Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Why Be Different?
Homeschooling isn't as mysterious as it appears to be. It has actually existed for many centuries, in a variety of forms. Throughout history children have been taught skills and trades by older family members. Family history and heritage has also been handed down through generations of teachings. In this fashion, homeschooling can be traced back to Adam and Eve when they taught their children.
Why homeschool your child(ren) today? Why not send your child(ren) to school and let someone else do the teaching? Why be different? Simply put: Lessons are waiting to be learned in the life that surrounds us. So, instead of pushing students along at whatever rate is deemed appropriate for a large class homeschooling offers a more personal environment. Children aren't forced to learn at a rate that is too slow or too fast for them because more time can be spent with each child on an individual basis. This also means that learning hurdles can be overcome more easily.
Homeschooling also allows parents to teach their children valuable character traits. Instead of having children mimic pop culture, children learn to be an individual and not a "follower of the crowd." In such cases, courtesy and respect becomes commonplace. Modesty and self-control are developed. Children are more likely to impersonate their parents' sense of style, mannerism and attire than that which is found in pop culture. Parents are also able to control social gatherings so that their child(ren) don't make friends according to the outfits and jewelry that are worn. Instead, children are able to engage in meaningful conversation, thus making friends with other children who actually share their interests.
Another important part of homeschooling occurs when children learn that they are able to learn something from every part of life, not just within the confines of a classroom. Here are some examples...
Home Economics is not an elective, it is about learning life skills. In the kitchen children can learn about fractions and word problems. They can learn to cook a meal, sew something, or clean the house which not only provides a means of independence but also adds to their self-worth when they are satisfied by a job well done.
Science can be learned outside through gardening, nature walks, and star gazing. Autumn leaves can be collected and studied. Cocoons are closely watched for the first signs of life. Ice crystals and snowflakes are more than just play things.
Historical and cultural facts are uncovered after a visit with the grandparents or by leafing through old photos. An old cookbook reveals old family traditions and legacies. Stories told expose forgotten crafts and artistries.
Libraries turn into fountains of knowledge. Research takes on a whole new meaning.
There are more opportunities for field trips. Museums and concert halls become discovery palaces.
All of these things work together to turn learning into an exciting, fresh and new experience as schoolwork is no longer limited to a set schedule of events or a program to follow.
So... Why homeschool? Why be different? Because a world of knowledge lies in wait before us. The world around us becomes our schoolroom. Homeschooling goes beyond books, facts and figures and becomes more about life than anything else.
Why homeschool your child(ren) today? Why not send your child(ren) to school and let someone else do the teaching? Why be different? Simply put: Lessons are waiting to be learned in the life that surrounds us. So, instead of pushing students along at whatever rate is deemed appropriate for a large class homeschooling offers a more personal environment. Children aren't forced to learn at a rate that is too slow or too fast for them because more time can be spent with each child on an individual basis. This also means that learning hurdles can be overcome more easily.
Homeschooling also allows parents to teach their children valuable character traits. Instead of having children mimic pop culture, children learn to be an individual and not a "follower of the crowd." In such cases, courtesy and respect becomes commonplace. Modesty and self-control are developed. Children are more likely to impersonate their parents' sense of style, mannerism and attire than that which is found in pop culture. Parents are also able to control social gatherings so that their child(ren) don't make friends according to the outfits and jewelry that are worn. Instead, children are able to engage in meaningful conversation, thus making friends with other children who actually share their interests.
Another important part of homeschooling occurs when children learn that they are able to learn something from every part of life, not just within the confines of a classroom. Here are some examples...
Home Economics is not an elective, it is about learning life skills. In the kitchen children can learn about fractions and word problems. They can learn to cook a meal, sew something, or clean the house which not only provides a means of independence but also adds to their self-worth when they are satisfied by a job well done.
Science can be learned outside through gardening, nature walks, and star gazing. Autumn leaves can be collected and studied. Cocoons are closely watched for the first signs of life. Ice crystals and snowflakes are more than just play things.
Historical and cultural facts are uncovered after a visit with the grandparents or by leafing through old photos. An old cookbook reveals old family traditions and legacies. Stories told expose forgotten crafts and artistries.
Libraries turn into fountains of knowledge. Research takes on a whole new meaning.
There are more opportunities for field trips. Museums and concert halls become discovery palaces.
All of these things work together to turn learning into an exciting, fresh and new experience as schoolwork is no longer limited to a set schedule of events or a program to follow.
So... Why homeschool? Why be different? Because a world of knowledge lies in wait before us. The world around us becomes our schoolroom. Homeschooling goes beyond books, facts and figures and becomes more about life than anything else.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Children can't be socialized without school - FALSE
Children are born as social beings. Therefore, schooling is not necessary to "make" someone social. Truth be told, whenever you think about it, you cannot "make" a child do anything. Furthermore, what do you call interaction with parents, siblings and family? This is also social when you think about it.
There are many great joys to homeschooling. One of these is that children tend to make friends with a diverse group of people from all age groups and with a variety of interests. This is because these children spend much of their time interacting within the community.
Schools force children to be segregated by age group. Where else in life are people segragated in this manner? No where. In fact, such segragation creates the generation gaps that cause adults to misunderstand children, and children to know nothing about adults.
So, stop and take a moment to think about the "socialization" of school...
