds. It was really neat to see how well everyone did, and to realize that the kids really knew a lot already about the story of Christ's birth. I also loved how creative we had to be in order to put everything together. Most of all, it helped to reinforce in the children's minds exactly what we are celebrating this season. My hope and prayer is that every year they will gain a deeper understanding of God's sending His Son to earth to conquer sin so that we would not have to pay the price of our transgressions.
While the focus of our co-op is mainly for the encouragement, enrichment, and education of the participants, it comes with the added benefit of social interaction as well. Whenever I get hit with the socialization concern, I quickly point to our co-op as a means of counteracting this potential "threat."
And then I get the opportunity to share what our co-op is really about. In my mind, that's a win-win situation!
The first time we met, we put together a science day with several experiments for the kids to try. Our theme for the day was seeing God's design through science. We dumped ice cubes in water to see if they floated or sank; we did the soap-and-pepper experiment; and we hypothesized and tested the end results of cooling and heating chocolate chips (tasting as we went along, of course!!). Lastly, each child brought something from home and shared with the group why it reminded him of God's creation. We had lots of laughs and managed to get lots of water and chocolate on the dining table - always a clear sign of time well-spent. :)
Our next meeting was to prepare Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child. This was the first time that my kids and I had participated in this kind of project, and it was really good for us. All the families helped by contributing various items. Our goal for this was to help the children understand that Christmas is much more than simply receiving gifts on December 25th. The hosting mom also prepared the kids by reading a Christmas story about giving before we began. I have to admit, those were probably some of the most-stuffed Christmas Child boxes that the organization received!
Most recently, we did a nativity re-enactment. We used stuffed animals for sheep and donkeys, towels for the shepherds' headdresses, and very convincing shredded gift packing for the hay. One of the moms supplied a preschool-appropriate narration that we followed, and the kids did a great job of transforming from one character to another since we didn't have quite enough participants for both wisemen and shepherds. It was really neat to see how well everyone did, and to realize that the kids really knew a lot already about the story of Christ's birth. I also loved how creative we had to be in order to put everything together. Most of all, it helped to reinforce in the children's minds exactly what we are celebrating this season. My hope and prayer is that every year they will gain a deeper understanding of God's sending His Son to earth to conquer sin so that we would not have to pay the price of our transgressions.
While the focus of our co-op is mainly for the encouragement, enrichment, and education of the participants, it comes with the added benefit of social interaction as well. Whenever I get hit with the socialization concern, I quickly point to our co-op as a means of counteracting this potential "threat."
And then I get the opportunity to share what our co-op is really about. In my mind, that's a win-win situation!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Drowning On Land
As a second-generation home schooler, I of all people should have been prepared to instruct my children at home. I grew up around other home schooling families, participated in educational co-ops, and witnessed my parents begin a registered ISP that grew from three original families into a multi-family organization that thrives to this day.
So why, at the beginning of the school year, did I feel as though I were drowning?
Being taught at home is, I've come to discover, a lot different from being the one doing the teaching. As a child, I was completely oblivious to the "behind the scenes" work my parents did, especially when it came to legal paperwork. In short, I didn't have a clue!
Making the decision to home school was easy for Jon and me, but putting it into practice has taken a bit of effort. Rather haphazardly, I've slowly pieced together what requirements are needed by which ages...at least, I think I have!
Something that has absolutely amazed me are my first-generation home schooling friends. Incredibly, they have things much more together than I do! It is through some of them that I first heard the idea of developing a home schooling philosophy.
A philosophy for home schooling? I didn't even know that this existed, let alone have one for our family! I don't know whether or not my parents had a philosophy for their educating efforts. It may be that this line of thinking became more popular in the years since I've graduated. Whatever the case, this was indeed something very new to me. (More to come in later posts.)
All of this to say, if you feel overwhelmed by the thought of home schooling, you are not alone. I've grown up with alternative education, but I still felt as though I were drowning - on land. I have a solid foundation below me, but the waters still rush high in my lack of understanding. If you relate to this, take heart. You can do it; so can I. Pray a lot about your decision; spend time researching; ask more seasoned home schooling parents for advice. Eventually, we'll all get there.
And, Lord willing, none of us will die in the process.
So why, at the beginning of the school year, did I feel as though I were drowning?
