A Little bit about my "educational philosopy"

When I started out homeschooling in 1999 it was only Chelsea, she was six and after many problems in school we had decided to pull her out for a year. Christopher was in Pre-K at the base school and so far I was happy with him being there. Tristan was only two and I never even gave a thought into any sort of lessons for him. So for Chelsea it was easy. I bought a ton of computer programs, some workbooks from Sams Club, and was happy to spend the rest of our day outside playing with friends or curled up watching TV. I had always loved having my kids with me so to me just having her home was more than enough. Later that year a four year old boy brought a gun onto the school bus. That is when I first started thinking about homeschooling as more than a solution to a problem and more of a lifelong goal. So I started looking online and I joined a homeschool group and a homeschool prayer group and I found Charlotte Mason. Well she spoke to me in so many ways and I tried with all my heart to put her into action. I never quite got the hang of it and at the time there wasn't all the lesson plans and guidance that I am finding now so slowly we ended up back at workbooks, this time adding a lot more reading and hands on activities. We tried a few unit studies which were fun but felt so unnatural to me and with 5 kids two of them babies I just couldn't keep up. So eventually after seven years I gave up and bought a boxed computer based curriculum. My kids hated school on the computer and started to hate homeschooling. Match this with two devastating losses that shook my foundation to sand, an overseas move and a mountain of marriage problems we made the decision that rocked everything I believed in...we put them back in mainstream school.

Things are very different this time around. I have over eight years of experience under my belt and know exactly what I am looking for, what I believe, and what my boys like.

So here we go.

I still LOVE Charlotte Mason. Gentle learning, liberal arts education, nature studies, short lessons, narration, copywork, and emphasis on being outdoors. So we are following Ambleside online for Poetry, Literature, History, Artist Study, Composer Study, and Natural history. We are following "The Green Hour" for Nature Study. And will use Copywork for language arts and spelling etc. And "A Childs Geography" for well...Geography.

So...I liked reading the books on the Trivium and thought that TWTM made perfect sense for Science. Both my boys are very hands on and Phoenix LOVES experiments and inventing things so I feel a really good strong science rotation is extremely important. (The history rotation sounds good as well although I found that I prefer to start with learning about people as they do in Ambleside) So for science we are using an outline we found on a WTM board years ago using Kingfisher Encyclopedia, What a child needs to know 1st grade, and the library. We will be using a notebook and following the WTM four year rotation.

I could never be an unschooling purist but I do believe that kids given the best of materials (and removing the options of tv and other electronics) can sometimes give themselves an amazing education! Since my boys are very inquisitive, hands on and scientific I have decided to make one day a week an "unschooling day" (we will actually have nature studies on this day as well). I have created an inventors box filled with odd things from the hardware and craft store, have a basket of experiment books, science books, and downloaded "challenges". I also have made a huge craft box with everything from the fanciest of scrapbook stamps to cereal boxes. I am creating a peice of earth in the back yard that the boys can have full control of and have put in another basket some bulbs and seed packets along with books on how to make your own garden and the supplies for an indoor greenhouse. They don't have to choose from these but I thought they would help get them started and allow for their creativity. And to help to train them to find a worthwhile activity on these days I have created a jar of chores that the boys have to draw from each time they tell me they are bored or ask to watch tv or electronics instead of "playing".

Another philosophy that I don't think I could be a purist at but that I like some aspects of is Waldorf. Now I know this can definately set off some bells and alarms with people but all in all it really feels too pagan to me. But I do like the dreamy fairy tale aspects. The things that help a child to stay a child rather than all the violent and ridiculous creatures they see on tv and in video games. This is especially important to me with Gryphen who is still such a little boy at heart. So from Waldorf I am primarily taking their Math. I like their whole person approach and the beautiful gnome (and animal) stories and manipulatives used. We will be using their main lesson book concept that add such an artistic flair to the boringness of math. I have thought about using circle time as well to start the day gently, sing our hymn and folk songs from ambleside, light a candle and pray to GOD, and maybe read our poetry and Aesops. It's something I am still playing with.

I am not anti workbook. Obviously because I used them for so many years. But I don't believe they are the best way to teach the whole child. My boys LOVE to do worksheets. I have created, downloaded, and purchased several workbooks. Mosty math practice. But also some for Science to help enforce some ideas. I know on days when we just don't feel like school, or when we have a lot to do outside of school my boys will be more than happy to have these workbooks to do.

Lapbooking, Scrapbooking and Notebooking. As I have said before my boys are VERY hands on. They love to do projects and create things. I am not a fan of unit studies but have found lapbooks a nice way to stay hands on without going overboard. I joined Hands of a Child, and found an awesome site with lots of animal lapbooks to use for science. I love the Hands of a Child Bible lapbooks and we are starting our year with "Who is Jesus" and "Symbols of Christmas". I have found some amazing extra helps for this in the membership section (these helps made the membership worthwhile for me). We will also be doing notebooking especially in science and I hope to be able to create a nature study book like the one found on this amazing blog!

Bible and Literature. I believe their is room for Bible and Literature in every subject and we will be using both as liberally as humanly possible!

I am sure there is more...but for this morning my goal is really just to put down in writing what I believe in and what I am trying to use. Something to help me and remind me on the way.