Contrary to "socializing" children, schools create a breeding ground for isolated cliques to form, segregated by clothing style, music style, popularity, money and status of personal interests. This creates a hostage-like environment in which children have little power. This then tends to breed a cruel peer culture in which children vie for dominance and territory. Children who are marked as being even slightly "uncool" (having the wrong hair cut, the wrong clothes, unique characteristics, etc) by the dominant peer groups are referred to as losers, and the harassment these rejected children endure can be socially and psychologically devastating.
The Columbine School Massacre exposed the sobering truth about the devastating affects of children who are rejected by their peers. This doesn't mean that all children will turn to such drastic "measures," but public school children WILL attempt to clone themselves according to the peer culture. In contrast, homeschool children tend to make friends with people based on internal qualities and genuine shared interests rather than on outward appearances and social group membership - something that is much more important than the trivialities of clothing and music.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
There are many great joys to homeschooling. One of these is that children tend to make friends with a diverse group of people from all age groups and with a variety of interests. This is because these children spend much of their time interacting within the community.
Schools force children to be segregated by age group. Where else in life are people segragated in this manner? No where. In fact, such segragation creates the generation gaps that cause adults to misunderstand children, and children to know nothing about adults.
So, stop and take a moment to think about the "socialization" of school...
Contrary to "socializing" children, schools create a breeding ground for isolated cliques to form, segregated by clothing style, music style, popularity, money and status of personal interests. This creates a hostage-like environment in which children have little power. This then tends to breed a cruel peer culture in which children vie for dominance and territory. Children who are marked as being even slightly "uncool" (having the wrong hair cut, the wrong clothes, unique characteristics, etc) by the dominant peer groups are referred to as losers, and the harassment these rejected children endure can be socially and psychologically devastating.
The Columbine School Massacre exposed the sobering truth about the devastating affects of children who are rejected by their peers. This doesn't mean that all children will turn to such drastic "measures," but public school children WILL attempt to clone themselves according to the peer culture. In contrast, homeschool children tend to make friends with people based on internal qualities and genuine shared interests rather than on outward appearances and social group membership - something that is much more important than the trivialities of clothing and music.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
Common homeschooling myths dispelled
Children cannot learn without attending school.
During a child's first three years of life, children successfully teach themselves how to walk, understand how objects work, how the environment works, how social relationships work and how to speak and understand a complex language. There are even numerous children who successfully teach themselves how to read, count and draw. Since they are not attending school when they are learning these things, this only goes to prove that learning is innate in all human being, until it becomes a forced chore. Therefore, if parents provide the right materials, opportunities and experiences, children are capable of teaching themselves what they need to know according to their goals in life.
Children will not learn unless they are forced to learn.
Again, look at what children have successfully learned and mastered during their first three years in this world. This just shows that children learn during every moment of every day, especially through play and the pursuit of their own personal interests. However, if a child's love for learning is squashed, then children will no longer have a natural hunger for learning and they will stop actively pursuing knowledge on their own.
Children won’t learn about the real world without school.
False! The fact is that children cannot learn about the "real world" because they're in school most of the day and most of the weektoo. Schools are ran as totalitarian dictatorships which is somewhat "humorous" when you think about the fact that we live in a democratic society. Additionally, because children are corralled in schools, the community cannot benefit from their innovative ideas, talents and contributions. Many homeschool children participate in helping to run their family’s business, and some even start their own businesses at young ages. What a way to learn about the "real world!"
Without school children won’t have access to extracurricular activities.
Children who are homeschooled have far more opportunities to explore personal interests than their schooled peers.
Children won’t learn the right things without school.
We live in an innovative society full of independent thinkers. So, what are the "right" things to learn? Who determines what is "right" to learn? Why? In public schools, children are fed a diet of disconnected facts prescribed by a governmental institution that determines what is "right" to learn. On the other hand, homeschool parents feel that they can do a better job at guiding their own children’s education. They also feel it is their right to determine what is "right" for their children. These "right" things to learn are chosen according to what will help to further their child(ren)’s personal goals, abilities and interests.
Children won’t get into college without school.
Many homeschool children do in fact go to college, even prestigious universities such as Harvard. Their applications are based upon the documentation that the parents and children themselves keep of their life experience and independent studies. In some cases, homeschool children actually take college courses before the age of "graduation."
I’m not smart enough to homeschool.
Children can do a large part of the learning on their own, as long as parents provide the materials, the support and the opportunities for the learning to take place. If a child needs help with a subject that a parent is unable to help with, there are family members, people in the community, peers and tutors who can step in to help them out.
I don’t have the time to homeschool.
Homeschooling doesn't have to follow a prescribed set of rules. A child can stay with a family member or friend while a parent works and be "homeschooled" with the parent in the evenings, on weekends, or even just a couple of days per week. Many homeschooling parents incorporate their child(ren) into their daily routines, work, errands and appointments. This is how children gain "real world" experience. This is also how families learn to respect one another, negotiate, deepen attachments, and understand one another, rather than be happy to be "rid" of one another at the start of every September.
Homeschooling is a haven for abusive parents and religious fanatics.