Being taught at home is, I've come to discover, a lot different from being the one doing the teaching. As a child, I was completely oblivious to the "behind the scenes" work my parents did, especially when it came to legal paperwork. In short, I didn't have a clue!
Making the decision to home school was easy for Jon and me, but putting it into practice has taken a bit of effort. Rather haphazardly, I've slowly pieced together what requirements are needed by which ages...at least, I think I have!
Something that has absolutely amazed me are my first-generation home schooling friends. Incredibly, they have things much more together than I do! It is through some of them that I first heard the idea of developing a home schooling philosophy.
A philosophy for home schooling? I didn't even know that this existed, let alone have one for our family! I don't know whether or not my parents had a philosophy for their educating efforts. It may be that this line of thinking became more popular in the years since I've graduated. Whatever the case, this was indeed something very new to me. (More to come in later posts.)
All of this to say, if you feel overwhelmed by the thought of home schooling, you are not alone. I've grown up with alternative education, but I still felt as though I were drowning - on land. I have a solid foundation below me, but the waters still rush high in my lack of understanding. If you relate to this, take heart. You can do it; so can I. Pray a lot about your decision; spend time researching; ask more seasoned home schooling parents for advice. Eventually, we'll all get there.
And, Lord willing, none of us will die in the process.
Flexible Consistency
What happens on those mornings when Mom wakes up late, Dad doesn't get out the door for work on time, there's no quick fix for breakfast, and an important phone call or 5 significantly delays the start of the day? So went our morning this morning. To further postpone the start of school, we ended up chatting for a bit with a neighbor while on our walk. While fun, it wasn't conducive to getting a good jump on our books!
I love our routines, and when they get interrupted, my temptation is to simply drop everything and start again the next day. Sometimes the situation calls for just that, but I decided that today wasn't one of them. Instead, we just pared down our obligations for the day.
We have what I call our "core" subjects - Bible, English, reading, handwriting/spelling, and math. Then we have our "extras," such as supplemental reading exercises, catechism, craft time, music, art, history, science, etc. On days that get crazy, we focus on accomplishing our core stuff and then get to the remaining things as time allows. (We don't ever have days where we do each and every other subject in addition to the core, but we try to rotate through things so that we get a taste of each here and there.) For us, it's a great way not to lose a complete day just because life gets in the way.
Showing the kids how to manage things when routines get interrupted is a big goal of mine. I've never handled change well, so if I can help them understand, handle, and actually appreciate life's little hiccups, I will feel accomplished!
I love our routines, and when they get interrupted, my temptation is to simply drop everything and start again the next day. Sometimes the situation calls for just that, but I decided that today wasn't one of them. Instead, we just pared down our obligations for the day.
We have what I call our "core" subjects - Bible, English, reading, handwriting/spelling, and math. Then we have our "extras," such as supplemental reading exercises, catechism, craft time, music, art, history, science, etc. On days that get crazy, we focus on accomplishing our core stuff and then get to the remaining things as time allows. (We don't ever have days where we do each and every other subject in addition to the core, but we try to rotate through things so that we get a taste of each here and there.) For us, it's a great way not to lose a complete day just because life gets in the way.
Showing the kids how to manage things when routines get interrupted is a big goal of mine. I've never handled change well, so if I can help them understand, handle, and actually appreciate life's little hiccups, I will feel accomplished!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
What's In It For Me?
Last August, as we purchased some pencils and coloring crayons, T excitedly blurted out to the clerk, "I'm starting Kindergarten next week!" The clerk gave me a knowing smile and mused, "You must be really looking forward to that!" I nodded my consent but did not mention our plans to home school. I am certain that he would have been dumbfounded if he knew that, instead of a few hours of daily freedom, I was choosing to self-inflict more into my already-heavy workload.
Why WOULD I choose do to that? Doesn't a more peaceful, quiet day appeal to me? Do I not long for a bit of respite from my three wild spark plugs? Really, what am I getting out of this home schooling deal?
Yes, I'd love to have a break from chasing after children and tripping over toys. I'd love time to better keep my home and to recharge my Mommy batteries doing something for myself instead of for others. But I promise: I've not completely lost my mind (yet). In fact, I really believe that home schooling is saving my sanity.
Really.
