Posts Tagged ‘home education’
Evolution of a home schooled child
When my son was a toddler we spent a lot of time together playing and learning. By the time he reached the age of four he was ready to learn to read, in fact he asked me to teach him to read. By the time he was ready for kindergarten he could read, write, knew all his colours, numbers, letters and more. So began my dilemma – do I send him to school where he may be bored, and lose his joy of learning? Do I just opt out of kindergarten and then send him for Grade 1? Am I capable of teaching him? Is homeschooling accepted by society? My son was a very shy boy and I wondered if school would be a hindrance to him because of that. We weighed the pros, and the cons and then opted to keep him home and school him there.
He loved to learn! He loved to read and really enjoyed doing projects. We enrolled him in Scouting so he could socialize with other kids. And once he reached Cubs, his badge work became part of his school work. Scouter Gerry loved to test his badge work because it was really a project! We incorporated schooling in all aspects of my son’s life. Trips to the store, field trips to museums, drawing lessons at the park – every where we went we had a learning experience. We didn’t work at specific grade levels because he was more advanced in some subjects (like English) than others (like Math). Basically, we taught at his level of learning for each subject. We often taught about subjects he had an interest in rather than just the basic curriculum requirements. At one point in time he would right his stories in Viking runic language!
Since I was not skilled at any instrument, we enrolled my son in music lessons through the Ontario Conservatory of Music. At first he studied organ, just like his Dad, but later he moved to piano. He enjoyed playing and would often compete in competitions, and now, he teaches little ones to play piano.
Once he reached the age for high school we gave him the choice as to whether he wanted to stay being home schooled or enter into the public school system for high school. He elected to stay at home and at first we tried to follow the accredited high school programs. These programs became a struggle for us because it fractured the homeschooling atmosphere we had created and made it so he no longer enjoyed learning. So, we changed our focus back to subjects of interest to him, taught in a way he could better learn.
At some point in his studies my son became more of a self-taught student. I would plan the lessons but then he would just follow them himself, research topics of interest further and decide what angle to follow next. I strongly believe that the best lesson to teach a child is how to find the information for themselves. That way, they can always have the answers they need!
My son’s homeschooling days came to an end when he reached the age of 19 and enrolled in a career college to study computer network engineering. He holds a 90 average there now which is a credit to him and gratifying to me to know that our homeschooling did well for him. It was a wonderful journey, filled with a little bit of apprehension and a lot of gratification. I am sad that the journey had to end but excited to see what the future holds for him!
Find out more about homeschooling at www.educationfun1.com
My unit studies are a way to combine education plus fun. They start with an interesting topic, then as the child learns more about the topic they will also learn aspects of English, Art, Math, Geography, Science and more. The idea is to get kids interested in learning by making learning fun.
I started writing unit studies when homeschooling my youngest son. He was not the type of child who like to sit and read. It was a bit more of a challenge teaching him as his attention span was not long. So at first I created a unit study about Pirates. He was thrilled to learn about pirates, to read about Blackbeard, figure out weights according to cannon ball size, draw a wanted poster and even learn map and compass skills. And so, we continued with Soldiers Through Time which was a seven module unit study that ranged in history from Ancient Roman Soldiers to Soldiers of World War II.
After helping my son get interested in learning I thought maybe the unit studies could help others enjoy learning too! And so came a unit study on Spies, one on Cowboys and Superheroes as well as a three part unit study on Forts Across Canada. These unit studies became known as Education with a Bang series to help add excitement to education, specifically for boys.
Fashion Through Textiles, a four part unit study featuring wool, silk, cotton and linen as well as the unit study on Herbolgy are part of the new line of unit studies which would be more appealing to girls but equally combine fun with education.
I continue to create unit studies and have many ideas in my head for new ones but sometimes I am not sure which one to start next. Constellations and the Mythology behind them sounds very interesting. What about the History of Pets and how they became domesticated? Or what about Biomimicry – technology inspired by nature?
I just love to research the various topics and put them into a fun and interesting unit study that will help inspire children to learn. One 11 year-old boy who was reviewing Science Inspired by Superheroes was blown away by the fact that you could learn science from superheroes and chose to do the unit study instead of play on the Wii! What a great reward!
And so I continue, finding interesting topics to put into fun and educational unit studies – always on the look out for new ideas!
Sandra Wilson is an experience home educator that is dedicated to putting the fun back into education!
You can view the full list of completed unit studies at http://www.homeeducationresourceemporium.com/unit-studies!