The true homeschooling movement was founded on the grassroots efforts of John Holt. This is based upon strong, positive parent-child attachments and upon the principles of democratic, nurturing, respectful parenting and learning. This isn't what is seen whenever homeschooling is mentioned in the media. Instead, the media often shows heavily dramatized cases of severely abusive families who isolate their children from people outside of their religion/family and from society, referring to the practice as "homeschooling." This is NOT in line with the true homeschooling movement.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
During a child's first three years of life, children successfully teach themselves how to walk, understand how objects work, how the environment works, how social relationships work and how to speak and understand a complex language. There are even numerous children who successfully teach themselves how to read, count and draw. Since they are not attending school when they are learning these things, this only goes to prove that learning is innate in all human being, until it becomes a forced chore. Therefore, if parents provide the right materials, opportunities and experiences, children are capable of teaching themselves what they need to know according to their goals in life.
Children will not learn unless they are forced to learn.
Again, look at what children have successfully learned and mastered during their first three years in this world. This just shows that children learn during every moment of every day, especially through play and the pursuit of their own personal interests. However, if a child's love for learning is squashed, then children will no longer have a natural hunger for learning and they will stop actively pursuing knowledge on their own.
Children won’t learn about the real world without school.
False! The fact is that children cannot learn about the "real world" because they're in school most of the day and most of the weektoo. Schools are ran as totalitarian dictatorships which is somewhat "humorous" when you think about the fact that we live in a democratic society. Additionally, because children are corralled in schools, the community cannot benefit from their innovative ideas, talents and contributions. Many homeschool children participate in helping to run their family’s business, and some even start their own businesses at young ages. What a way to learn about the "real world!"
Without school children won’t have access to extracurricular activities.
Children who are homeschooled have far more opportunities to explore personal interests than their schooled peers.
Children won’t learn the right things without school.
We live in an innovative society full of independent thinkers. So, what are the "right" things to learn? Who determines what is "right" to learn? Why? In public schools, children are fed a diet of disconnected facts prescribed by a governmental institution that determines what is "right" to learn. On the other hand, homeschool parents feel that they can do a better job at guiding their own children’s education. They also feel it is their right to determine what is "right" for their children. These "right" things to learn are chosen according to what will help to further their child(ren)’s personal goals, abilities and interests.
Children won’t get into college without school.
Many homeschool children do in fact go to college, even prestigious universities such as Harvard. Their applications are based upon the documentation that the parents and children themselves keep of their life experience and independent studies. In some cases, homeschool children actually take college courses before the age of "graduation."
I’m not smart enough to homeschool.
Children can do a large part of the learning on their own, as long as parents provide the materials, the support and the opportunities for the learning to take place. If a child needs help with a subject that a parent is unable to help with, there are family members, people in the community, peers and tutors who can step in to help them out.
I don’t have the time to homeschool.
Homeschooling doesn't have to follow a prescribed set of rules. A child can stay with a family member or friend while a parent works and be "homeschooled" with the parent in the evenings, on weekends, or even just a couple of days per week. Many homeschooling parents incorporate their child(ren) into their daily routines, work, errands and appointments. This is how children gain "real world" experience. This is also how families learn to respect one another, negotiate, deepen attachments, and understand one another, rather than be happy to be "rid" of one another at the start of every September.
Homeschooling is a haven for abusive parents and religious fanatics.
The true homeschooling movement was founded on the grassroots efforts of John Holt. This is based upon strong, positive parent-child attachments and upon the principles of democratic, nurturing, respectful parenting and learning. This isn't what is seen whenever homeschooling is mentioned in the media. Instead, the media often shows heavily dramatized cases of severely abusive families who isolate their children from people outside of their religion/family and from society, referring to the practice as "homeschooling." This is NOT in line with the true homeschooling movement.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
Monday, February 06, 2006
Intellectual Development & Waldorf Education
According to the Webster's dictionary, education is an action, a process, a stage which results in knowledge.
In previous times, children were simply living and working with their families, playing whenever there was time, watching, imitating, observing, and participating. Nearly all of the daily activities were directly related
to the sole purpose of sustaining life. People spent their time gathering food, protecting themselves, creating adequate dwelling space, finding mates, caring for
one another, and creating community. All children lived this way, except for the wealthier children who had much more time in which they were able to learn how to read, write, and master other higher subjects, generally after about age the age of 7. Of these wealthy children, 1 or 2 very bright ones were sent off to the larger
urban areas for further study, often with the religious institutions or political organizations of the times.
So, what did the younger children do? They played and worked with their families. They spent their time next to their parents, helping or playing a few simple items from nature or contrived toys such as corn cob dolls. These children also heard and listened to numerous stories that helped carry history down through the ages. This is interesting considering that people can retain about 10% of information that they hear once, more if they read it, and most of it when they do it. Thus, the repetition of oral traditions, vastly increases the retention of material by human beings. The best time for children to learn these stories is when they're under the age of 7, when there is a very strong natural urge and interest in repeated stories. These children NEED oral stories and repetition.
When presenting these stories to your children you should NOT dumb down the vocabulary. We should be using the words that were originally present and repeat them. Children will master these words which in and of itself is a good education. This is the developmental part of education which has been abandoned by our public education system who only strives for better test scores. An education system that focuses upon training the mind while paralyzing the body as kindergarteners are made to sit at desks, use pencils, write and copy, and give up recess because there
isn't time for it.
Developmental education is critical for healthy balanced adults. We must use all the various parts of our physical bodies on a daily basis. This means that all the
aspects of our bodies - the head, the heart, and the hands - must be well educated. This is something that Waldorf educators truly believe in. These educators work diplomatically and lovingly to assist parents to see the realities of
what happens when we place children in work that is not appropriate for their stage of development.
