For those who don't already know, we are a homeschooling family. It's been a growing process and we've learned a LOT through trial and error. My philosophy on how a child learns best has changed and developed over the years and through it all we have become unschoolers.
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This does not add to the price of any items you may click or subsequently purchase.
I recently learned that our educational style and philosophy is very much in line with Waldorf schools (how exciting to know that I'm not alone!). Seriously, when it comes to educating my kids, sometimes it's scary to feel so alone in my methodology (am I crazy for doing what I do?). In a nutshell, we aim to educate in the most natural methods possible--formal education is delayed.
I wanted to share some of my favorite things. We do not use traditional curriculum in our home. My kids seem to have different preferences in the way they learn so I go with it.
My eldest daughter LOVES reading and hated traditional math drills and worksheets. She is great at math, but every time we did math studies it resulted in boredom, frustration, tears, and eventually full-blown anxiety. It just didn't feel right or healthy to have this sort of response, especially from a 7 year old!
Valene at 7 years old. |
They are read in comic book style. The books were really engaging for her, but I think the books that I purchased were too advanced for her age. While she did learn some things, it was still dependent on worksheets. I really wanted to move away from that. Without the worksheets, I had a difficult time figuring out how much she really understood. I think these are great for kids who like worksheets (my second-born does) but want a non-conventional approach.
As I read reviews on Beast Academy, I stumbled upon the Life of Fred collection. I read sample pages and was sold!
Spending a day at a local farm. Which is heavier, a baby or a pumpkin? |
The questions vary in form but it doesn't feel like work. It isn't tedious. It's very self-paced and self-directed. Here we are two years later and still using these books (they go all the way to college age!).
We do use a few manipulatives.
Kids learn best when engaging in real life activities and when mimicking life. |
We recently ordered this Visual Math book. It really is amazing, but baby Paul got his hands on it and ripped a few parts (insert crying face). If you click on the link you can preview a few pages. My kids really enjoy the shape building inside as well as the fraction conversions! It's really a fun book!
My younger daughter is finishing up 2nd grade math right now and really likes the Bob Jones math curriculum. She really enjoys workbooks, so for now that's what she uses. :)
We got this at a homeschool curriculum fair with the teacher's manual and manipulatives (they are pop outs and look SOOOO messy). We don't use either of those items. She just works through the book.
Math is really important--after all, it is the universal language!
Food is the other universal language. ;) |
Organic Beauty and Care: A Comprehensive List of Products
How to Create an Educational Philosophy
I Can't Do It All...
What a great post on the homeschool. Actually I have started the research on schools or collages education after visit on Typical Student, cause there has many interested post about kids education.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally one ought to recognize the way that each child has an alternate degree of getting a handle on capacity and learning ability i.e., some might be quick students while others may set aside additional effort to learn. A few understudies may confront challenges with explicit subjects though some may serenely ride over all the subjects. Tutoring
ReplyDelete