The Titanic’s Maiden Voyage
When the Titanic began her first voyage at 12:00 noon on April 10, 1912, there were 2227 men, women and children aboard. Many of the passengers were rich and famous but there was also over 700 immigrants traveling to a new land. On April 14, the Titanic was traveling full steam ahead in the North Atlantic. The weather was clear and cool however the wireless operator began to receive messages warning of icebergs ahead. Over the next few hours, a total of six messages came for other ships. The captain of the Titanic, E.J. Smith received some of these messages, but not all. There was no set system for passing messages from the operator to the crew and to the captain so, no one person saw all of the messages. The captain asked the men on lookout to watch for icebergs, but these men had no binoculars with them so they could only scan the waters with their eyes.Two great new unit studies – just released
In an effort to help boys enjoy learning I have created Unit Studies with a Bang! These unit studies combine subjects like English, History, Science, Art, Geography and Math with topics that boys will find interesting!
Cowboys of the Old West combines Geography, History, Art, English, Math and more in a fun unit study that teaches about the Old West and the cowboys that lived there! There is a preview of the unit study which can be downloaded as a supplement to a lesson plan, or even just for a fun learning experience! So grab your cowboy hat and set of on a journey to learn about the Long Drive, the history of horses, lawmen, outlaws and more!
Science Inspired by Superheroes looks at the superpowers of our favorite superheroes and describes the scientific principles behind these powers. With Science, English, Math and Art this unit study combines fun and learning with an exciting topic. Preview the unit study or download it and start learning right away!
These two unit studies have just been released and will be on sale all month! If you like these you may also be interested in some other unit studies with a bang including Soldiers Through Time; Spies, Secrets and Suspense and Pirates!
Do You Squidoo?
Have you discovered Squidoo yet? This a great site where homeschoolers have been putting their unit studies and lesson ideas, along with pictures from their lessons – all to help other homeschoolers! There are a variety of themes and ideas and some encouragement as well. It is
The Homeschool Club is a part of Squidoo. It features lenses specific to and written by homeschooling families. They have a directory of lessons, some homeschooling success stories and great advice on college and more!
It is a place to find resources for homeschooling, by homeschoolers, for homeschooler!
And, more and more unit studies are being written for The Homeschool Club every day!
They also encourage writing a lens or two of your own. It has an easy to use template to add text, pictures, website links, amazon products and many other inclusions that can make your lens complete.
One lens is even devoted to how to write a lens for them. It says:
The Homeschool Club Wants YOU to Write About Homeschooling!
Find out more, and get some great lesson ideas, by checking out the homeschool club on squidoo!
Educating children is a career
When I was in university I majored in English and History. I was often asked, oh are you going to be a teacher? A teacher in a classroom was not the career I had in mind. Passionately, all I wanted to be was a Mom. What I didn’t know then was that I would be a teacher because I became a homeschooling mom.
Homeschooling was our choice because it was what best fit our family. I was very lucky that my husband had a full-time job that enabled me to stay at home. At the onset, I was very excited about schooling my kids. We went on field trips, made projects, got involved in clubs all the while with me taking a hands-on approach and jumping in with both feet. As a parent we nurture our children, encourage them and guide them. A homeschooler just takes the extra step of teaching them academics as well as about life.
Homeschooling is not a part-time job. We found projects, activities and learning opportunities in almost everything we did. Although we tried to maintain a school schedule, to give the kids the benefit of a schedule, we often found teaching/learning opportunites on the weekends and at nights when “school” wasn’t in session. The key was to allow the learning to happen whenever it happened. Obviously this took time and patience because in a lesson the child is encouraged to do the learning and the doing, which could slow down the process of whatever needs to be done. I remember being in the grocery store, slowly travelling down each aisle because my son wanted to read everything!
What I noticed about homeschooling was it never stopped. My husband would come home from his job and enjoy family time, and down time. But as a homeschooler, I was always involving the kids in what I was doing, fraction lessons while baking, science lessons in the bath etc. It was not a 9 to 5 job but it was a full-time career.
Teaching children, whether in a classroom or at home, is a dedicated career. Giving children the attention, the encouragement and the opportunity to learn is one of the most important jobs anyone can have. And, one of the most rewarding!
What Grade are you in?
That is a question that always stumped my homeschooled children because we didn’t follow grade levels, we followed their learning level. Many of us have experienced in our lives that different topics have a greater interest, or make more sense to us than others and therefore we may be better at it than something else.
I remember when I was in grade 6 and would participate in my cousin’s grade 9 spelling drills. I always scored higher than he did but when it came to math, I couldn’t keep up with the kids in my class. Unfortunately, since I was in the public school system I was given grade 6 English (in which I excelled and sometimes got bored with) and grade 6 math (which I barely passed). Since I knew that my level of learning differed with each subject I expected the same from my children. Sure enough, one excels in English but not math while the other is completely opposite with math being the stronger subject.