Waldorf homeschooling can be easily accomplished since you are the the creator of your world. While homeschooling you are the master of your home, your schedule,
your possessions, your choices, your stories, your food, your tone of voice, your joy and creativity, your child's universe, everything. As such, you can select and create elements that will shine upon everyone around you, now and into the future as well.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
In previous times, children were simply living and working with their families, playing whenever there was time, watching, imitating, observing, and participating. Nearly all of the daily activities were directly related
to the sole purpose of sustaining life. People spent their time gathering food, protecting themselves, creating adequate dwelling space, finding mates, caring for
one another, and creating community. All children lived this way, except for the wealthier children who had much more time in which they were able to learn how to read, write, and master other higher subjects, generally after about age the age of 7. Of these wealthy children, 1 or 2 very bright ones were sent off to the larger
urban areas for further study, often with the religious institutions or political organizations of the times.
So, what did the younger children do? They played and worked with their families. They spent their time next to their parents, helping or playing a few simple items from nature or contrived toys such as corn cob dolls. These children also heard and listened to numerous stories that helped carry history down through the ages. This is interesting considering that people can retain about 10% of information that they hear once, more if they read it, and most of it when they do it. Thus, the repetition of oral traditions, vastly increases the retention of material by human beings. The best time for children to learn these stories is when they're under the age of 7, when there is a very strong natural urge and interest in repeated stories. These children NEED oral stories and repetition.
When presenting these stories to your children you should NOT dumb down the vocabulary. We should be using the words that were originally present and repeat them. Children will master these words which in and of itself is a good education. This is the developmental part of education which has been abandoned by our public education system who only strives for better test scores. An education system that focuses upon training the mind while paralyzing the body as kindergarteners are made to sit at desks, use pencils, write and copy, and give up recess because there
isn't time for it.
Developmental education is critical for healthy balanced adults. We must use all the various parts of our physical bodies on a daily basis. This means that all the
aspects of our bodies - the head, the heart, and the hands - must be well educated. This is something that Waldorf educators truly believe in. These educators work diplomatically and lovingly to assist parents to see the realities of
what happens when we place children in work that is not appropriate for their stage of development.
Waldorf homeschooling can be easily accomplished since you are the the creator of your world. While homeschooling you are the master of your home, your schedule,
your possessions, your choices, your stories, your food, your tone of voice, your joy and creativity, your child's universe, everything. As such, you can select and create elements that will shine upon everyone around you, now and into the future as well.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Boring Textbooks = Bored Kids + Bored Mom
Are your children growing bored with their textbooks? Are you growing tired of hearing them complain? Is it possible that your textbooks are the problem? If you've never thought about this, take a moment to think about it now. Think about how each child is unique. With this in mind, you'll be able to set out to find new ways to work with your child.
One idea... Unit studies. Doing a unit study with your child is one way in which you can help your child(ren) discover their own gifts and talents, as they learn about the world at our side. Unit studies can provide you with some wonderful experiences. So, take time to use unit studies, to begin a trail of discovery for both you AND your child(ren). This truly can be a powerful journey of discovery, because when you give your child(ren) a chance to follow their interests, the outcome can be surprising. Unit studies provide you with this opportunity. They also give your child(ren) a chance to obtain a better understanding of the way things work, the history of the world, their own abilities, and much more.
Some people seem to think that if you use unit studies that there will be holes in their child(ren)'s education. Truth be told though, no student ever completely finishes a textbook. The shame in this lies in the fact that the "good" stuff usually lies toward the end of the textbook. With a good education children are taught how to be able to think and how to build a sound foundation of learning. The whole point is to build a strong tree of knowledge for your child(ren) where upong they are able to place more information over the course of their lifetime.
As a mother, you're never going to be able to teach your child(ren) about everything, but you can teach your child(ren) how to think, how to investigate, and how to research and dig for answers. This, in and of itself, will be a priceless education for those who will be successful in a rapidly changing world. Unit studies hold all of this power within their "papers." When writing them, my intention is to provide this power for you to unpack for your child(ren). Enjoy!
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
One idea... Unit studies. Doing a unit study with your child is one way in which you can help your child(ren) discover their own gifts and talents, as they learn about the world at our side. Unit studies can provide you with some wonderful experiences. So, take time to use unit studies, to begin a trail of discovery for both you AND your child(ren). This truly can be a powerful journey of discovery, because when you give your child(ren) a chance to follow their interests, the outcome can be surprising. Unit studies provide you with this opportunity. They also give your child(ren) a chance to obtain a better understanding of the way things work, the history of the world, their own abilities, and much more.
Some people seem to think that if you use unit studies that there will be holes in their child(ren)'s education. Truth be told though, no student ever completely finishes a textbook. The shame in this lies in the fact that the "good" stuff usually lies toward the end of the textbook. With a good education children are taught how to be able to think and how to build a sound foundation of learning. The whole point is to build a strong tree of knowledge for your child(ren) where upong they are able to place more information over the course of their lifetime.
As a mother, you're never going to be able to teach your child(ren) about everything, but you can teach your child(ren) how to think, how to investigate, and how to research and dig for answers. This, in and of itself, will be a priceless education for those who will be successful in a rapidly changing world. Unit studies hold all of this power within their "papers." When writing them, my intention is to provide this power for you to unpack for your child(ren). Enjoy!
