Curriculum Choices

Over the years, I've had several inquiries re: our curriculum choices. For those of you outside the homeschooling world, you would be astounded at the number of options we homeschoolers have at our fingertips. It is a beautiful thing and yet another reason I love homeschooling!

I love curriculum and the varied choices we are able to make based on our particular child's strengths and weaknesses, learning style, and academic level. I tend to cut-and-paste wherever I can and custom create a homeschool curriculum based on the above things. That being said, it is important that you know that I am terribly strong-willed and tend to shy away from curriculums which tell me what to do, what to say, on what day, and in what order. While we are a very routined homeschool, we are not highly scheduled and prefer to leave open some availability for real life and service opportunities (which provide plenty of learning experiences all on their own).

The following are the curriculums that I would recommend. They allow for flexibility, tend to be easy to use, are not stringent, and encourage learning (in a joy-filled and often family oriented way).

Math

I have tried every math curriculum available with the exception of "Math-U-See" (which although excellent in the grade-school years, I knew would be detrimental once my children approached advanced math). Instead, we've used "Abeka" math from K-6th grade (www.abeka.com). It is colorful, easy to follow, has excellent suggestions for fun review and fact drills to do with your children, and is the best curriculum I have seen in re: to covering every aspect of math, from calendars to measurement, to long division.

Math during the gradeschool years is best done together, with parent and student sitting side by side, loads of encouragement, and quick corrections when mistakes are made. The only drawback with the "Abeka" math curriculum is it is a full grade level ahead, so at any point that you change curriculums, be prepared to be one year above your child's current grade.

Since I believe strongly that math must be taught, for upper level math I choose between "Saxon" math using the "D.I.V.E." cdRom (tried and true, black and white, gets the job done -- but few to no bells and whistles) or "Teaching Textbooks" with accompanying cdRom (excellent teaching, colorful, self-grading system with sound effect rewards, and highly engaging teachers). I would encourage you to stick with the same curriculum from pre-algebra onward as they have a specific scope and sequence which can only be fully accomplished with consistency of use. I would also encourage you to have your students only complete every other problem unless they are having difficulty in an area which may require extra practice. Hundreds of problems a day is not necessary and is a terrible use of time (not to mention, will create a hatred of math with your student).

Language Arts

I have some definite opinions re: Language Arts -- particularly in the younger years. I believe that spellers are born, not made and, in general, spelling programs are a waste of time and a drudgery of learning. Instead, I value the importance of reading great literature to my children and having them read it as soon as they are able. I have found that spelling comes with writing and typing papers on their own (which I begin around 5th grade). In the meantime, encouraging creative writing followed by correcting misspelled words is also free and easy.

In addition, my children complete copywork from an early age (I write a sentence or passage -- from a poem, a Bible verse, or piece of literature and have them study and copy it). Mistakes or sloppiness equates to doing the entire work over again. Period. Sloppy writing and careless writing is not acceptable in this little homeschool.

Finally, I begin to teach writing through the use of narration (a Charlotte Mason philosophy) which involves my children, beginning in preschool, to tell back to me in their own words what they learned from my reading or theirs. As they get older, I write down what they tell me and we make "books" of their knowledge. Around 5th grade, we transition to them writing their narrations and then slowly I help shape their ability to write by having them write first paragraphs and then eventually papers (thesis papers of 1200 words or more by 9th grade). This is my strength and I teach classes on writing so it is easy for me to help them in this regard. Good writers become good speakers -- the disciplines go hand in hand and both are very important skills that we believe our children will need to excel in this world of communication. Thus, a speech class is always a part of our high school study.

I do believe in teaching basic grammar beginning at around 3rd grade and I've always used Rod and Staff's English Grammar books for this. The exercises are Biblically based, easily completed orally, and can be completed one or two lessons at a time. From here I use a combination of the above + "Easy Grammar" workbooks (simple yet effective). I have enjoyed using "Learning Language Arts Through Literature" for the middle and high school years. The concepts presented are applicable and taught through the use of good (mostly) literature; however, I find that my kids still need some daily grammar drills not given in LLATL, and so I supplement with "Easy Grammar" or "Daily Grams" during these years.

Now I do have a new find which I'm using this year with my 8th grader. It appears to be a gem and, for the first time, I have found something which is Biblical and incorporates everything I could want in a Language Arts program. It is called "Character Quality Language Arts" and I've found it to be excellent. It is very spendy and consumable however, so make sure you want to use it prior to buying. You can read more about it at www.timberdoodle.com. If you choose to use it, I would not use it for more than one year at a time as the work becomes monotonous. Allowing a year in between would be helpful.

Reading

I hesitate to even consider this a subject! Reading is a part of life -- happening throughout the day, every day!! I have read aloud to my children since the time they could be propped in my lap :-) Through history, science, music, art, and geography -- plenty of reading and reading aloud occurs in our family. I have always read to my children during lunch. This reading is reserved for the great classics which we all love regardless of age level. We also go through spurts of reading aloud at bedtime. Currently we are reading the unabridged version of "Swiss Family Robinson" and are all on the edge of our seats, drinking in the ingenuity and rich language used by the author and characters.

