quick n dirty guide to types of hs / us

Here's a good overview of what are generally referred to as "the methods and styles of homeschooling" - each link leads to more:

Methods and Styles

However, you might want to check out this other thread where we've just been discussing this sort of thing:
Classical-Waldorf-Unschooling

Lillian

Quote:
And the one true source for the very best information on how your child grows and learns best is your child. In all the current interest about styles and methods, a lot of folks are looking to the books for information rather than listening to their children. I"m not suggesting that you're doing that at all - but it's easily done. Lillian

I'm new to homeschooling and I've been doing just what Lillian said. Reading a bunch of books about the different styles, methods, philosophies, etc... But I'm getting kinda tired of that. (How many introduction to hsing books does a person really need to read???)

I'm leaning toward a literature-based, unit study method to start. My son loves to be read to and has a great auditory memory, according to his former teacher. And he has really good comprehension. He has a very mild form of autism spectrum disorder, so he naturally gets really interested in a subject for a limited amount of time and wants to explore it fully. That's why I think unit studies will work. Plus, it sounds like fun to me! I can't see sitting at home doing manuals, textbooks, and work books all day! And my son wouldn't like that either! He's a hands-on, move around kinda kid, so I plan on lots of field trips and projects. I just hope I have the energy to keep up!

I'm glad that I have a basic understanding of the different approaches though. Not because knowing that information FORMED my "style", but because it helped me IDENTIFY what my style already seems to be and to evaluate whether it might work with my son's style.

What do you think you're interested in exploring?

Wait! Cheery, no DIAPERS??? As in absolutely no diapers of any kind? I'm assuming you mean you use cloth diapers. Just checkin'.

Quote:
: ?

Quote:
Well, it's not like I never used any but I used them only as a back up, not as a default and phased them out pretty quickly. Are you familiar with diaperfreebaby? Most of the world's babies are diaper free from birth and only ours are taught to go in the diaper for years before we "train" them otherwise. Go figure.

I truly feel that tuning in to our babies (core principle of homeschooling for me) helps us to hear their cries to relieve themselves, which I realised only at about 3-4 months of age, though in retrospect I could so obviously see that she was communicating even from her first week of life, but unfortunately I, not knowing any better, ignored her or considered her signals and responses as insignificant coincidences and did not realise that it would have been so simple to take her to the potty when she so clearly needed to go, and to offer the potty just like I offered other things that I thought she needed. Luckily we shifted to coverless cd by 4 months which further promoted our communication, and discovered ec right here at MDC by 6 months.

I'd be happy to contimue the discussion offline or at the the ec board but I did go into a bit of detail here only because my approach to infant hygiene is of a piece with my approach to teaching/learning which is to listen more and instruct less, trust my child and treat her as I would wish to be treated. Now I wonder which style and method of homeschooling or unschooling would be in sync for me?

Wow! I learn something new every day! No, I'd never heard of ec before just now! I am learning so much from this board!!!!

Have you read through the styles or methods yet? What are your initial leanings (if you don't mind my asking)? Have you read the book "Homeschooling Methods?" I recommend it for an in-depth study of the different methods.

Good luck!

Quote:
so glad you asked! my dd is not yet 3 so i have the luxury of leisurely studying these methods and styles ....of course what i realise is that much of the theory is relevant even in parenting. there was another thread where someone wondered what they could do for homeschooling while still pg and I know that I consciously played plenty of music at that age - of course i enjoyed the music too but I would not have made the effort to play it so often if it were just me, kwim?

It is interesting to see how my first lurkings on MDC were mainly to do with breastfeeding and then with nutrition and good eating. Meanwhile I discovered ec which we took to with great zeal. Later I started hanging out more with gentle discipline and these days more here in learning. But the message I got in all of these was strongly trust your child, starting with nursing / sleeping / pottying and then when ready for solids, trust her with eating too. I really owe MDC big time for two approaches that were so key to our parenting in dd's infancy - 1) ec and 2) avoiding feeding when it comes to solids - that is just offering nutritious foods and letting children feed themselves, which we did from 6 months. I dont think I would have learned either of these from my friends or family and they worked so well for us that I got really hooked onto MDC.

Browsing gentle discipline and learning at home boards, I got interested in concepts like unschooling, radical unschooling, consensual living, etc. At first I was all agog with these but no longer. Though they have opened valuable windows.

I havent read the styles and methods descriptions yet and I am coming to realise that there may not be one that fits us all that well but certainly I would still like to look through them since I may pick up some new angles, just as I have picked up through browsing here at MDC.

Quote:
Shall do so asap! thanks!!!