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
Thursday, January 12, 2006
The Power of Homeschooling
There are 3 powerful reasons why homeschooling works. These include:
(1.) Homeschooling is so flexible that it enables exposure to a broad range of people, ideas, and places. It allows family field trips, tours, and volunteering whenever you want and this is a great way to learn new things while meeting knowledgeable people. The best part is that you're able to take advantage of these opportunities during the week when there aren't crowds which means that the tour guides have more time to answer your individual questions. When you combine this with library books and videos, writing thank you notes and a portfolio entry describing your "adventure," this can become a truly powerful experience for your child(ren).
(2.) Many mothers today own their own home business. If you're one of these mothers, then you should take advantage of homeschooling to teach your child(ren) business skills. If you don't own your own home business yet, take heart. It is relatively easy and painless to starting a home business today. You'll then find that there are various business opportunities that avail themselves to teach your child(ren) skills which will serve them well in any livelihood that they might choose as adults. For instance, you can teach your child(ren) how to do basic bookkeeping on the computer. This will not only help them with basic math skills, but it will also help your child(ren) learn how to use various computer programs. Of course, if you choose to use this as a learning experience, you'll want to "proof read" your child(ren)'s work.
(3.) Homeschooling allows great flexibility for vacations. You can easily take vacations in the off-season when prices are significantly lower and crowds are rare. For instance, if your family enjoys camping, you can go during the week, or in the weeks before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.
As you can easily see, homeschooling allows a family to do so much of what they truly love to do.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
(1.) Homeschooling is so flexible that it enables exposure to a broad range of people, ideas, and places. It allows family field trips, tours, and volunteering whenever you want and this is a great way to learn new things while meeting knowledgeable people. The best part is that you're able to take advantage of these opportunities during the week when there aren't crowds which means that the tour guides have more time to answer your individual questions. When you combine this with library books and videos, writing thank you notes and a portfolio entry describing your "adventure," this can become a truly powerful experience for your child(ren).
(2.) Many mothers today own their own home business. If you're one of these mothers, then you should take advantage of homeschooling to teach your child(ren) business skills. If you don't own your own home business yet, take heart. It is relatively easy and painless to starting a home business today. You'll then find that there are various business opportunities that avail themselves to teach your child(ren) skills which will serve them well in any livelihood that they might choose as adults. For instance, you can teach your child(ren) how to do basic bookkeeping on the computer. This will not only help them with basic math skills, but it will also help your child(ren) learn how to use various computer programs. Of course, if you choose to use this as a learning experience, you'll want to "proof read" your child(ren)'s work.
(3.) Homeschooling allows great flexibility for vacations. You can easily take vacations in the off-season when prices are significantly lower and crowds are rare. For instance, if your family enjoys camping, you can go during the week, or in the weeks before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.
As you can easily see, homeschooling allows a family to do so much of what they truly love to do.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
Friday, January 06, 2006
How To Design Homeschool Unit Studies
Regardless of what methodology you normally use for your homeschool, unit studies can provide you with a nice break from the norm sometimes. They are especially nice whenever you're trying to teach your child(ren) to think a little more about how the different parts of life actually fit together, and they can also give you a break whenever you're faced with the doldrums.
So, how do you decide what subjects to persue whenever you're ready to do a unit study? Well, take a look at your child and see what he/she is deeply interested in. Those are the subjects to pursue with your unit studies. Another way to decide what would make a great unit study is to look through your year's studies and notice if there are any "holes" in subject matter that you think should be filled. Once you find that "hole," you can find a unit study on that topic, and take a week or two to teach it. For instance, if your child finds black holes fascinating, but your science text book covers them in just a paragraph or two, then there is the perfect opportunity to do a unit study on astronomy.
Once you've figured out what you'd like to do a unit study on, all you need is a little time and creativity, and you can create your own unit studies. Assembling your own curriculum around one topic sounds difficult, but if this wasn't the case, then educational companies such as "Teacher Created Materials" wouldn't publish and sell as many great unit studies as they do.
There are 2 main drawbacks to designing your own unit studies. First of all, it takes time. If you're a busy parent, this could be enough of a reason to take a trip to your nearest teachers' supply store with your credit card in hand. Secondly, it may require access to a couple of grade-level subject books (ie science, language arts, or math) so that you know
which skills are typically covered at a particular grade level. If you have a good library with an educational books department, then you may also have the perfect excuse to spend a long Saturday with a pocket full of change at the library with a stack of books. Another idea is that if you have a good set of Internet research skills, you can spend your Saturday tucked away at home.
Now that we see the drawbacks, what are the benefits of a unit study? You can teach whatever your heart desires. Plus, if you decide to create your own unit study, you'll find that it is cheaper and more economical than tracking down a pre-made unit study. Furthermore, nobody knows your child as well as you do, and therefore nobody can prepare a unit study for your child as well as you can.
Whenever you're creating your own unit study, you need to keep in mind that your unit study needs to cover all of the subjects that you'd normally teach, unless you plan to skip a specific subject and keep working through your regular curriculum for that subject. However, to create a complete unit study, you need to include the first 2 subjects from the following list and as many of the other subjectss as you can logically fit in there too. Now for the list:
(1.) Math - You need to create math problems at your child's level. For instance, if you're working with a young child on a unit study about baseball, then you can practice addition with bats and balls, write a story problem that talks about number of pitches thrown until the team
reached the final out, etc. However, older children would need something that is more on their level. For instance, you may discuss the speed of the bat, distance the ball travels, or the number of hot dogs that individual team fans eat.