And so, if the child is excelling in English should I stiffle the flow by only allowing him to study at the grade level his age is meant to be at? If he is struggling in math do I keep pushing him forward in that level, or should I lower the level a little to give him a chance to understand. I chose to homeschool so that I could offer my children an education that I felt they deserved. Therefore, I chose not to follow grade levels but instead, to offer them each subject at a level that they could understand and learn from.
By offering lessons geared to the learning level of the child, they are encouraged to learn rather than being frustrated with learning. They are inspired to excel and proud of their accomplishments. They succeed at their own level, which is what is best for them!
Anyone with more than one child can compare and contrast their children. They may have similar mannerisms yet opposing interests and sometimes you may wonder how two could have sprung from the same womb! Children are different, they have different interests, different focuses and different learning styles. So too, must the teaching style for them be different.
My first child was pretty easy to homeschool. He was a book kid, loved worksheets and would sit for hours working on a project. My second child is not as keen of a reader, would prefer not to have to write and won’t sit for hours to do anything. These differences are not a variance in intelligence, just in how and what they learn.
With both children, one of the main things I did was teach what interested them. My eldest son studied Medieval history at least five times. Each time had a different focus, an increased measure of learning and new projects to work on. The younger son enjoyed Medieval History as long as he was reading about knights, catapults and the siege of a castle, but really only wanted to study it once. And so, while one child created graphs about the plague, the other crafted medieval weapons from cardboard, tinfoil and duct tape. Since each activity was premised with a discussion or reading about the time period the history lesson was still being taught, just in different styles.
The older child struggled a bit with math, but when lessons involved money, things made sense! And so, many math lessons allowed counting, converting and problem solving with money. The youngest struggled with geography but enjoyed cooking. So, we travelled the world learning about common foods and recipes found in the various countries.
Free yourself from the “typical” school regime, especially with a more active, reluctant student. Create lessons through field trips, music, crafts, athletics and unit studies that fill the needs of each student. This encourages them to learn because they enjoy the subject, and the manner with which it is taught!
Education + Fun = #1: Unit Studies
“The big thinkers in education emphasize customized or individualized learning as the wave of the future.”
This is not a new concept to homeschoolers who teach individualized learning every day. One of the great methods to customize this individual learning is through unit studies. With a unit study, the concepts of English, Math, Science, Geography, History and Art can be reinforced, while the student is learning about a subject they really enjoy. If the subject is interesting and enjoyable, it will be easier to learn and the student will be more willing to learn. Unit studies focus on a specific topic, they can create an introduction to that topic and inspire further study. They can supplement other educational resources to provide a bit of learning on their own, or even on the go. Unit studies are adaptable to a child, you can use only the activities/lessons that fit your child’s learning level or interest level rather than using everything and possibly causing a student to not have fun while learning. You can create your own unit study about a topic that interests that child right now. Maybe your son wants a pirate birthday party – why not spend the week before on a pirate unit study that teaches as well as adds some fun. In the spring you can start a garden, keep a garden journal, learn about plants etc in a unit study based on the wonders of the garden. There are so many unit studies available for download, or in magazines and books that you could find one for almost any topic of interest to your child. Why not try your hand at putting one together. Search for worksheets, reading comprehension, crafts and science experiments that fit in to that theme!
If you need some help, check out all the great ideas on squidoo.
The Importance of Education – Home or School
Educational importance before the industrial revolution was tied to:
1) learning,
2) preparation for wise leadership and personal achievement,
3) opening your mind to new ideas.
These are the requirements we can assume from all education. If these steps are not being achieved than a change in how children are taught is required.
When a child does not want a particular food then we suggest they just try a bit to taste it before they decide. So can be said for educational subjects. Instead of assuming a child won’t like a subject, or need a subject, we should let them try it – he/she may just like it.
I have always wondered how we can determine the career that will carry us through our life with only a few courses of introduction. I was very excited about studying Archaeology, then I took the first course and found that the preliminary work, gridding and such was not something I would enjoy doing endlessly. But I went in with an open mind, and learned that that was not the path for me.
I am not a fan of the variety of requirements needed in order to receive enough credits for a high school diploma. Something from this group, two from that group etc. Although it offers choice to the student, it also limits choices and opportunities for them to excel at the subjects they enjoy the most. Often, courses that are not suited to the student, but are required for a diploma can discourage learning and create avoidance of that class, or school all together. As a homeschooler, I have been able to offer my children a variety of lessons, determined the ones that are not suitable, and finish them up early so as not to prolong the agony of an unwanted subject.
Students with choice, variety and the ability to switch out of a lesson that is not working for them are learning, opening their mind to new ideas and preparing the best base for personal achievement. Fulfilling all steps in the importance of education helps fulfill the student as well!