Many people choose to home school for religious, social, and economical reasons, and all of those do indeed play a substantial role in our choosing to home educate. But there are other reasons as well, many of which actually help me to maintain my wits.
First of all, we wanted to give our kids the best we could in the way of education. As Jon once said, "I want to exploit their potential." He didn't mean this in a bad way; what parent doesn't want his child to be the cream of the crop? Individual instruction was our answer. I may not be the best teacher - far from it! - but I am the best teacher for our little ones. It puts me at ease to know that we're doing the very best we could possibly do for our family (this in no way reflects my opinion of others who choose a different route than we have).
I've mentioned before my phobia of germs. Keeping my kids at home is one superb way to cut down on the illnesses that I so dread. No, it won't keep my kids healthy 24/7, but it's nice not to deal with colds, fevers, and illness every other week. I cannot say what peace of mind this brings.
I also hate, Hate, HATE having to go out every day. If I had to shuttle kids off to school each morning and go pick them up every afternoon, I think I'd die. (I realize that there is something called a school bus, but due to my germophobia, that just wouldn't be an option.) I hate disruptions to my day, and two disruptions five days a week would just be more than I could handle. I'd much rather go crazy trying to teach a kid how to form letters while keeping an infant from feeding the entire can of food to the fish (which is lethal to the fish, by the way).
Call me crazy (some of you already are!), but the satisfaction I get from hearing T read an entire short story and seeing K learn to write his name is priceless. I wouldn't give up that for the world. I've loved every one of the kids' "firsts": first giggle, first step, first word (okay, Daddy got to see L's first smile even though I'd tried to get her to grin for over a week), etc. First learning experiences are just as thrilling.
Lastly, I feel absolutely rewarded by our educational endeavors. Some go really well; others not so; but when it's all said and done, I am content. I just wouldn't have that if we chose an alternate method for our children's education.
So, what's in it for me? Quite a lot, actually.
Why WOULD I choose do to that? Doesn't a more peaceful, quiet day appeal to me? Do I not long for a bit of respite from my three wild spark plugs? Really, what am I getting out of this home schooling deal?
Yes, I'd love to have a break from chasing after children and tripping over toys. I'd love time to better keep my home and to recharge my Mommy batteries doing something for myself instead of for others. But I promise: I've not completely lost my mind (yet). In fact, I really believe that home schooling is saving my sanity.
Really.
Many people choose to home school for religious, social, and economical reasons, and all of those do indeed play a substantial role in our choosing to home educate. But there are other reasons as well, many of which actually help me to maintain my wits.
First of all, we wanted to give our kids the best we could in the way of education. As Jon once said, "I want to exploit their potential." He didn't mean this in a bad way; what parent doesn't want his child to be the cream of the crop? Individual instruction was our answer. I may not be the best teacher - far from it! - but I am the best teacher for our little ones. It puts me at ease to know that we're doing the very best we could possibly do for our family (this in no way reflects my opinion of others who choose a different route than we have).
I've mentioned before my phobia of germs. Keeping my kids at home is one superb way to cut down on the illnesses that I so dread. No, it won't keep my kids healthy 24/7, but it's nice not to deal with colds, fevers, and illness every other week. I cannot say what peace of mind this brings.
I also hate, Hate, HATE having to go out every day. If I had to shuttle kids off to school each morning and go pick them up every afternoon, I think I'd die. (I realize that there is something called a school bus, but due to my germophobia, that just wouldn't be an option.) I hate disruptions to my day, and two disruptions five days a week would just be more than I could handle. I'd much rather go crazy trying to teach a kid how to form letters while keeping an infant from feeding the entire can of food to the fish (which is lethal to the fish, by the way).
Call me crazy (some of you already are!), but the satisfaction I get from hearing T read an entire short story and seeing K learn to write his name is priceless. I wouldn't give up that for the world. I've loved every one of the kids' "firsts": first giggle, first step, first word (okay, Daddy got to see L's first smile even though I'd tried to get her to grin for over a week), etc. First learning experiences are just as thrilling.
Lastly, I feel absolutely rewarded by our educational endeavors. Some go really well; others not so; but when it's all said and done, I am content. I just wouldn't have that if we chose an alternate method for our children's education.
So, what's in it for me? Quite a lot, actually.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)