(2.) Language Arts - This area includes reading, comprehension, grammar and writing skills. While you don't need to include every one of these items in every unit study that you write, you should have your child write something about the topic. A great suggestion here would be to have your child read a book about the topic then write a narrative telling you about what he/she read in the book.
(3.) Science - Sometimes a unit study lends itself quite easily to science, but other times you'll find yourself having to work a little bit harder. For instance, a unit study on bugs will let you off the hook since the entire unit study is about science. However, if you are doing a unit study about ancient Egypt then you may need to take some time to look at the creations of the Egyptian engineers, study mummification, think about ancient medicine, or consider the tools that the Egyptians used to do their work.
(4.) Social Studies or Geography - This may be your main topic, but if it isn't, then you'll need to work some information into your topic. Some questions that can help you here include: Where was your topic first seen or invented? What culture surrounded the time or event? Where did this take place? You may also want to learn more about the people of that time period and place.
(5.) Art - Take time to draw, build, act, design or create. You could design a Roman mosaic, sketch an insect's genetic makeup, build a temple from clay or LEGOs, create a tapestry
to illustrate the unit that you're studying (felt shapes work for quick tapestries when needlepoint takes way too long), or paint the flowers that you're learning about.
(6.) Music - Sometimes music fits into a unit study nicely. For instance, you could always listen to some folk music while you explore the civil unrest of the 1960s. However, if you're studying something more scientific, then you may need to work a little harder to fit music into that unit study.
(7.) History - Adding history to a unit study should be relatively easy, regardless of the topic. You could simply research when an event began or an item was invented or you could talk about the events and times that affected an item's inventor.
(8.) Physical Education - Here again, you may need to be a bit creative. However, when you discover that physical education fits into your unit study, then you should definitely use it! For instance, if you're studying the ancient Greeks, then you could run footraces like they did.
If you're still not certain what to do for your very first unit study, try "following" your child(ren) around for a couple days and watch what they do. For instance, if your child spends all of his/her time engrossed in books, then think about a literature-based unit
study (ie how books are made). On the other hand, your child may spend his/her time outside digging for rocks. Then why not do an archeology or rocks and minerals unit study?
Of course, there are some topics that you can use numerous times as your child(ren) grows older. These include:
(1.) Animals, horses, or mammals
(2.) Baseball, basketball, fencing, or sports in general
(3.) Cooking or catering (which may include business and economics information)
(4.) Kites
(5.) Flight
(6.) Transportation
(7.) Weather
(8.) Historical cultures (ie medieval history, ancient Egypt, etc.)
The spark of a unit study is lit whenever your child(ren) mentions an interest. Whenever they do, you need to write it down somewhere. Keep a running list of interests and you'll soon have more than you'll know what to do with. However, even if your child only shows a deep interest in one or two topics, you should take time to explore those. You may discover that you're able to create several unit studies based on the first one as new interests are developed.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
So, how do you decide what subjects to persue whenever you're ready to do a unit study? Well, take a look at your child and see what he/she is deeply interested in. Those are the subjects to pursue with your unit studies. Another way to decide what would make a great unit study is to look through your year's studies and notice if there are any "holes" in subject matter that you think should be filled. Once you find that "hole," you can find a unit study on that topic, and take a week or two to teach it. For instance, if your child finds black holes fascinating, but your science text book covers them in just a paragraph or two, then there is the perfect opportunity to do a unit study on astronomy.
Once you've figured out what you'd like to do a unit study on, all you need is a little time and creativity, and you can create your own unit studies. Assembling your own curriculum around one topic sounds difficult, but if this wasn't the case, then educational companies such as "Teacher Created Materials" wouldn't publish and sell as many great unit studies as they do.
There are 2 main drawbacks to designing your own unit studies. First of all, it takes time. If you're a busy parent, this could be enough of a reason to take a trip to your nearest teachers' supply store with your credit card in hand. Secondly, it may require access to a couple of grade-level subject books (ie science, language arts, or math) so that you know
which skills are typically covered at a particular grade level. If you have a good library with an educational books department, then you may also have the perfect excuse to spend a long Saturday with a pocket full of change at the library with a stack of books. Another idea is that if you have a good set of Internet research skills, you can spend your Saturday tucked away at home.
Now that we see the drawbacks, what are the benefits of a unit study? You can teach whatever your heart desires. Plus, if you decide to create your own unit study, you'll find that it is cheaper and more economical than tracking down a pre-made unit study. Furthermore, nobody knows your child as well as you do, and therefore nobody can prepare a unit study for your child as well as you can.
Whenever you're creating your own unit study, you need to keep in mind that your unit study needs to cover all of the subjects that you'd normally teach, unless you plan to skip a specific subject and keep working through your regular curriculum for that subject. However, to create a complete unit study, you need to include the first 2 subjects from the following list and as many of the other subjectss as you can logically fit in there too. Now for the list:
(1.) Math - You need to create math problems at your child's level. For instance, if you're working with a young child on a unit study about baseball, then you can practice addition with bats and balls, write a story problem that talks about number of pitches thrown until the team
reached the final out, etc. However, older children would need something that is more on their level. For instance, you may discuss the speed of the bat, distance the ball travels, or the number of hot dogs that individual team fans eat.
