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lapazfarm
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| Posted: April 17 2006 at 9:36pm | IP Logged
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This is the time of year I start really thinking about how the year has been going and assessing what has been working and what hasn't. Although this has been a great year (in no small part thanks to this board) I know that there are a few things I will be doing differently next year. But before I write out my list, I was wondering...
How about you ladies? What will you be tossing out and what will you replace it with? Care to share?
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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obriens61
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| Posted: April 17 2006 at 10:42pm | IP Logged
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We are finishing up with LC II, and instead of continuing with Henle I as originally planned, we're going to play around with conversational Spanish for a year.
We're also adding The Fallacy Detective, because my kids have enjoyed the Critical Thinking books in the past. I think they'll find the format of this book fairly fun with entertaining examples of bad reasoning.
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Maureen
Trinity Prep School
Curricula Capers
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Rachel May
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| Posted: April 17 2006 at 11:14pm | IP Logged
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As much as I hate to say it, I think I'm going to have to add more structure. My husband just struggles so much with homeschooling, and I know rows of shiny workbooks and a daily schedule posted, etc will go a long way to ease his mind about it. I don't know if I can go as far as workbooks, but I know there must be some way to make what we do more palatable to him.
Also, I have decided to ditch our Sound Beginnings. I know the kids don't mind it and that it is thorough, but I can not get excited about teaching it which means that when we do it, I'm not lighting the fire for the kids.
On a positive note, I think I am going to plan to do a couple of unit studies like we did this year because we ALL enjoy those. That's in addition to gently following rabbit trails.
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Willa
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| Posted: April 17 2006 at 11:58pm | IP Logged
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I am literally tossing out a few boxes of old curricula. Some of them have been around since our first year hsing. They lie there, unused, making me feel guilty  I will just have to acknowledge that some kinds of resources are just not mine to use, no matter how wonderful they are for other people. And maybe that will help free up my brain (and house) for finding things that DO work for us.
I am going to extend our classical unschooling experiment. Things are finally starting to click a little better here, after several months of what I suppose must have been deschooling -- not so much the kids, as ME 
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AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Dawn
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Next year I will be adding the youngest into the mix using the Little Saints Preschool Program. The older two will be 6th and 2nd grades; I would like to continue to use CHC for most subjects.
We will work with all the boys on a year long unit study on the Middle Ages. I used Story of the World last time we did Middle ages, but this time I am going to try to organize it myself.
This will be my middle son's First Holy Communion year, so I'd like to be more organized with our relgious education at home, but we'll probably also enroll the boys this year in our parish CCD (and I may volunteer to teach).
I want to be way more organized and do more of the planning and preparing ahead of time. Of course I say this every year! 
More living books and less twaddle.
I would like to throw out the Saxon but I don't know if I have the courage ... 
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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momwise
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| Posted: April 18 2006 at 9:09am | IP Logged
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Rachel May wrote:
| I know rows of shiny workbooks and a daily schedule posted, etc will go a long way to ease his mind about it. I don't know if I can go as far as workbooks, but I know there must be some way to make what we do more palatable to him. |
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Rachel,
Would copywork help? How about typing up narrations?
As for us, getting outdoors more, incorporating my granddaughter into our faith and liturgical year, memorizing more of the Bible, learning Spanish together, more art lessons are always my goals, especially for next year.
We may set up a Family Math class with other families and I've got to do something to help my dd (16) catch up on her math.
I've got to find some way to get my 14 yo ds working on computers and programming and not just playing games. He's already trashed 2 computers that were given to him for this purpose; we really need to find someone to help him since we can't do a thing for him in this area. Any ideas?
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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Cheryl
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This year I think we had more weeks with the kids playing together or watching DVD's than weeks with any lessons. I was pregnant, we've been building a house and selling our current house and now I have a 6 week old dd.
I know we won't be using Saxon Math next year. My ds 7 really doesn't like it. I'm thinking about trying MCP Math for both my ds 7 and ds 5. The reason I picked MCP is because it seems to be a different method than Saxon and I'm also going to get the CHC 2nd grade lesson plans for religion.
We like the artist and composer of the month that we've been doing this year. The kids do their own art daily. We've been doing so little that there's not much else to toss out.  I think we need to add. I want to try to do nature study and keep nature notebooks this summer. I also want to make an atrium in our new house and to do more of Moira's presentations next year.
