A Little Bit of Everything: Eclectic Homeschooling

The Google dictionary defines it as: Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

Eclectic.

I’d have to say this describes not only my homeschool philosophy and teaching style, but who I am as well. Let me back up and tell you a little about myself first so you can see how our homeschool ended up the way it did.

I guess you would classify me as a strong-willed child. Not so much when I was little, but definitely when I entered high school, college, and beyond. For the most part, and only through the grace of God, I kept my strong will in check. However, I can remember when I received my teaching materials for my first year in the classroom, I thought to myself, You want me to use these? No way. Of course I did. Yielding to authority is important. But this was the point at which I knew I enjoyed making up my own curriculum and/or finding other curriculum that I knew was fun, engaging, and worked.

Homeschooling is Not for the Faint of Heart

So this is how reading time started:

Sweet Cheeks: I CAN’T do it!
Me: Please try. You aren’t even looking at the book.
Sweet Cheeks: But I can’t do it!
Me: Ok. Well, how about you go play instead and we’ll do this next time.
Sweet Cheeks: NO! I want to do my reading!!
Me: But you said you can’t do it!
Sweet Cheeks: I can’t do it.
Me: So go play.
Sweet Cheeks: No! I want to do my reading! (slides off the couch like a wet noodle…)

Preschool – Lower Elementary Bird Unit

This is the fourth in a unit series on animals. We learned about mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles with about four-six weeks per animal type. I started out wanting to study animals that we find around the house…and we did. But then I couldn’t help myself but add more fun, intriguing animals!

The “birds” in their nest.

The objectives come from the Core Knowledge Series-kindergarten and first grade.

OBJECTIVES:

• Animals, like plants, need food, water, and space to live and grow.
• Plants make their own food, but animals get food from eating plants or other living things.
• Offspring are very much (but not exactly) like their parents.
• Most animal babies need to be fed and cared for by their parents; human babies are
especially in need of care when young.
• Pets have special needs and must be cared for by their owners.
• Living things live in environments to which they are particularly suited.
• Specific habitats and what lives there, for example:
Desert [cactus, lizard, scorpion]
• The food chain: a way of picturing the relationships between living things
Animals: big animals eat little ones, big animals die and are eaten by little ones.

Birdseed Cookies

The kids and I have learned so much about birds during our Bird Unit. I think the neatest thing has been watching the bird feeder which is about 2 feet from our kitchen table. We eat breakfast with the birds. The past 2 mornings a red bellied woodpecker has decided to join us. THAT has been amazing!!

The kids and I made birdseed cookies and placed them out in the front yard for our feathered friends. I noticed today that the front yard has been FULL of tiny little hopping sparrows, doves, robins, and other little feathery signs of spring.

Advice for the Brand New Homeschool Mom

Choosing to homeschool is a HUGE decision. It is a change of lifestyle that touches each person in your home. If you are on the brink of the homeschooling plunge, then I want to encourage you with this seasoned advice from other homeschool families:

Our calendar wall

Relax…you are your child’s best teacher.

Breathe!                     

God gives you enough time in the day to do what He wants you to do. If you don’t have time for everything (including sleep), you’re doing too much! And that is not how He wants you to live!

Take the first 18 months to figure out what works for you and your students. Make lots of changes at that time.

It’s ok to not finish a whole workbook – you can even change curriculum after a week if you want to…you get to make the decisions that are best for your child!

Don’t expect perfection. You are learning, just like they are.

Pray and Trust God because he will give you those little moments that you need to keep going.

Scope and Sequence 2013

Every teacher needs a scope and sequence, or a plan, for the year. I run my year from January to December instead of the normal August to June. I also do year-round schooling which is great because we can take a day or week off whenever we want and it doesn’t disrupt anything.

We are beginning our 3rd year of homeschooling with this being the first “official” year in a Homeschool Association.

Here is the plan for 2013:

RB’s Plan (kindergarten) -
Grade 1 Saxon Math
A Reason for Spelling (about 2 weeks per spelling list),
Abeka Grade 1 Reading
Reading Comprehension and Writing: My Father’s World Bible Reader with journal
A Reason for Handwriting Book A
Positive Action First Grade (Bible)
Awana (Bible)
Spanish: Sing Song Spanish
Art/Music: Whatever seems to fit with other subjects
Science: (Apologia and Classical Education as a base with LOTS of books from the library)  Focus on – Animals (Birds, Invertebrates, Amphibians); Earth Science (including weather); Astronomy
Social Studies: State Geography and local/state history

Preschool – Lower Elementary Reptile Unit

This is the third in a unit series on animals. This unit was harder to put together and I still feel it’s incomplete. We had all of the holidays take place during this unit, so it seems disjointed. But maybe you can find a few things to supplement your lessons. We will be learning about mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles with about four-six weeks per animal type. I started out wanting to study animals that we find around the house…and we did. But then I couldn’t help myself but add more fun, intriguing animals!

The objectives come from the Core Knowledge Series-kindergarten and first grade.

Gearing up for the New Year

As I’m sitting here, my printer is madly at work. Soon I’ll have my trusty paper cutter and laminator going.

Each homeschool morning the kids and I do, what we call, Calendar Time. It’s a conglomeration of all kinds of things, but we do add the dates to the calendar each morning. So far in our homeschooling years I’ve used the little numbers that came with the calendar…

But not now!

A Superhero Reading Series for Boys (and Girls!)

I walked into my living room this afternoon just before lunch and found RB on the couch reading a book to his sister. He was on the third page and enjoying every minute of his book. After a short time he became tired and brought the book to me to read while they ate. I didn’t mind. After all, RB is only 5. I can’t believe he was reading his first chapter book!!

“What book?” you might ask. Finding books that excite boys can be a challenge.

These: DC Superheros by Capstone Publishers!

There are Batman books in the series as well. RB has been on a Superhero kick recently, so I was excited to find these at the library. The books are on a 4.3 reading level. They are not Christian fiction, but the one we finished reading today had no insulting language, such as name calling, and no real violence. The ice and fire villains did have guns, but each one shot out either ice or fire. But the neat thing was the science topic that was woven into the story. The Flash book we read involved global warming and what would happen if the polar ice caps melted. The Superman one we began today includes geology topics. I am interested to read the others in the series.

And yes!!! I did find a Wonder Woman book in the series!

***I went online and found the publisher’s website! It lists the characters and the books about them. It looks like there are games as well. FUN!! Enjoy!!

Preschool – Lower Elementary Fish Unit

This is the second in a unit series on animals. We will be learning about mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles with about four -six weeks per animal type. I started out wanting to study animals that we find around the house…and we did. But then I couldn’t help myself but add more fun, intriguing animals!

The objectives come from the Core Knowledge Series-kindergarten and first grade.

We now have 2 fish. They are fun to watch.

OBJECTIVES:

• Animals, like plants, need food, water, and space to live and grow.
• Plants make their own food, but animals get food from eating plants or other living things.
• Offspring are very much (but not exactly) like their parents.
• Most animal babies need to be fed and cared for by their parents; human babies are
especially in need of care when young.
• Pets have special needs and must be cared for by their owners.
• Living things live in environments to which they are particularly suited.
• Specific habitats and what lives there, for example:
Water [fish, oysters, starfish]
• The food chain: a way of picturing the relationships between living things
Animals: big animals eat little ones, big animals die and are eaten by little ones.
• Diversity of ocean life: from organisms too small for the eye to see (plankton), to
giant whales
• Dangers to ocean life (for example, overfishing, pollution, oil spills)