Science

Science is an underserved subject among homeschoolers. This is very unfortunate. In knowing this, and because of my husband's bent toward science, we have always had science as a part of our day. In the gradeschool years, we study various scientific subject matter -- deciding at the beginning of the year what topics to cover and then making time each day to spend reading, studying, and discovering about it.

Beginning somewhere in the middle school years we switch gears and head into deeper textbook learning using the "Apologia" texts. We follow these fairly closely, doing all of the reading, experiments, study guides, and tests. In addition, we host a monthly Science Club where Joe offers a quiz, lecture, and hands-on experiments (labwork) to go with the learning of that month. We share this with several other families and have been doing this to some extent for the past 9 years!

Science seems to also just be a part of life for us. My husband is a pathologist so we have microscopes and huge books full of disgusting pictures. When an injury occurs or minor surgery needs to be done (lots of stitches with two boys), we do it at home. Isabelle serves as nurse and loves it. In addition, we have animals and nearly 8 acres. Each of my children have been forced to become naturalists of sorts simply by my passion for gardening and animal husbandry.

Bible

Again, I hesitate to consider this a subject because it is so much a part of life. All of my children have individual Bible reading and devotions on their own in the early morning hours. They begin even prior to reading as Mommy would always come in and read a Bible story or passage prior to starting the day. In addition, we switch between studying the book of Proverbs and going through the Catherine Vos "The Child's Story Bible" (irreplaceable!!) throughout the year during breakfast. In years past, we have studied one book of the Bible intensely through children's Bible quizzing. The boys each know Genesis, Exodus, 1 & 2 Samuel, Matthew, and Acts intimately. Since discontinuing quizzing, we have opted to memorize large portions of Scripture as a part of our breakfast time routine. During our quizzing years we memorized over 100 verses together. Now we keep up with these through regular listening as well as work diligently to memorize whole chapters or passages throughout the Bible. This has been invigorating and completely fulfilling as we can now encourage one another as well as others through the recitation of God's Word.

History

I tend to balk at canned history curriculums and would never dream of handing my children a history textbook. Instead, we attempt to make history come alive through the reading of real books, 'living books' if you will -- books that teach while also telling a story. To date we have studied Ancient history (3x), Medieval history (2x), Early American history (countless times), and Modern World history (1x). This semester we are studying World Geography intensely. This has been fun, but I think we will all look forward to returning to history next fall.

I have used Susan Wise Bauer's "Story of the World" books from the beginning and still enjoy and glean much from them. I read them aloud (please don't just have your children listen to them -- some of the chapters really should be discussed if not omitted from a Christian home) to my children. We answer questions together and do daily mapping activities as well as a few fun hands-on activities (i.e. making salt maps of Alexander the Great's conquests). We combine this (as a spine book) with a great little history curriculum called "Biblioplan" (www.BiblioPlan.net). This Christian curriculum offers great reading suggestions for grades K-12. In addition, it gives timeline suggestions and excellent writing ideas (the main reason I first bought it). I have appreciated every reading suggestion they give and we have invested in a library of close to 500 books of all levels to supplement our history study -- each of them hand chosen which have stood the test of time (and have the wear and tear to prove it!).

I do not use a hard-core history curriculum such as "Tapestry of Grace" or "Sonlight" because I do not believe that doing so would provide a balanced approach to our little homeschool. TOG, although excellent, is overwrought with details which completely overwhelm most users. I have seen that far too often, using such a curriculum results in other (equally important) subjects being neglected. While the study of history is highly valued in our family, it needs to remain as just one of many. I also feel strongly that we must choose carefully (without simply following the constraints of a curriculum provider) the reading material our children read. A book that perhaps has been on the required reading list of public schools for the past 50 years is not necessarily going to serve any useful purpose in the life of my child. There are so many excellent classics out there, I choose to set the twaddle aside and instead give my children an appetite for excellent literature. When they've spent their childhood feasting on tasteful and inspiring literature, it is unlikely that worldly trash will fulfill their desires.