(2.) Language Arts - This area includes reading, comprehension, grammar and writing skills. While you don't need to include every one of these items in every unit study that you write, you should have your child write something about the topic. A great suggestion here would be to have your child read a book about the topic then write a narrative telling you about what he/she read in the book.
(3.) Science - Sometimes a unit study lends itself quite easily to science, but other times you'll find yourself having to work a little bit harder. For instance, a unit study on bugs will let you off the hook since the entire unit study is about science. However, if you are doing a unit study about ancient Egypt then you may need to take some time to look at the creations of the Egyptian engineers, study mummification, think about ancient medicine, or consider the tools that the Egyptians used to do their work.
(4.) Social Studies or Geography - This may be your main topic, but if it isn't, then you'll need to work some information into your topic. Some questions that can help you here include: Where was your topic first seen or invented? What culture surrounded the time or event? Where did this take place? You may also want to learn more about the people of that time period and place.
(5.) Art - Take time to draw, build, act, design or create. You could design a Roman mosaic, sketch an insect's genetic makeup, build a temple from clay or LEGOs, create a tapestry
to illustrate the unit that you're studying (felt shapes work for quick tapestries when needlepoint takes way too long), or paint the flowers that you're learning about.
(6.) Music - Sometimes music fits into a unit study nicely. For instance, you could always listen to some folk music while you explore the civil unrest of the 1960s. However, if you're studying something more scientific, then you may need to work a little harder to fit music into that unit study.
(7.) History - Adding history to a unit study should be relatively easy, regardless of the topic. You could simply research when an event began or an item was invented or you could talk about the events and times that affected an item's inventor.
(8.) Physical Education - Here again, you may need to be a bit creative. However, when you discover that physical education fits into your unit study, then you should definitely use it! For instance, if you're studying the ancient Greeks, then you could run footraces like they did.
If you're still not certain what to do for your very first unit study, try "following" your child(ren) around for a couple days and watch what they do. For instance, if your child spends all of his/her time engrossed in books, then think about a literature-based unit
study (ie how books are made). On the other hand, your child may spend his/her time outside digging for rocks. Then why not do an archeology or rocks and minerals unit study?
Of course, there are some topics that you can use numerous times as your child(ren) grows older. These include:
(1.) Animals, horses, or mammals
(2.) Baseball, basketball, fencing, or sports in general
(3.) Cooking or catering (which may include business and economics information)
(4.) Kites
(5.) Flight
(6.) Transportation
(7.) Weather
(8.) Historical cultures (ie medieval history, ancient Egypt, etc.)
The spark of a unit study is lit whenever your child(ren) mentions an interest. Whenever they do, you need to write it down somewhere. Keep a running list of interests and you'll soon have more than you'll know what to do with. However, even if your child only shows a deep interest in one or two topics, you should take time to explore those. You may discover that you're able to create several unit studies based on the first one as new interests are developed.
=^..^= Pastor Brenda
Ordained ULC Minister
Your Healthy Family Home &
Homeschool
Friday, December 16, 2005
Public school vs homeschool socialization
Many public school parents often ask homeschool parents, "If children are taught at home, won't they miss the valuable socialization that takes place in school?" Truth be told, most homeschool parents feel that the public school's social life is enough of a reason for them to homeschool. This is because, in the majority of schools, the social life that takes place in public schools is mean-spirited, competitive, exclusive, status-seeking, snobbish, full of talk about who went to whose birthday party and who got what Christmas presents and who got how many Valentine cards and who is talking to so-and-so and who is not. This begins as early as first grade. You'll see classes divide into leaders (usually the popular kids), their bands of followers, and other outsiders who you can tell have been excluded from these groups for one reason or another. Many parents will even note that they haven't ever seen their children doing anything really mean or silly until their child(ren) went away to school.
Many homeschool parents have realized that their children already know most of what is being taught in school: how to be quiet, how to listen to children's stories, and how to sing. They have realized that their child(ren) want to learn about the adult world. Public schools restrict these children to a world which adults believed children wanted. This causes many children's enthusiasm to die an early death. Why? Because shame is one of the first lessons that children learn in school. Oftentimes this happens when children want to be "different" from those around them. These children want to be recognized as individuals. However, public schools shun this.
Another characteristic that is shunned in public schools is spontaneity. Why? Because it conflicts with the teacher's view of how children should act. When children learn this lesson, they also learn that lying is a valuable survival technique. They often discover that it's better to lye their way out of "trouble" than to stand up for themselves because of the dire consequences that they may face in that case.
Children are also taught, at an early age, not to question anything that happens in the school. Schools are very authoritative, leaving NO room for creativity or imagination. Instead, children are left standing in awe of the authoritarian system. This is why many homeschool parents compare public schools to jails. In public schools, even a child's ability to use the restroom is restricted to when and how the teacher feels the child should use the restroom. Then when a child has an accident they often are humiliated and even punished. These incidents of fear and humiliation are numerous in public schools.
If you have a timid child they will probably face a lot of bullying, especially as they grow older. They face physical as well as verbal taunting. Since children often sucumb to peer pressure, children will often join in with the group to bully the other children. While this may just seem like a prank to the children, it's really quite sadistic and even the most kindest child will find themselves drawn into participating in this taunting. These children will not stop until they themselves become the victim, even though they may feel empty and unhappy inside. The beginning and ending of this sadistic behavior can often only be traced to the public school system.
