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Shields & Swords Articles & Ideas How to Homeschool Our Curriculum Magazines Subjects:
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Articles on Homeschoolingby Carla J. Hanson
Teaching Preschoolers
I frequently receive questions regarding curricula for preschoolers. Here is my recipe for homeschooling preschoolers: Forget textbooks, early learning programs, and turning your child into a young egghead. Instead, remember how young children learn. You did not teach your baby to walk using a curriculum program. You used your natural abilities as a mother to encourage your baby and toddler, going just far enough from him to challenge his abilities to walk to you, while ensuring his ability to succeed, and comforting him after his many falls. There are so few precious years when we can rely solely on the child's natural abilities as knowledge seeker--we should take advantage of those years. A preschooler does not need to learn to read. Studies have shown that a child who learns to read at the age of four and a child who learns to read at the age of ten have the same reading skills by the time they are eleven (The Moore Institute, Raymond and Dorothy Moore). A preschooler does not need to learn to add and subtract. A preschooler does not need to learn how to use the computer. Too frequently, I see parents who show off their young child's abilities in such a way that the child's presumed precociousness appears to be nothing but an ego trip for the parent, rather than a real benefit to the child. On the other hand, if your youngster is learning to read or do arithmetic on his own, encourage him. Just be sure not to pressure him. Preschoolers are not tiny versions of older children. They are experiencing development that cannot occur later in life. Learning to read, do math, and use the computer can wait. Learning to run and play, share with other children, be kind, enjoy the beauty of God's earth, experience things richly--these are the tasks of the preschooler. A preschooler will learn everything he needs to know using what amounts to unschooling methodology (which I do not necessarily believe to be the best approach later, but that is another discussion). Be available to answer all the whys, learning why the sky really is blue if your child asks you. Give the child the opportunity to experience nature, to learn nursery rhymes by hearing them from you, to hear good music, to hear quality literature, to learn to set the table, to learn about animals, colors, sizes, and shapes (Categorization of the world around them seems to come naturally to young children.), and last but assuredly not least help them to learn to pray and understand God at their level. Do these things not with curricula, but with the normal everyday goings on of life. Help the child learn how to behave in a manner befitting society. The kernels of morality begin at this age. In spite of all of this, if you are adament about structuring your preschooler's learning, then please use the Montessori method with your child. There are several excellent books on how to teach Montessori in the home, as well as courses to be taken at many community colleges. Maria Montessori, who lived in Rome at the beginning of the 20th century, had a great understanding of children and how they learn. The Montessori method requires that a child learn the proper way of doing things, after which the child chooses when to practice. Always remember that a child performs an activity, not to have it completed as we adults do, but to learn how to perform the activity and to practice it. Above all, whether you take my advice on allowing preschoolers to learn naturally or not, just be sure to be there for them. Young children need their mothers--they need hugs and kisses on scraped knees and the freedom that comes from security. No amount of "quality time" offered between work and bed time will make up for full-time mothering--all the more true for infants. Preschoolers are not young academicians. What they have to learn is far more important than anything that can be gained from textbooks. We take for granted our knowledge of the world around us, but for preschoolers that knowledge is just beginning. They gain it by experience, and from parents who take the time to listen and answer all the whys in the world.