Foreign Language

Joe and I always wanted our children to have a working knowledge of Latin. It serves many purposes, giving children proficiency in the English language as well as providing an excellent jumping off point for learning other languages. Because of this, we study Latin beginning in the first grade. I use a simple and easy Latin program in these early years called "Latin's Not So Tough". At only 5 minutes a day, my students learn the Latin alphabet, diphthongs, and basic words by third grade. After they have mastered these plus another year of vocabulary, we switch to using the "Latina Christiana" DVD series. Beginning with "Prima Latina", my kids have a strong grammar/English lesson within the context of learning Latin. By 6th or 7th grade we have gone through 3 years of Latin using this curriculum. At this point I factor in regular time each day using the computer to learn basic Spanish through the "Rosetta Stone" curriculum. This was designed for business people or travelers wanting an instant immersion into basic Spanish. It is fun, colorful, and easy to begin but is in no way adequate as a language program by itself. By 8th grade, we begin Spanish I using Bob Jones University textbooks, DVD's, and worktexts. This provides the language mechanics, vocabulary, and writing/listening necessary for me to feel confident in offering a high school credit on a transcript. With Josiah at this stage, I hired a tutor from a local college as well as sought out opportunities for him to study in classroom and private settings. In following this regime for 2 years (completing BJU Spanish II and part of Spanish III) and through the intervening summers, he was able to CLEP test out of two years of college level Spanish at age 15. In our area of the country, a small proficiency in speaking and understanding Spanish will prove to be invaluable . Not to mention, now Josiah is the Spanish tutor!! :-)

Music and Art

I believe strongly in the value of music education. All of my children have been exposed to beautiful music both live and recorded since before their birth. We study the major composers about every other year -- their lives and their music. In addition, each child has taken private music lessons since approximately kindergarten onward. Piano, violin, guitar, and drums have all had their place in our household; however, only the first two have been played with consistency and vigor. Learning a musical instrument is powerful brain food, but even more importantly it teaches the power of self-discipline and broadens a person's character and ability to work for something which isn't always immediately beneficial or beautiful.

Since we have two grandparents who are artists (professionally), art is another area of study that we do not neglect. Although we have not been privileged to see many great works of art up close and personal, we have studied copies of beautiful and intriguing paintings as well as the lives of the artists themselves. A fantastic (and often free!) resource for music and art study is the curriculum of a fellow homeschooling mom at www.harmonyartmom.blogspot.com. I have used her curriculum as well as my own and have always found it useful.

Computer Skills/Software

My children have always been adept at using the computer. I'm not sure how exactly this happens, but somehow it does. We've used "Typing Instructor" and "Mavis Beacon Typing" for all of our kids as well as the awesome software found at Critical Thinking Skills (www.criticalthinking.com). In addition, we have Google Earth and Google Sketch Up and various other programs on our computer for easy access. Everything we choose for our children on the computer must have educational worth or else it is folly and a poor use of their time. In addition, using the computer is a privilege granted when all other work is done and only if outside play options have already been exercised. I realize that there is a high likelihood that my sons may have jobs requiring them to sit at the computer for long periods of time and, in light of this, I prefer to keep their focus in other places while they are young and able.

Other (engineering, P.E., Geography)

Engineering (aka - blocks, Lincoln Logs, Magz, Wedgits, Tinker Toys, K'Nex, and Legos) all play a major role in our little homeschool. In fact, up until about 5th or 6th grade, I allot regular scheduled time for this in our homeschool day. Putting together puzzles and building things -- both from instructions and from their own imaginations, is valuable visual spatial skill building and something we encourage.

P.E. happens everyday. I am an active person -- needing regular daily exercise combined with fresh air to fully thrive. I just assume the same of my kids and they have always been a part of my daily activity. Walks, hikes, bike rides, tennis games, ping pong, skiing, roller blading, basketball, football, trampolining, and more recently - karate are all a part of life now. I think too often we put an emphasis on learning a "sport" over gaining lifetime proficiency in simply being active. I wish we had time for more actually. Something I'd love to take up is canoeing ... maybe someday.

Geography for us is nearly always combined with history and current events. This important and valuable subject is often overlooked. I personally only know geography from learning it alongside my kids. I was fairly geographically illiterate up until a few years ago. Thankfully, my kids all love studying about different cultures and we've had many an interesting afternoon playing geography games and/or watching a DVD about a certain location or culture in the world. I've enjoyed using "Trail Guide to World Geography", "The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide" and "Eat Your Way Around the World" as spine books for our formal geography studies. Each child also has his/her own atlas based on age and ability.

Conclusion

Let me just encourage you that there is no "perfect" curriculum out there. We are so privileged to have choices as homeschoolers. These are the choices which have worked for us and, more importantly, that I have enjoyed using. I think that is key -- if Mommy isn't happy, no one is!

Also, please know that NONE of these worktexts have I just set in front of my student and expected him/her to go it alone. There is a time and place for encouraging independent study (beginning around 6th grade), but prior to that it really is important that you are a part of the picture. It is disturbing to me how many homeschooling Moms I see and interact with regularly who really have very little influence on their child's learning. Setting a stack of pages and workbooks in front of your child and assigning number of pages completed is not homeschooling in my opinion. Homeschooling involves actual sitting and learning side-by-side with your child. It involves laughter and tears, effort and frustration (for both of you!). The process is and should be character building for you and your child. Embrace this. It is a God-given gift and mandate from the Lord .... and one that I am incredibly blessed to pursue every day for nearly 12 years now.

May God bless your continued efforts to daily influence the life and learning of your children.

All resources, unless otherwise mentioned, can be found at www.cbd.com or www.amazon.com.