homeschool

My Three Favourite Homeschooling Methods and Why I like them

January 18, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

YAY! I just love having people guest post on my blog and today Miss Rebecca is guest posting. As you can see, she’ll be addressing homeschooling methods.

Out of all the different homeschooling methods, I like three the most, and I’d like to share them with you. In particular, I like these methods because they seem to bring out the potential in our children and teach them about the world around them without burning them out or making learning seem like a chore.

And these three homeschooling methods are:

The Classical Method
The Charlotte Mason Method and
The Eclectic Method

Let’s get started!

My Third Favourite Method: The Classical Approach

Classical education has been around for hundreds of years. It was in its zenith around the time that Charles Dickens wrote his best-selling books. The Classical approach is a vigorous education that teaches children in three stages – the grammar, logic and then rhetoric stages.

It values things like:

Latin – because it’s the root of all the romantic languages
Debate – because it helps children think critically, speak clearly and organize their thoughts consistently and
Memorization – because it helps children remember important concepts that will help them immensely throughout their lives

Why I like The Classical Approach

While the Classical way of homeschooling is a vigorous education that expects a lot of children, it pushes them and gives them a good work ethic. It expects more of children than public schools might, and in that way, it helps children take on plenty of concepts and values that will benefit them in the future.

In short, we’ve lost a lot of rigor in our education today and I think Classical education will help us get this back.

Shortcomings of The Classical Approach

The biggest shortcoming of The Classical Approach is its inflexibility and rigidity. Picture a flogging for a poor Dickens boy who hasn’t reached his schoolmasters expectations. If not paced correctly, can it expect too much of some children.

But this is why Charlotte Mason invented her educational approach…

My Second Favourite Method: The Charlotte Mason Approach

The Charlotte Mason method was invented when Mason saw the strictness of the Classical approach and thought things should be gentler. As such, the Mason method has a lot of similarities to the Classical approach because Mason was trained as a Classical educator herself. (Indeed, many people who choose either the Charlotte Mason or Classical homeschooling methods tend to also enjoy teaching with elements of the other method).

While there are similarities, the Mason method is particularly known for:

Testing children with narration – this is when children are tested by parents asking them what they learned, and children narrate back their answers. This can be done orally, in writing, drama, interpretive dance or even STEM building!
Nature walks – Charlotte Mason was the founder of Scouts! She thought children should spend more time outdoors discovering nature
Habit training – All education should train us in good habits, so we benefit society as well-rounded individuals. Mason was a Christian and rooted her beliefs in Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection for our sins and benefit

Both Classical and Charlotte Mason homeschooling methods value lots of reading by children separately, and in a group with parents. Homeschooling parents who adopt either of these methods can be found reading tomes to their children for many hours each week. As such, children learn through exciting and challenging texts, instead of texts which are boring or given to children so they can pass an exam.

Why I like The Charlotte Mason Approach

Many Charlotte Mason homeschools are warm places of learning where families bond together as they learn together. For instance, if we look at narration we find harsh exams are replaced with parents simply asking their children what they’ve learned.

A lot of learning is face-to-face, and children and parents learn things together. I love that about the Charlotte Mason approach!

Shortcomings of The Charlotte Mason Approach

The Charlotte Mason approach expects a lot of parents. For example, reading for so many hours is lovely, but it can become a burden if the curriculum isn’t flexible.

I heard of one mom who turned back to use traditional homeschooling (school-at-home) methods because they lost their voice due to reading aloud so much.

And this leads me to the benefits of eclectic homeschooling…

My Favourite Method: The Eclectic Approach

Eclectic homeschooling is picking and choosing parts of different homeschooling methods and curricula that you like and using them in your homeschool. Eclectic homeschooling is like a buffet, you choose what you like.

Why I like The Eclectic Approach

Out of all the different educational methods, my favourite method is the eclectic homeschooling method. I like it simply because you can take the best parts from every educational theory and leave the bits of rubbish.

The eclectic method also lets you individualize your way of homeschooling to fit your child. This means that while one homeschooling method might work best for one child, it may not work for another.