Learning Foreign LanguagesThis is an area of particular interest to me, as I was a French major and a foreign exchange student in Italy. That said, the absolute best way you can learn a foreign language is to go to the country where the language is spoken. From my own experience, I studied French for 7 or 8 years, yet after living in Italy for 10 months, my Italian was better than my French has ever been. This is because I had to learn Italian in order to live. If anyone would like information on becoming an exchange student (I highly recommend the experience), please e-mail me and I would be happy to answer any questions I can. That aside, if you are seeking fluency in a modern foreign language, and you do not have the opportunity to live in the country where the language is spoken for a substantial amount of time (a few weeks of tourism won't do it), the second best option is to find a native speaker and learn from him. Another idea that can help is to learn the language with a partner (or the whole family) with whom you can frequently converse. Remember that, while learning to read and write in a foreign language is important, the most important thing you can do with a language is speak it, and if you can read and write in your native tongue, then you will be able to read and write in another as long as you can speak it and learn how to spell properly. I recommend using a textbook in conjunction with a native speaker and/or learning partner. I do not recommend using one of the systems intended for travelers. Those may teach you to ask where the nearest bathroom is, but they won't teach you to understand the answer. There are no shortcuts to learning a language, as many of those programs advertise, and there is no way to learn a language well without a good deal of memorizing vocabulary and learning grammar. It is possible that computer programs may be a good alternative, though I have not used them. At the very least, they may make the process more fun, especially for a child who enjoys using the computer. It is a good idea to use index cards for vocabulary, writing the word in one language on one side, and the other language on the other. These can be used anywhere when you have a few minutes. It is better to spend 15 minutes per day on a language than several hours once per week. Lastly, if and when you do travel abroad, be certain that you learn to say please and thank you for everywhere you go. Just that small effort will open many doors for you.
Making Geography Interesting
Making geography interesting is difficult. The best way, of course, is to travel. This idea comes from my mother's childhood. Each summer, when they went on vacation, my grandfather placed my mother and her sister in charge of planning the route, determining which roads to take, what to see along the way, and how long it would take to get there. I might suggest adding some more math to this by giving your children an amount of time that you can take to get where you are going. This will also force them to choose the most interesting places to stop.
Another fun thing to do with geography is to have a geography bee. You need a map of the world or of the U.S.(ideally laminated), a wall to hang it on, and some Post-It Flags (or Post-It Notes chopped up) or paper and thumb tacks, and a box or hat to hold the Post-It Flags or pieces of paper. Write the name of one capitol on each Post-It flag, and put all the capitol names in a hat or box. Have each child pick one Post-It, then try to find the place where it belongs. You can make this easier at first by only using a fairly small geographic area, like Western Europe, or New England. You can make it more competitive by using a timer to set time limits for finding each capitol. Later, you can make it more challenging by increasing the geographic area and/or decreasing the time limit. You can do the same thing with states, countries, rivers, and cities in your state. A variation on this would be to have a list of places, and let the children find and write the names on a laminated map using dry-erase pens.
Lastly, I recommend using the program, Mapping the World by Heart, found in the Geography section of Aquinas Homeschool Books. It may seem like a daunting task, but the ability to know where something took place helps tremendously with the setting of history, and an on-going understanding of current events.
Kid Businesses: Beyond the Lemonade Stand
You can make this idea a rite of passage: When your children turn twelve--or whatever age you designate--they get to start their own business. There are several books that can aid in this endeavor.
You can help them decide what kind of business they want to run while giving them as much freedom as possible in this regard. A few ideas to start the brainstorming include a dog-walking service, photography, lawn-mowing, data-entry, web site design (or other programming), growing and selling vegetables or herbs, and tutoring younger children. Encourage them to find a need in the community (whether that community is your neighborhood or the world) and create a business to fill the need. What about start-up money? Most service businesses don't really need much start-up money. You might consider loaning them a certain amount, which they must pay back with interest just like a real bank. Have them come up with a simple business plan, by answering the following questions:
What is the name of your company?
Who are the owners of this company?
What product or service will the company be selling?
Who is the target market? (In other words, to whom will the company try to sell its products?)
How much money will be required to start the business, and how will that money be spent? (Make a chart of each cost necessary and how much it will be. Estimate if necessary.)
How much money will be required on a monthly basis to continue the business until it begins to show a profit?
What makes this company unique, or what does this company offer that no one else does in order to obtain and keep customers?
How long will this company continue to be in business?
Starting a business uses math skills, creativity, people skills and an understanding of the way the adult world works. It is an invaluable experience for any child.
