I've recently read a quote that says something along the lines that nothing is impossible, the word itself says,
"I'm possible".
I am worn out with what seems like my impossible task!
I am fervently, obsessively, constantly searching for the perfect home school curriculum. Assuming that you're my friend on Facebook you're saying to yourself, "Tell me something I don't already know!"
We have been using My Father's World with Hannah for 4 years, with Emma for 2 years and with Benjamin this year. It has some incredible strengths... it's phonics instruction seems to be fantastic for each of the Turkeys. I also think the penmanship is great and there's plenty of practice. Penmanship may not seem like a big deal, but it is a major deal for Hotsauce who thinks that too many home schooled kids have horrific hand writing.
This year we read Kingdom Tales which we all loved as a family (though it was designed for Hannah's curriculum), we also loved Hero Tales, Christian Heroes: Then & Now, Come Look With Me, Window on the World and many other books recommended for reading. So I loved both the read alouds and the silent reading that we have done over the years.
I do not like Singapore Math. I do not like how there are no comprehension questions that accompany the assigned Bible passages or memory verses. I do not like English program that we are using as it has no teacher's manual and seems to be obscure and frustrating for Hannah. I also don't like how each subject does not connect to the others... at least not as much as I would like.
I would love to find a Christ-centered curriculum that is also connected and "one-piece" if you will. I would love a program that has a central unit of study and everything else is connected. For instance, if we are learning about Africa I would love to have our vocabulary and spelling words coming out of the books that we are reading. I would want our history and geography to be all about a Africa as well as any copy work too. I would like art that is from Africa to be studied and instruction on how to make similar "African Art" to be given. I would love to have books on what God is doing in Africa and accounts of "famous" African saints. And so on and so on.
But apparently this doesn't exist. I have had several people joke that I should write my own curriculum. I considered it... believe me I might still be considering it!!
Since I cannot find what I want I have asked numerous people about what they are using and what are the strengths and weaknesses of their curriculum. Let me tell you something about home schooling mamas... they either love or hate their curriculum. I have not found people who think, "It's pretty average and our children really aren't learning anything, but that's okay with us." No, most HSMs (home schooling mamas) have very strong opinions about curriculum and most are very long winded in telling you about them... some HSMs even write blogs about it!! ;)
The one thing that has been a very positive aspect of weeding through curriculum is that you learn quickly what you don't want... and in doing so you discover what is most important to you. Several HSMs who have grown children keep telling me to cover the basics for Elementary... Bible, reading, writing, math and the rest will follow.
Hotsauce and I also strongly believe that one of the greatest things we can do for our children's education is not only to teach them to read, but to introduce them to great books. Literature opens our children's minds to a wealth of knowledge! History, science, geography, grammar, art, math, personal character, matters of faith and more can all be learned from great books. Reading together as a family, or one on one with the a Turkey, also opens doors to greatness! But, there are so many books that are so full of junk that we also must be diligent in giving them books that are in line with our faith. Easier said then done!!
So this is the journey of home schooling. It's exhausting. I only pray that it will prove to be of great value for the Kingdom!
**Please let me know what your favorite books were in Elementary!!
"I'm possible".
I am worn out with what seems like my impossible task!
I am fervently, obsessively, constantly searching for the perfect home school curriculum. Assuming that you're my friend on Facebook you're saying to yourself, "Tell me something I don't already know!"
We have been using My Father's World with Hannah for 4 years, with Emma for 2 years and with Benjamin this year. It has some incredible strengths... it's phonics instruction seems to be fantastic for each of the Turkeys. I also think the penmanship is great and there's plenty of practice. Penmanship may not seem like a big deal, but it is a major deal for Hotsauce who thinks that too many home schooled kids have horrific hand writing.
This year we read Kingdom Tales which we all loved as a family (though it was designed for Hannah's curriculum), we also loved Hero Tales, Christian Heroes: Then & Now, Come Look With Me, Window on the World and many other books recommended for reading. So I loved both the read alouds and the silent reading that we have done over the years.
I do not like Singapore Math. I do not like how there are no comprehension questions that accompany the assigned Bible passages or memory verses. I do not like English program that we are using as it has no teacher's manual and seems to be obscure and frustrating for Hannah. I also don't like how each subject does not connect to the others... at least not as much as I would like.
I would love to find a Christ-centered curriculum that is also connected and "one-piece" if you will. I would love a program that has a central unit of study and everything else is connected. For instance, if we are learning about Africa I would love to have our vocabulary and spelling words coming out of the books that we are reading. I would want our history and geography to be all about a Africa as well as any copy work too. I would like art that is from Africa to be studied and instruction on how to make similar "African Art" to be given. I would love to have books on what God is doing in Africa and accounts of "famous" African saints. And so on and so on.
But apparently this doesn't exist. I have had several people joke that I should write my own curriculum. I considered it... believe me I might still be considering it!!
Since I cannot find what I want I have asked numerous people about what they are using and what are the strengths and weaknesses of their curriculum. Let me tell you something about home schooling mamas... they either love or hate their curriculum. I have not found people who think, "It's pretty average and our children really aren't learning anything, but that's okay with us." No, most HSMs (home schooling mamas) have very strong opinions about curriculum and most are very long winded in telling you about them... some HSMs even write blogs about it!! ;)
The one thing that has been a very positive aspect of weeding through curriculum is that you learn quickly what you don't want... and in doing so you discover what is most important to you. Several HSMs who have grown children keep telling me to cover the basics for Elementary... Bible, reading, writing, math and the rest will follow.
Hotsauce and I also strongly believe that one of the greatest things we can do for our children's education is not only to teach them to read, but to introduce them to great books. Literature opens our children's minds to a wealth of knowledge! History, science, geography, grammar, art, math, personal character, matters of faith and more can all be learned from great books. Reading together as a family, or one on one with the a Turkey, also opens doors to greatness! But, there are so many books that are so full of junk that we also must be diligent in giving them books that are in line with our faith. Easier said then done!!
So this is the journey of home schooling. It's exhausting. I only pray that it will prove to be of great value for the Kingdom!
**Please let me know what your favorite books were in Elementary!!
1 comment:
ALL of the Little House books. OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!! I still have my original copies and I will never part with them. Also Five Little Peppers, Little Women, King of the Dollhouse (may be out of print), Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan (anything by E.B. White). As a grown-up who reads kids books - JUNIE B. JONES!!! Every single one of them. They all make me laugh out loud!!!
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