And this makes sense as we’re all individuals and we all like or dislike certain things. It’s no surprise our learning preferences, strengths and weaknesses also work this way.

Shortcomings of The Eclectic Approach

Maybe the biggest thing you need to be aware of when you choose the eclectic homeschooling method is its ability to lead you everywhere if you don’t have a plan. For this reason, I advise you to write down your homeschooling plan so you don’t go down a rabbit hole as you discover all these other amazing ways to homeschool.

Conclusion: My Three Favourite Homeschooling Methods and Why I’m in love with them

Being able to our own way of homeschooling is a huge blessing. We have a smorgasbord of excellent homeschooling methods and resources at our fingertips. And this means we can choose the best ways of homeschooling to suit our own families. Among other educational theories, I believe the Classical and Charlotte Mason approaches are worthy of great consideration if you’re considering homeschooling. Hopefully, you’ll be able to join them all together to form a wonderful eclectic homeschool!

Rebbecca Devitt is the author of Why on Earth Homeschool: The Case for Christian Homeschooling. She’s the wife of a husband who is her best friend and makes her laugh and a son who is too cute for words. She’s dabbled in Nursing, Medical Science, Medicine and Law before settling down to her dream job—being a full-time mother! The family live in Wollongong and actively participate in their wonderful church, Wollongong Baptist Church. Rebbecca has written for various blogs including Homeschooling with Heart, Why on Earth Homeschool and her own Christian homeschooling website, How Do I Homeschool. As you can guess, her passion lies in helping people to homeschool well.

Show Your Voice with Punctuation

January 14, 2019 By Annette1 8 Comments

As a grade eight student, my son is starting to write more and more. As he writes he’s learning several things: like the need to spell better, sentence length, sentence structure and punctuation. Today I thought I’d talk about the best use of punctuation.

Punctuation is our use of a variety of dots and dashes. We use them to point the way for the reader. Pointing the way through our use of voice (the pace at which we read) and to divide our words, phrases and ideas into manageable pieces. How we use periods, commas, exclamation points and what not, shows our voice and helps the reader follow our words more clearly. This makes proper usage important.

One of the things I tell my son as I review his work is … how would you say this. As you revise it, read it over and everytime you pause, you need punctuation. Usually, it will be a period or comma, but sometimes it will be different. So stop, read, think, jot it down. If you are reading and there’s punctuation where you aren’t stopping, ask yourself why it’s there.

What is all this punctuation anyway?

. (period) ends a sentence

, (comma) most versatile of all your punctuation. It shows the author’s voice, shows continuity or the need for a break.

; (semi-colon) divides and organizes big chunks of information

: (colon) announces a word, phrase or clause

– (dash) sometimes is overused. Is best used to set a phrase apart or add punch to a closing line.

( ) parentheses are like a side trail that need to be manoeuvred around.

All other punctuation such as {}, !, ?, [], ABC all gives voice to the author. They show the pitch, tone and voice of the author. Each author will find their own path to how they use punctuation. After all, it’s OUR voice that we are sharing. Some will use commas and periods almost exclusively, and others will frequently toss in dots and dashes. It’s all part of making your writing your own. Just as you need to watch your adverbs and adjectives, you also need to watch how you use your punctuation.

So Get Out There

Write as you write. Mind you be reasonable about it. For instance, I’ve read people who insist on not using capitals, who won’t use periods, or who have odd gaps that leave you wondering where to read next.

So don’t be silly. You do need to follow punctuation rules. Remember, the goal is the HELP your readers find YOUR voice. Therefore USE the writing rules but make your writing your own. Pause when you would pause, hurry when it seems best to do so. Use excitement, and tension, and slowness. Make your words YOUR words.

The Evolution of Homeschool Hours

December 7, 2018 By Annette1 6 Comments

Do you know a startling fact? Not all homeschool days last the same length of time! I KNOW.. it is SO different from public or private school eh? Homeschooling parents all set up their days differently, as many different ways as parents who teach. The funny things is… your days will evolve over time.