Motivating Children to Do Homeschooling and Chores Cheerfully
Some time ago, I determined that I needed a way to encourage my children to be charitable towards one another. That was the beginning of a system which our family now uses to recognize our children's virtues and work. Some would call this bribery. I prefer to call it recognition of a job well-done, which is something that we all need. Below is a description of our family's marble system. As I said, it began as a means of recognizing charitable acts, particularly those that were performed with no request made by mom or dad. For example, if one of the children noticed that my husband (a voracious water drinker) had emptied his water glass at supper and refilled it without being asked, that child got a marble in his marble cup. If one child voluntarily chose to forgo a privilege so that another child could have that privilege, that act was recognized with a charity marble. I'll tell you how the marbles can be used shortly. One thing that we learned quickly was that a child could not ask to be rewarded with a charity marble, because that caused them to do things only to get marbles rather than out of charity. Quickly, the charity marble system grew to include recognition of extraordinary instances of following all of our family laws. We've adapted the family laws that Richard and Linda Eyre mentioned in Three Steps to a Strong Family. I think it is so important to have the laws of your family written and clearly stated, so the children know what you expect of them, yet listing every single rule for every circumstance becomes onorous both to list and to remember. If you haven't already done so, it would be a good idea to sit down with your husband and come up with a small number of laws that include the expectations you have for your children. For us, the laws are permanent, and every temporary rule (such as bedtime or a curfew) is included in some way, yet they are small enough in number to be easily remembered by everyone in the family. The laws are charity, obedience, order, peace, and honesty. I've explained charity. Where obedience is concerned, I expect my children to obey God's laws, us, and others whom we place in authority over them, but I tend to give obedience marbles when a child obeys very promptly and cheerfully, especially if it's regarding something that child really doesn't like to do. The next law is order. Order involves two things, really. It involves being orderly or neat, and it involves doing things in the proper order. For example, Elizabeth takes violin lessons, so I expect her to practice violin before she plays. I rarely give marbles for this, however. I do, though, give order marbles for chores done cheerfully. After much adjustment of how to do this over time, I've begun giving one marble for every 10 items picked up. You may find that 10 is too many or to few items for one marble, but this has helped tremendously with the attitude toward picking up. It's also helped with the counting skills of Anthony, age 4, and the understanding of multiplication for Elizabeth, age 8, and John Paul, age 6. A warning is in order here, though. There are times when I need the children to do certain chores whether they want to earn marbles or not, though they can always choose to do extra chores to earn more marbles. In these cases I tell them what must be done. Marbles are given if the job is done cheerfully. If it is done, but only with much whining and gnashing of teeth, no marbles are given. If it isn't done, there is a negative consequence. For example, I'll send the child to time out until he is ready to do the chore. Our time out place is our fireplace hearth in the family room, where the child can watch what the others are doing, but can't participate. If the child in time out is protesting loudly, I send him to his room so he can protest without disturbing the peace of the rest of the family. We have a scheduled clean up time for the family room right before lunch, and another one around 4 pm if I think it is needed. I also have the children clean up their rooms on Saturday morning. This is definitely not for perfectionists, but I often find that work is done with a better attitude if I do one of two things. Sometimes, instead of saying, "Clean your room," I ask each child to pick up a certain kind of thing, such as books, train supplies, legos, etc. Other times, I ask each child to pick up a certain number of things, like 20 or 40. If each of us picks up 20 things in the family room before lunch including me, it's usually done in less than 5 minutes. If it's really a mess, I sometimes sweep everything into one big pile in the middle of the room. That makes it easier to find sets of things to put away in groups. I've begun adopting the Fly Lady's idea that, especially with children in the house, it make sense to focus on better rather than perfect. I've found that one of the most important ways of motivating children is my own attitude. I tend to have a very bad attitude about cleaning, but if I smile and work cheerfully, they do too. If I work with them, that helps also. Sometimes we turn on peppy music to help us work. Also, I try to encourage the children to pick up after themselves while discouraging them from only picking up after themselves. Finding the proper balance between charity and justice can be difficult. The other regularly scheduled chore surrounds dinner time. We have a rotating system among our three oldest children (ages 8, 6, and 4). We just began this about 2 months ago. I cut out two circles of dfferent colored construction paper and put a brad in the middle. I divided each circle into thirds. On the top circle, I wrote the children's names. On the bottom circle, I wrote the chores I wanted to rotate weekly. Regarding dinner, the first chore is dinner helper. This is seen as a privileged position by two of our three children. The dinner helper sets the table and helps Dad, our family chef, prepare dinner to the extent he is capable of doing so. Perhaps more important than the help in this case is the fact that each child is learning about cooking this way. The second chore is table clearer. This child clears the plates off the table after supper. When our 4-year-old has that job, I help him carry to heavier items. Depending on the dexterity of a particular child, it might be good to give the child some training in how to hold dishes so they don't drop. I've found that I am just as likely to drop and break something as one of my children. It doesn't happen often, but I think it's important not to get upset when it does. If you tend to get upset when something breaks, you should consider the necessity of learning the virtue of detachment. Of course, if one child breaks things perpetually, perhaps you should have that child do a different chore until he is a bit more mature. The third dinner chore is washing the table and sweeping under it. This is the favorite chore of our 4-year-old, who loves using the spray bottle to wash the table. I simply turn the top circle every Sunday to show who is responsible for what the next week. After order, the next family law is peace. Exhibiting the virtue of peace means not losing your temper when your brother hits you or says something unkind. I give peace stars rarely, but they are for instances when one sibling does something unkind to another, but the second sibling responds peacefully. For example, if one child hits another, and the other child calmly tells the hitter not to do it again rather than yelling or hitting back, then that child earns a peace star. My children tend to overreact when they get hurt, so I also give peace stars when a child displays self-control when he is hurt in order to encourage that. The final family law is honesty. Of course, I expect my children to be honest, but there are times that honesty is hard. It's those times when I give marbles for honesty. For example, I give an honesty marble when a child tells me about something he did wrong, or when I ask a child for confirmation that he did what his sibling said he did. If Anthony comes to me and says that John Paul hit him (fyi, this doesn't happen often, but it does occasionally), and I ask John Paul if it's true, and John Paul confirms the fact that he hit his brother, he'll still get the same punishment for hitting (usually a double time-out), but he'll also get an honesty marble for telling the truth even when it's hard. While we're on the subject of consequences, I've found over time that it is more effective to have a smaller punishment that gives the child an opportunity to redeem himself rather than a more severe punishment that does not. For example, I have one child who has had a problem with hitting. When he was 2, he was also a biter, much to my chagrin. I used to put him in his room for an hour when he hit or bit, but that left him with little opportunity to practice interacting properly. I found that putting him in time out for twice the normal length (twice his age in minutes) was just as effective. He felt the weight of his actions, but without being made to feel entirely rejected. I have also found that he behaves much better when he feels good about himself. This can mean helping a child find what he is good at doing, or helping him to recognize positive character traits. I would be the last person to jump on the self-esteem wagon without seeing what a difference that has made for this child. It's important, I think, to differentiate between flattery, which builds a self-identity that has nothing to do with reality, and giving compliments when they are truly deserved. In the former instance, the child is likely to suffer greatly when his siblings or friends quite honestly show him, or he discovers on his own, that he is not particularly capable at something, contrary to what dear old mom and dad said. It also strikes a blow where respect for mom and dad's opinion is concerned. The opposite is true when a child's true self-esteem is built up by recognition of a job well-done or, better still, by recognition of a virtue or even the beginning of a virtue. So far, I've discussed how we use the marble system for family laws and for chores done cheerfully. This may be more controversial still, but we also use marbles for homeschooling. Similar to the way I use marbles for chores, I give the children a marble for work done with a good attitude. To give you an idea of what I mean, I expect Elizabeth to do one math lesson, 10 minutes of writing in her journal, and the homework from one subject from our homeschool co-op each day (our co-op includes history, literature, science, and art). That means that she can earn 1 marble for math, 1 for writing, and 1 from her co-op assignment each day. We also read from the Children's Bible at breakfast and from our current family chapter book at lunch. I give her extra marbles for reading stories to her younger siblings, but I don't give her marbles for reading