I’ll admit it, I’m a laid back homeschool parent. The boys have their books, they can read for information, and they can ask me whenever they need help. My kids are very intelligent, but recent events have me wondering if I can do more to help them “get it”.
All of our books are work books. I don’t have a teacher’s manual for anything. The one year we tried using a curriculum with teacher’s manuals was the hardest year in our homeschool career. I wanted to make it work, but for some reason it wasn’t.
My 5th grader can read the entire “Harry Potter” series in 2 months and tell you minute details from the series, but he can’t list something as simple as 3 reasons why people immigrated west, even with the answers in the material right in front of him. My 1st grader can easily read novels and books on the 3rd or 4th grade level, yet he can’t follow simple instructions such as “place an X on this answer, draw a circle around this answer”.
Oh wise and seasoned homeschoolers, this writer is reaching out for help. How do you homeschool? Are you a laid back teacher, letting your students work at their own pace but being available to answer questions? Or do you work from a manual that lays out your day in full detail, sitting next to your students and instructing them? If you’re laid back, how do you make it work? How do you make sure that your student is understanding and getting the material?
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Barb can be found at Barb’s Life, where she writes about her life in Alaska and shares her craftiness with everyone.
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I’m in the middle. We do unit studies so most things are related to a topic. But we have a few things we are more picky on. Math is one. We actually use a curriculum(Saxon). We always are doing things to “process/synthesize” what we learn. In other words we try to apply it to some project. Instead of just reading about WW1, we would then make something that uses that information. My oldest is 2nd grade adn we do a lot of lapbooking. I give her questions and help her reread things to find answers if she needs help. Sometimes they just don’t know what clues to look for that the author is answering their question. I love making lapbooks because we make minibooks for the important things we learn in a topic, which then becomes our review tool to go back and read through and play with.
Hope that helps!
I was beginning to think I was the only one who couldn’t stand curriculum with manuals, instructions, etc.! It’s nice to know I’m not alone. We use mainly workbooks, that you can pick up at many different stores, we go to the library, use the computer. Saves me from going crazy! This seems to be what works best for us; so far so good!
I stay with my five and seven year olds while they are working so that I can quickly see if they’ve misunderstood something and need help (I’ve found that vocabulary and the ability to follow a plot can be far ahead of the ability to follow directions).
My ten year old works independently for most of her subjects but there are built-in checks. We go over many of her subjects orally (some once a week, others once a unit) mostly using the questions that come with the material, and I try to check her math daily to catch any areas where she needs extra material.
BTW
This is my approach to a child having problems answering reading comprehension questions (such as the immigration question).
After checking to make sure the child actually read the material rather then just quickly scanning it (a particular problem with material the child considers boring). I will narrow down the question.
With my seven year old, I’ll point her to the paragraph containing the information she needs, with my ten year old I’ll point her to the correct section of the chapter. I may remind them to read it looking for ‘tag’ words (say – reasons, immigrate, west). If they are still having problems I will read the relevant section aloud. Generally by this point they will have answered the question.
If the child continues to have a lot of problems, I’d first try to narrow down the problem as well as possible (troubles with figuring out the point; noticing detail; understanding the language; making inferences or drawing conclusions; following the plot; boring or badly written materials) and then start looking for further help.
I have found that for us we have to treat our home school more like a mini classroom. Granted it is a lot more flexible and laid back than a traditional school, but we need the instructions and the order for my son to stay on track and get what he needs. I sit with my 4th grader and work with him for the most part. I know when there is something that he can do completely independently, but otherwise I stay with him.
We are using K12 and I like that there are a lot of activities for each lesson and we can choose to do more or less depending on how much he is *getting* of the lesson.
Good luck finding the right balance.
I am very Charlotte Mason in my approach. We read a lot of whole and living books. For studying history this year, we read the entire Little House series. I bought some more books with details (clothes, what kids studied in school, what they ate, where they slept, etc.) that we did along with the Little House books. We also tried doing handicrafts, like cooking, baking and sewing, to get a better understanding of the time. I use guided narration, sketching, model building (we built a model cabin and barnyard area) and informal conversation to check for learning. I also try to incorporate as many areas of learning as I can into the lesson. We do geography, handwriting, reading, art and music regularly with this lesson.
Math for us is more drill and practice. I try to make it fun and practical. Using manipulatives or games. I plan what we will learn, but how it is learned depends on what is working at the time. Sometimes, it isn’t worksheets– it is muffin pans and beans.
Well, I don't think I'm wise or seasoned yet, but I'll answer anyway. ;)
I would say I'm between your descriptions. I'm laid back in that I know that it's not the end of the world if we don't get to everything that I plan for that day (I am currently planning things out a week or so at a time from our materials). But, I do sit with the kids the whole time (usually) or have them work at our counter if I need to do stuff in the kitchen.
My boys are just in 2nd & 3rd grade though, so I'm sure that I'll have them do more on their own in a couple of years. At this point, I like to be there. But, our approach is much more laid back than a traditional public school type approach.
I do feel like I need a little more structure though in my planning — not necessarily for the kids. For sure next school year, I want to come up with a general plan of something like, "Okay, we do art studies on Mondays, we do religious instruction on Wednesdays and Fridays, etc." But, that's more so for me, just to not have to come up with a new "plan" every week. KWIM?
Ha — I thought before I typed, “I’m just going to give a short answer.” ;) Apparently I don’t know what a short answer is.
Barb, one thing that I have found in my years of homeschooling is that often times when I “think” my children aren’t getting enough I later find out they were getting MORE than I thought. Many times it’s not just reflecting over a year’s worth of work that helps us understand what our kids truly know. It’s looking over their whole education where we find what has stuck and what hasn’t.
I teach in a variety of ways… workbooks, videos, through reading, through hands on experiences, through just life lessons. Each is a valuable way to learn and some of mine learn better with one way, some in other ways. Still, when I try to see if they are getting enough I try to look at not just what they know but how they act, what they say to their siblings or friends, what they are now interested in, how they are growing in all areas of their lives. This is the true test of learning.
While some may not be as advanced in math and others may be ahead I know in the end (and I have witnessed this with my older kids) that what they don’t pick up the first time around they will eventually pick up when they are ready to.
It’s a hard road sometimes, worrying about if we are giving our children everything they need through our homeschool efforts. But in the end they do thrive and they do learn. We will still worry but we will be ok. :)
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