I thought I’d take a moment and walk you through how over lives have changed over past 8 years.

We started our homeschooling journey when the lad was 5, he’s now 13. When he was five, you know what we did? We walked and talked, we played and told stories.

I remember the advice a homeschooling friend gave me. Don’t buy curriculum until he’s 8 years old. You don’t know anything before then. Take your time and just have fun. Count everything, read a lot, take him everywhere and talk about what you doing, bring him places where he can ask questions and have his imagination turned. I took her advice to heart (beyond the buying curriculum, which in the end… we never did use). We held this course pretty much for the next three years.

I tell stories as naturally a breathing (people tell me I should always write them down but they never come out the same you know?) Through stories we learned history, practiced our math, tried out new words, and wove in elements of experiments. Did we use books and what not? Of course we did. But they weren’t the mainstay of our life.

My son has always been big into weapons and fighting. And we have gone through many renditions of armour. Back in 2012 we learned about warriors from Fiji whose weapons were shaped like pineapples. Schooling for us back then was a whole day affair of simply living life and learning. We tried different things like word walls and some book work but reading and talking about things worked so much better than anything else at this age. Bookwork perhaps took an hour at the most.

From 2014-2017 bookwork gradually increased. We learned some important lessons such as… even if a boy does math backwards (at least in mom’s mind) but gets the correct answer and can explain how he got there, it’s okay. Just means a mom’s mind and a boy’s mind work differently and math can still be learned. Ergo, I don’t teach math, but I do act in a supportive role! Early on, we discovered the joy of learning on-line. We kept reading, books at breakfast, lunch, and bedtime. So many great books we read, and the histories we went through, delightful!

We learned to work with how a boy set on routine works when his momma isn’t a routine/organized type person. It was HARD. On a positive note it meant that school would last exactly three hours or four hours. AND a boy learned to bend when “come on, it’s field trip day, NO, you don’t have time to do everything you usually do”.

One winter we spent hours learning about snow and compacting it and using water to create a thin, but durable layer of ice.

We still spent time exploring different ideas. Reading poetry and drawing what we thought it meant. It’s amazing sometimes where words can take us. How many different directions they can take us, and yet, at the same time, how often they can take us in the same direction. We laughed often and were amazed together. The cat often joined in the fun.

And now we are in 2018. With a lad doing most of his work independently. Needing a weekly conversation to see if we are on track. Learning together doesn’t happen quite as often. School happens differently now. A lad often getting up before his mother does. Doing his easy stuff in the morning before Dad gets up (takes about an hour). Then playing and doing things with Dad until it’s time to go to work. Dad gone, it’s off to do schooling again (takes about 2.5-3) hours. Sometimes we do things differently with videos being watched at night, research papers written on the weekend, flexibility is more easily managed now.

And now I have a boy who will volunteer to read a good section in a book to me out loud. 🙂

It is magnificent watching a boy learn and grow. To develop skills and confidence. I absolutely love it!

What about you? How do your days go? Have you seen changes in your scheduling over the years? Or if you are just starting out, are you prepared for things to change?

World War 1: War Starts!

October 27, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

For the past two weeks We’ve been looking at the first battles of world war 1. Germany attacking France (through Belgium) after Austria attacked Serbia. England engaging Germany.

Do you remember that we took a rhetoric course through Silverdale Press? Well, we took some of what we were learning through that course and are applying them to speeches we are finding about the start of the world wars.

Wilhelm of Germany and Lloyd Jones of England. The lad read through the speeches giving me the main points and figuring out what persuasive points each man made in favour of their own people and country. The lad was shocked to read Wilhelm say he wasn’t looking for war but he would take it if the opportunity presented itself. With the Lloyd Jones speech he asked “what made the Germans barbarians?” This led us to start understanding how the rhetoric happened.

Books Read:

The lad read through sections of the following books.

The Great War.
Desperate Glory: the Story of WW1.
First World War.
Battles.
The War to End all Wars.
The First World War.

Videos:

We watched these movies as well as others. I love watching these videos with my lad. We learn so much and often stop just to talk.

