Anyone else homeschool? « Back to Group Discussions

[cc_mama]

Wondering what school plans are for the fall.  Dd is 'ahead' and we school year around so i'm not too worried.  My thoughts right now are readingeggs.com and hopefully a good website for math.  DS will be 2.5 and will maybe need something - workbooks and maybe big sis will do starfall with him.

[IntuitiveJamie]

We fall along the lines of unschoolers, so no particular special plans for Fall. We take it all as it comes and aren't working by curriculum at this point.

[~Demeter~]

No special plans for the fall here, either... :)

[~Demeter~]

2.5?!! Honey he is still so young... play, that's what he needs NOT a rigid curriculum.

[cc_mama]

I know..but he wants to do school with his sister.  So I won't be structuring anything just having things for him to do if he wants :-)

[~Demeter~]

Ahh... my 4 year old daughter likes to get 'workbook' pages... mostly it's coloring, lol. :)

[Harmony08]

My son will be four next fall.  I don't have a plan for a curriculum yet really some ideas...I tend to like the classicalism style and am kinda thinking of doing a secular Sonlight thing.  He will still be so young I don't think I will really be doing that much more than we are now.  You know just playing, going places, reading a lot, art projects etc.  

I'd be lying if I said we were totally set on homeschooling (though I really am at this point) but dh and I are still entertaining the idea of sending him to Waldorf in the fall.  We do a little parent child class now (I know, not at all classical...I'm eclectic).  

If he did go to school I would have to get him there by 8:30 every morning and we don't wake up till 9:30 right now.  Plus, school starts right when I'm due basically.  So we would be completely shaking up his little world. I'm just not sure that is okay....

Anyway, I plan to homeschool :)  I'm so glad to see this thread.  It is nice to get a chance to talk about it.

[lisarenee25]

I've homeschooled my son two years (since kindergarten) and will also homeschool my daughter.

I'm not a unschooler, but have a relaxed curriculum.  I think it works for us.

[Knitting Mama]

We haven't settled completely on whether we're homeschooling or not yet, and we don't have to for a few more years (Cecilia will be 2 in April). If we don't, my only choice will be the Montessori school that my niece and nephew go to. It is an AMAZING school and being a charter, it's free. If I do homeschool, it will be pretty eclectic. I am not 100% sold on unschooling, and I believe that it's a great idea for kids to be exposed to many different styles of learning-- not to mention, it can be very helpful if they decide to go to an out-of-house school later on or when they go to college. I used to teach elementary school myself, so I feel like I'm pretty qualified, but still would want to be super careful that I was giving my kids the best education possible!

[justchanti]

We don't have any kiddos...yet (except the one in the oven), but this is something I've been torn about.  I am a trained Waldorf teacher and am currently finishing my Master's in teaching with a focus in urban education and teacher leadership.  (A Waldorf trained urban teach!?! I know it's weird, but, pedagogically I'm definitely a waldorf teacher at heart, but I am also a big believer in social justice and the right that all children have to a good and equitable education... and so here I am, teaching in the inner city incorporating waldorf methods whenever I can. **sorry for the long aside**).  I believe that kids need the social aspect of school but I also value the idea, especially as a trained teacher, of fine tuning instruction to the needs of my children.  I also think homeschooling promotes the value of family and home and encourages those values in a society that fines them dispensable.  

Ultimately, I think it will depend on if I want to go back to work, or not.  I imagine if I choose to continue teaching while my children are small I will try to get a job at a school that I would also like them attending.  Right now I have my sights on several Waldorf Charters back on the west coast. :)

[Thandiwe]

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~ 

2.5?!! Honey he is still so young... play, that's what he needs NOT a rigid curriculum.

I second this and commend you if you can get him to work. I have a little guy born 2/2010 and he's still a baby in my eyes, so I can't even fathom working structured.  We home school here, but we lean towards unschool/strongly delayed academics.  There's so much time in the future for schooling, and you'd be very surprised how much they pick up even without you "trying."  Having a household where learning and exploration are encouraged, my kids have both picked up reading/writing without much pushing on my end.  My oldest is 6, my middle 4, my baby about to turn 2.  Even with the 6 year old, I don't push curriculum.  We have organized curriculum for math and science and some supplemental workbooks, etc, but I don't force them or urge them.  Sometimes we pick them up, a lot of times we don't.  As they get older we intend to get a little more structured about it, but for now I love knowing they are truly "just being kids." 

Good luck in your plans for next fall.  I haven't read all the responses, but I would definitely encourage you (OP) to hold off on teaching through the fall and pick it up with 2nd semester after the holidays.  At least don't "require" yourself to teach. If some days you do, great, otherwise don't regiment yourself.  Give yourself time to rest, heal, and bond.    Have to remember this will be an adjustment not just for you and babe, but for the other littles in your household. 