Last night while I was nursing I read some blogs. (something else I'd like to try "next year".) I think I was on the lapaz farm one, reading about an unschooling experiment, then I clicked on a link that brought me to Willa Ryan's blog...I read more about unschooling. I think my ds 7 was born to unschool. He wakes up and grabs a paper and draws plans and designs then starts to build with anything he can find. He seems truly happy doing these things. He seems disappointed when I pull out the Saxon or ask him to read to me when he's started a project. This morning I was telling my dh that I thought ds 7 woould be a great unschooler he said, "He just needs more structure." Now I am really confused.
Then there is ds 5 who is asking to do phonics and is making up his own math problems. He doesn't seem to be able to do things for more than 30 minutes and if he gets bored he teases more than anyone I know and starts putting his siblings down verbally.
Sorry I got a bit off track. I guess I'm not sure what I'm doing next year. Today I'm wondering what's the best way to homeschool such different personalities. What if one child needs more structure and another needs less structure?
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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Sarah
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Oh, my heart is heavy right now with "nothing's-getting-done" woes. We've just moved and I can't get a grip. I feel like we have so much undone.
I'm going to plan more. At the beginning of the year I had plans that were great, but by Jan. all has whimsical.
Ds9 likes workbooks, so he's going to have a couple. Ds7 hates them so he'll do notebooks or projects.
I need to listen to the kids read aloud more.
I'm sure there's more, but I'll to keep thinking.
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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Courtney
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Plan, plan, plan. I feel like I "get by" so many times b/c of lack of adequate planning. I think part of my problem is fluctuating (in my head anyway) btwn unschooling and a more structured approach. We have done a lot of good reading this year, but we have lacked greatly in narrations. I'm thinking of using Mater Amabilis with some CHC. I also just ordered a book on unit studies. There are so many things my dc want to learn about (rainforests, solar system, presidents, different animals, etc.) that I DO need to plan for. When I look at this year, I take comfort in the fact that my ds (who turned 6 yesterday) learned to read this year. Of course I laugh to myself b/c he would have probably learned this without me! Just my random thoughts for the day! 
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Courtney in Texas
Wife to Mike since 3/94
Mom to Candace 10/97,Christopher 4/00 and Connor 11/11
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Willa
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| Posted: April 18 2006 at 2:31pm | IP Logged
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Cheryl wrote:
| Sorry I got a bit off track. I guess I'm not sure what I'm doing next year. Today I'm wondering what's the best way to homeschool such different personalities. What if one child needs more structure and another needs less structure? |
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Well, what unschooling has meant to me recently is that I look at how my kids learn, and then respond to what they need. If they really need it, they won't need to be pushed into it (these are my "unschooly" thoughts -- I still have moments of doubt where I think the opposite).
My oldest really seemed to appreciate some structure. I guess, active interaction would be a better word. He liked me to sit down with him and process things with him. It motivated him and helped him think through things and make connections. Even now at almost 20 and a freshman in college he really seeks out interaction for intellectual things. When we have phone conversations he talks about his classes and thinks through concepts verbally with me.
My second son was like you describe -- I'd have to pull him out of his activities -- he always had many, many things he wanted to do with his day. I used to start with reading aloud to him because he liked that. He had a notebook where he could draw while I read to him, which kept him focused. Then we'd move into structured lessons -- as short as I could make them.
I tried to leave plenty of things around to engage his interest. He liked to build. We had lots of construction toys around. He liked to play pretend games, he liked nature. Those are things that could easily be translated into school-ese. Science, composition, art, literature -- and most of the history could come about by way of the literature and read-alouds.
He did NOT like to write so we did minimal copywork. When he was 12 he finally pulled the writing together and now he writes often, neatly and well.
I guess I'm pulling this thread off course. My husband is the more unschooly of the two of us. His ideas for the kids' education were actually off of my comfort zone -- workshop projects, researching our local history by exploring the terrain and looking at books of local lore, making gardens. I'm the one in the family who gets anxious if learning doesn't look tidy and neat. I know it is usually the opposite!