I'm sure by now that you can see the damage that public school socialization causes. Most children in public schools will openly admit that they don't see kindness. Instead, they say that they see meanness, name calling, hurt feelings, etc. This is because the social life of most schools and classrooms is mean-spirited, status-oriented, competitive, and snobbish. Even the majority of public school parents will admit that the social life at school is not kind, generous, supporting, democratic, friendly, loving, or good for children. Of course, most of these parents will also counter, "But that's what the children are going to meet in Real Life."
I say that this is untrue. Why? Because we tend to force children into "peer groups" which have many powerful and harmful effects. Peer pressure often leads children to try such things as smoking, drinking, and even drugs. In fact, we are hearing a lot more about drinking, drunkenness, and alcoholism among our youth today. We're also seeing a lot more youth smoking. While some states have tried to deal with this problem by raising the minimum age, it doesn't help. In fact, usually the problem only gets worse. These children will often admit that these things taste terrible but they do it because "all the other kids" are doing it, or soon will be, and they have to stay ahead of them, or at least not fall behind. These children are enslaved, even addicted, to their peer group. We might even go so far as to call them "peer group junkies." When parents make a fuss, these children are already master liars who know how to sneak around and do things behind their parents' backs.
Of course, these are just a few of the fringe benefits that public school children derive from their public school experience. What do we expect though? Public school children spend the majority of their time in groups of other people their own age. They have almost no contact with any adults except those who are watching them (ie teachers). This leads them to think and feel that what "all the other kids" are doing is the right, the best, the only thing to do. Is this what you want for your children?
=^..^= Reverend Brenda Hoffman
Independent Executive
Discover a way to increase your health and/or income!
E-mail me for more info!
"Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars." - Les Brown (American Songwriter, 1912-2001)
Many homeschool parents have realized that their children already know most of what is being taught in school: how to be quiet, how to listen to children's stories, and how to sing. They have realized that their child(ren) want to learn about the adult world. Public schools restrict these children to a world which adults believed children wanted. This causes many children's enthusiasm to die an early death. Why? Because shame is one of the first lessons that children learn in school. Oftentimes this happens when children want to be "different" from those around them. These children want to be recognized as individuals. However, public schools shun this.
Another characteristic that is shunned in public schools is spontaneity. Why? Because it conflicts with the teacher's view of how children should act. When children learn this lesson, they also learn that lying is a valuable survival technique. They often discover that it's better to lye their way out of "trouble" than to stand up for themselves because of the dire consequences that they may face in that case.
Children are also taught, at an early age, not to question anything that happens in the school. Schools are very authoritative, leaving NO room for creativity or imagination. Instead, children are left standing in awe of the authoritarian system. This is why many homeschool parents compare public schools to jails. In public schools, even a child's ability to use the restroom is restricted to when and how the teacher feels the child should use the restroom. Then when a child has an accident they often are humiliated and even punished. These incidents of fear and humiliation are numerous in public schools.
If you have a timid child they will probably face a lot of bullying, especially as they grow older. They face physical as well as verbal taunting. Since children often sucumb to peer pressure, children will often join in with the group to bully the other children. While this may just seem like a prank to the children, it's really quite sadistic and even the most kindest child will find themselves drawn into participating in this taunting. These children will not stop until they themselves become the victim, even though they may feel empty and unhappy inside. The beginning and ending of this sadistic behavior can often only be traced to the public school system.
I'm sure by now that you can see the damage that public school socialization causes. Most children in public schools will openly admit that they don't see kindness. Instead, they say that they see meanness, name calling, hurt feelings, etc. This is because the social life of most schools and classrooms is mean-spirited, status-oriented, competitive, and snobbish. Even the majority of public school parents will admit that the social life at school is not kind, generous, supporting, democratic, friendly, loving, or good for children. Of course, most of these parents will also counter, "But that's what the children are going to meet in Real Life."
I say that this is untrue. Why? Because we tend to force children into "peer groups" which have many powerful and harmful effects. Peer pressure often leads children to try such things as smoking, drinking, and even drugs. In fact, we are hearing a lot more about drinking, drunkenness, and alcoholism among our youth today. We're also seeing a lot more youth smoking. While some states have tried to deal with this problem by raising the minimum age, it doesn't help. In fact, usually the problem only gets worse. These children will often admit that these things taste terrible but they do it because "all the other kids" are doing it, or soon will be, and they have to stay ahead of them, or at least not fall behind. These children are enslaved, even addicted, to their peer group. We might even go so far as to call them "peer group junkies." When parents make a fuss, these children are already master liars who know how to sneak around and do things behind their parents' backs.
Of course, these are just a few of the fringe benefits that public school children derive from their public school experience. What do we expect though? Public school children spend the majority of their time in groups of other people their own age. They have almost no contact with any adults except those who are watching them (ie teachers). This leads them to think and feel that what "all the other kids" are doing is the right, the best, the only thing to do. Is this what you want for your children?
=^..^= Reverend Brenda Hoffman
Independent Executive
Discover a way to increase your health and/or income!
E-mail me for more info!
"Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars." - Les Brown (American Songwriter, 1912-2001)