ETA:  I just read the rest of the responses, OP, and saw that you later mentioned workbooks/coloring books for him.  I would highly recommend this.  Having taught to my olders when we, at one point, had 2 littles who weren't schooling (foster parents), I can attest to how hard it is when they see all the cool stuff out on the table and they just *can't* have it!  I like to keep containers of extra manipulatives set on our schooling cabinet along with crayons and coloring books for such occasions.  That way little hands have a way to keep occupied while we get to focus on our schooling.  Sometimes it doesn't work and I either have to pop the toddler into a carrier or abandon work for the moment until he can better handle it.  It's not easy schooling with younger children around and having "special" things devoted only to school work time is a great idea!

[IntuitiveJamie]

We love the Kumon workbooks. I believe I got the cutting, pasting and line drawing ones at 3 or so. They were never pushed on my son, but he really enjoyed them a lot. They build on skills, like hand strength for writing and then letters and numbers. You can get them at most bookstores or Amazon.com.  I also use to actively do Montessori in the home when my son was 3 on. But maintaining "work" as they call it, was tough. Constantly rotating things and coming up with new materials consistently. But at that age it was mostly things like pouring rice and water. And practical life stuff. I still do a lot of Montessori based stuff. But again, we are not consistent with anything, nor push anything. My husband would like us to start using a curriculum for 1st grade though. I have no plans to...  We have some further communicating to do on the subject :)

[Ninetales]

I haven't decided for sure if we're going to HS, but I'm like 85% sure we will.  I just feel like while the public school system is necessary and most of the time does the best it can, it was designed for an industrial era that just doesn't fit our modern technology based lifestyle.  Plus I love the idea of giving my kids one on one education tailored to their needs and abilities and interests.  The only thing that would keep me from doing it is probably lack of faith in myself.  Anyway, I don't have to make up my mind until Elsa's 5, so I have a few years.  In the meantime I love hearing about how other people do it.

[cc_mama]

DD is doing mostly Sonlight - love that even on a 'bad' day we usually get read a louds done.  Maybe I should work on a book basket for August/September so that I'll have some good read a lounds available.  We are not very structured - DD is into Magic Tree House right now so we've taken a break from Sonlight and I'm riding the wave of  her interest.  I hope I'm feeling good this summer because I love doing stuff in the summer with the kids - we do lots of camping and parks and the nature center.

[Knitting Mama]

What are some good options for secular curriculae? We're not religious and we don't want to use religion-based curriculum (I am 100% sure my husband would veto it on the spot, even if I was tailoring it to not use the religious portions).

[~Demeter~]

Aimee, there's all sorts of places you can pull from... I suppose it depends on where you want to focus. I'm not a fan of marrying yourself to 1 curriculum for everything, you know? I'd look into different stuff and see what fits your views. :) 

[Mona]

another unschooling family here. my 9 yo has been unschooled since birth (i found out about it here on MDC!!) and we've never looked back. will be interesting to see how the next one is similar/different with interests and desires. :)

[intime0]

Thandiwe, you have the EXACT ages of my youngest three...all January births though...crazy. LOL

We've been homeschooling for about 7 years or so, I think.  Gonna keep on. Love it.

I also have a 2 year old who does "school".  Basically, I get her dressed, she says, "school mommy me?" and we go into the school room.  She opens hte cabinet and picks out the cow sorter. LOL.  Pretty  much every day.  Occasionally, she'll get a puzzle or something else.  Soon as sister is done with her snack, she comes to get her so I can work with another sister.

My 4 year old does a little more.  We do a letter of the week.  I print out worksheets and sorting things and all kinds of fun stuff.  I NEVER make him do anything he doesnt want to do.  But usually he wants to do page after page.  LOL. 

My older kids have to do the work.  :)

[Thandiwe]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

What are some good options for secular curriculae? We're not religious and we don't want to use religion-based curriculum (I am 100% sure my husband would veto it on the spot, even if I was tailoring it to not use the religious portions).

Have you heard of Rainbow Resources?  If not, get their catalog. You will love it.  They have a wide variety of materials; the catalog is thicker than a phone book.  I'm not sure if it's a religious company, but you can a la carte your curriculum by reading great reviews.  I like to order from Sonlight but not for the core packages.  We use it to buy math and science curriculum (which we have and pick at here/there). 

[intime0]

That catalog is massive.  I could spend thousands in there.  I used ot always order enough that I'd get the free shipping. LOL