on her own or being read to. I'm afraid that doing so might make reading seem like something less than completely wonderful. I mentioned that some would think this controversial. When I told about my system at a homeschool meeting once, several moms said that they didn't reward their children for doing what they were expected to do anyway. This is where that fine distinction between bribery and recognition comes in. If I said, "If you do your math, I'll give you a piece of candy," that would most definitely be bribery. The problem with bribery is that, as we all know, there will come a time when the person being bribed refuses to do anything without the bribe. There is a danger of that happening with this system. It's important to be careful never to say, "If you finish your math, I'll give you a marble." Instead, when the child has finished the work, you freely give the marble saying something like, "Good job. Here's a marble." The difference is that, in the first instance, you are leaving open the possibility that the child might choose not to finish his math. In the second instance, you assume that the child will fulfill his responsibility, and, after the fact, you recognize his work. Also, there's a big difference between an immediate reward (a piece of candy upon completion or, God forbid, money for learning) and an opportunity to practice deferred gratification, by working towards something that is desireable over time. That brings me to the process of redeeming marbles. I've set up a system based on what my children like to do, and what I am always willing to offer. If you choose to use this system, you may want to brainstorm with your husband and children to figure out what makes a good reward and how many marbles it should cost. Here's how it works. When a child earns 10 marbles, he can redeem them for any of the following:
The next step up is 15 marbles. This includes things that take a bit more time, but not too much:
The third level is 20 marbles. This level involves a couple of hours and may involve some expense and/or getting in the car and going somewhere fun. With 20 marbles a child can choose to:
If a child wants to redeem his marbles but doesn't have quite enough, he'll usually come to me asking what he can do to earn marbles. I usually ask him to do whatever needs to be done most, but they can always do extra chores or extra homeschooling to earn more marbles. The younger children tend to choose the 10 marble items more, while my oldest typically saves them up for more costly and exciting rewards. She once saved 20 marbles as her baseline for about 3 months while waiting for a movie she wanted to see to get to the dollar theatre. Finally, the two of us went to see it by ourselves at the regular priced theatre matinee. I couldn't wait any longer! The same system could be made with a sticker chart or smiley faces drawn on paper, but I have found that having this tactile system has outlasted many other mommy-made systems for motivation that I've tried in the past. Wal-mart sells a package of 90 or so marbles for a few dollars, and we just used different colored plastic cups we had around the house. I don't let children put their own marbles in the cups. My husband and I are the only ones to do it, but the cups are always available for them so they can count how many marbles they have and plan accordingly. Even if a child has 20 marbles, by the way, he still has to finish his homeschooling for the day before he can redeem them. I have been known to let a chore go in order to let a child who has worked hard to earn marbles use them. Overall, I have found that our marble system has provided the incentive needed to work cheerfully and to complete responsibilities with less prodding from good ol' mom. If you decide to try using this system, please e-mail me to let me know how it works for you. If you think it sounds awful, let me know that too. I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say. God bless! SpellingIt took me some time to find a way of teaching spelling that works for our family, but I have finally found a method that has worked well for the last year and a half. First of all, I have found that good readers make good spellers. That is to say, when my children became good readers who did a lot of independent reading, their spelling improved by leaps and bounds. My eldest daughter told me, in fact, that she tended to remember how to spell words she had seen in print better than words that were part of her spelling list. For that reason, I put off having the children study spelling until a little later than usual. My two oldest children were rather late readers, so 3rd grade has made sense for us. For our current 1st grader, I plan to begin using this list at the beginning of 2nd grade. I would suggest starting spelling about six months or a year after your children become fairly fluent readers. At that point, we begin using the spelling list from The Writing Road to Reading. One nice advantage to this book is that there is no need to buy a new spelling book for each year or even for each child. You can buy this rather inexpensive book once and use it throughout your homeschooling years, both for teaching reading and for spelling. In the book, Romalda Spalding uses the Ayre's Expanded spelling list, which contains the 1,700 most commonly used words in the English language. It starts with the word "me" and ends with "rendezvous."
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