We paused this video frequently to talk about some of the ideas. The lad was really able to show me the results of his reading as he answered my questions and filled in some of the background this video doesn’t provide. For instance, he told me that Britain had a treaty with Belgium because of it’s proximity to a weak spot in Britain’s defenses. Having Belgium as an ally meant that if anyone wanted to attack Britain they would have to go through Belgium. This alliance meant that attacking Belgium meant you had a powerful enemy defending them. We watched the next four in this series as well. Taking us through the first five weeks of the war.

The lad had mentioned the Krupp420 to me a few times. It was 24 feet long, weighed 98 tons, and had the ability to fire 2000 lb shells over the range of 9 miles. The German’s used this gun effectively against the Belgium forts. It’s a massive gun.

And for variety I played this one… which ended up really helping ME understand how all the alliances came into play. The lad helped me put all the pieces together as well.

Since Germany first attacked Belgium, we had Belgium Waffles for supper on Thursday night. Seemed fitting. 🙂 I wanted to make a bigger, more “Belgium-ish” meal but couldn’t find what I needed.

Looking Forward

Looking forward we’ll be studying

Soldiers, training, recruitment, uniforms
Trench warfare
War at sea
More battles
Animals of war
Canada at war
Shell shock
Propaganda

I discovered some twitter accounts to follow that provide us with photos of the war to look at and information we didn’t otherwise know or even think to learn about. World War 1 & 2 Photos. News from the Front. World War II facts. WhatIfHistory. The Great War. Great war 100 years.

Others in this series:

Assassination!
Belgium in the early 1900’s.

Use Boredom For Good

October 22, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

You know how letting kids be bored isn’t a bad thing?

It’s the same thing for writers. We need to learn to use boredom for good.

Just as a child who is bored, who doesn’t have their time or brain filled with things to do, finds something to do, usually something with a creative bent. A writer who is bored will find something to think about and eventually to do or at least write about. I know when I have nothing to do my mind immediately fills with a storyline.

So utilize boredom. Don’t treat it like an enemy but rather is a friend and helpmeet.

Shut off the devices. Close the doors. Don’t read a book, or chat with friends. Perhaps you need to get outside and just be alone in your own space. Let your mind have the freedom to roam unimpended or distracted. Let your body be busy if necessary but let your thoughts be free to mull around and come up with their own ideas.

Next time you are sitting at a doctor’s office mindlessly waiting don’t pull out your cell phone. Pay attention to your boredom, what is it teaching you? So many stories and ideas might be surrounding you. The elderly fellow using a cane with a pin in the lapel of his vest. The youngster hanging off his momma’s leg. The lady in the business suit tapping her fingers impatiently. What are their stories? That interesting fabric, could it be important? Who designed that purse? Could there be a world ruled by spiders? What thoughts are inspired? Any interesting worlds that might be imagined? What research could be spurred on?

World’s Strangest….

October 20, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

There are times, dear readers, I wish you could be a fly on the wall when certain books come into the house. Normally my lad couldn’t really care as he knows I’ll tell him what I think once I’ve looked through them. BUT the books I have for you today grabbed his interest from the time they fell out of the package. Lonely Planet kids has four books in the series World’s Strangest. We have predators, ocean beasts, places and creepy-crawlies. Can you guess, dear readers, which one he gravitated to?

YES You are totally correct. Creepy-Crawlies is it. Why… well you know … ANTS. Ants were mentioned in a book AND they were ACCURATE!!! He was delighted and then found the quizzes… can I tell you something… IF YOU ARE TIRED>>> DO NOT LET YOU CHILDREN QUIZ you… unless you want them chortling with glee when you flub up. 🙂 It was okay though…I got him back later by quizzing him on Ocean beasts… which had him grabbing up the book and learning more for himself. FUN! Who wouldn’t want books like this in your house? 🙂

What you get:

Each book is laid out in the same manner. The Top 40 as ranked by Lonely Planet experts are talked about. Five strangest and then a quiz. Loads of colourful pictures and interesting tidbits. Each book closes with a glossary.

Let me walk you through

Each book is divided into four sections, each with their own quiz.

Each place or creature is given a two page spread with bright, highly engaging, full-colour images. Bold text to help draw in the eye.

As you can see, each place or creature comes with a strangeometer score. 40 creatures or places in each book. Each quiz asks 10 questions, not in the order they are presented in the book. The answers are provided upside down in fine print.

The books I received are:

Ocean beasts: weird and wonderful creatures from the deep
Places: weird and wonderful corners of the Earth
Predators: weird and wonderful carnivorous animals
Creepy-crawlies: weird and wonderful hair-raising bugs

Each one was a treasure trove of 40 places or animals that are just odd, interesting, or wonderful. Places like Christmas Island and the underwater post office. Animals such as the trumpetfish, leafy seadragon, or japanese spider crab. How about the cobra lily, trapdoor spider, exploding ant, or artic fox? Interesting and sometimes obscure facts are brought to light, sure to delight your children from age 6 and up.

My Thoughts:

In case you couldn’t tell, I really like these four books. I am tempted to use them to create small unit studies to help your student delve into the world’s strangest all the more. 🙂 (If only I could find the time). The bright images with factoids make these books a delightful addition to your science library. I urge you to check them out today.

World’s Strangest ocean beasts
World’s Strangest places
World’s Strangest predators
World’s Strangest creepy-crawlies

Lonely Planet Kids
80 pages, 6-8 years,
Science, Geography, Biology, Elementary

Record Keeping Worries

October 16, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Did you know that I have a boy in grade 8? I KNOW… it’s been an amazing journey that we’ve been on for the past 8-9 years, learning and growing together. As he gets closer to grade nine (gasp) I start to wonder about keeping grades and records and have to admit.. I haven’t a clue. Beyond making tests and marking them, just how does one keep grades?

How does one mark a project? How does one judge if a student has passed a keyboarding class? I don’t know!

I’ve been doing some research (not much at this point to be honest) I still don’t know much.. so why am I even writing this post eh? To share my lack of knowledge?

Well not really.

Reassurance

I just want to talk to moms (or dads) out there who are in the same boat that I am in. My goal is to ease hearts as mine have been.

I was talking to the highschool guidance counsellor two weeks ago and asked her how they handle it when a student comes in when records haven’t been kept well. “Oh, we just figure it out”. To my quizzical look, she continued “We had a student come into grade 10 just this past week, no records for anything up til this point. We talked with her, figured out where she was at and we have the ability to just plug the details in. We can adjust as we see how she does at grade level as well”.

You know what that did? WOW.. it eased my heart. To know that I don’t have to panic if I don’t have it all figured out by next September. And honestly WHY should I panic? Having or not having grades for grade nine is not the end of the world. Colleges/universities aren’t going to hold it against him?

Support is Available

I also know this… there is a HUGE support community out there for homeschoolers. On-line or in person.

In-person, some of my options are:

One of the curriculum supply places will be doing a “going into highschool seminar” in a few weeks so I can take advantage of that.
I can go to a spring homeschooling conference and someone there will be doing a highschool workshop. (at least there has always been one every other conference).
Talk to those who have gone on before
Talk to the library about resources they might have on hand

On-line I can

Research how to do it via the world wide web
Talk to the local homeschooling community
Go to forums and ask questions
Talk to people connected with the Homeschool Review Crew
Talk to individuals I’ve gotten to know in the homeschool community like Kym, Lori, and Carol.
Reach out on social media.

Please do share, I really do want to know what my options are. Even to learn HOW to grade. My lad is good at letting me know what he does know, but that doesn’t always tell me what he remembers long term you know? I can see how he puts his research skills together, but I can’t always judge how well he sees the bigger picture.

Your turn

How about you? What ways can you learn about grades and record keeping for YOUR highschool student? What have you learned works for keeping good records of your students’ activities? Share, help me out eh? You are part of my community!

This post has been linked with the Homeschool Review Crew Round up. You can find it here.

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My Three Favourite Homeschooling Methods and Why I like them