But if you can be comfortable with an open-ended environment and just look for schooly ways to write down what he does in a day I bet you'd be surprised. It helps me to keep in mind that a lot of schools are trying to do projects and self-directed study. After my first son left Catholic school, his class was making a tipi. But when our friends the Bryans were here this summer their son made a tipi at our house after we saw some tipis at Yosemite, and my sons got to join in and help. The tipi is still here and it's REAL, not a school-contrived project. I could write it down as immersion learning but it was way MORE than that actually.
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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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mary
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we did the First Communion notebook this year and i'm adding moira's albums and a liturgical notebook next year.
i'm keeping the weekly visit to the nature center and adding sketch books.
i'm keeping the art class and tennis lessons but dropping gymnastics (it's too much with soccer in fall, basketball in winter, teeball in spring and swimming in the summer).
i will decrease the number of fieldtrips (have been weekly) because we will have a new baby and i'm not going to be up to that much running around.
what i'd like to do with regard to scheduling/unschooling is to have a list of things to accomplish for the week and to be able to hand that over to my 8yr old and let him work at his own pace.
i'm loading up on read alouds because i figure that's a good use of all that nursing on the couch time.
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JSchaaf
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Willa-
Please check out BookSamaritan for your used items. We received things through them after Katrina and it is an excellent organization.
Jennifer
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Willa
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| Posted: April 18 2006 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
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Oh, what a great idea, Jennifer! Thanks!
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AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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teachingmyown
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Great thread! My first thought is EVERYTHING! LOL!
When I put more thought and less emotion into it, I am still not sure what I am going to do next year, but I know that I have to get a coherent plan one way or the other. This has been another year of inconsistency and lack of a clear purpose. Now, cutting myself a lot of slack because of the pregnancy and move, I am not overly upset but I do see the need for a better plan.
I am actually vacillating between what seems to me almost two opposites, classical homeschooling and unschooling. I have just started reading the unschooling forum and spent a long time last night reading Willa's blog and her journey into unschooling. Her thought process seems similar to mine so I am more open to the prospect now. Before I really just thought it was for the highly motivated and energetic types. I am not convinced that it would fit this family, so I plan to spend the spring and summer reading more about it, while studying the classical approach as well.
My middle of the road idea, which might fit us best, is to use CHC for my middle schooler and FIAR for my 8 and under crowd. I have tried so hard to really like CHC and it never quite lives up to what I am looking for. But that particular student would spend all day curled up in a chair reading, so I think getting the basics covered with CHC and then providing her with a variety of books should suffice. I am still agonizing over homeschooling my high schooler so I haven't made any real decisions there.
You all sound like you know just what you want and how to get it. I would love just a little of that certainty!
I do know that what I want most is to bring peace and enthusiasm into our schooling and our lives in general.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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Leonie
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Well, the Australian school year is only one quarter through. So, perhaps I'll mention what we are thinking of doing for the rest of this year, until Advent and Christmas...
We have some ideas listed for most months and will see how we go.
Reading about Lissa's Little House books reminded me of how much I loved reading them - so perhaps one of our empty months could be filled with Little House units?
We are planning on re-visiting a Redwall unit.
Right now we have a Science focus going on.
I recently purchased some My Story books from Ashton Scholastic and we will be visiting Australian history with these.
I want to introduce the younger ones to blogging - perhaps a nature journal/blog or a cooking blog ( they love to cook!).
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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Rachel May
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momwise wrote:
Rachel,
Would copywork help? How about typing up narrations?
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Thanks for the ideas! I'm may be starting a new thread on this...
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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teachingmom
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| Posted: April 19 2006 at 12:03am | IP Logged
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The ideas rolling around in my mind these days focus mainly on my oldest dd. I've been happy with what we have been doing up to 6th grade, but she will be in 7th grade next year, and I am having a bit of a panic wondering if I am covering all of our bases in her studies.
She is a great independent worker, so I am giving up on the idea that I'll ever get my act together enough to teach a language to the entire family. We've never done more than a handful of lessons before petering out in the past. I think she will work through Latina Christiana I on her own. When I mentioned that to her tonight, she seemed very excited at the prospect. She also wants to start doing history on her own, which makes me sad , since I love our whole-family unit study approach to history. But I think she will use From Sea to Shining Sea.
As Courtney mentioned, I think I will glean ideas for her from both Mater Amabilis and CHC. As of a few days ago, I am looking at Lingua Mater for grammar. (Have any of you used it as a one year course? Will it be an enthusiasm killer to do so?)
I'm still not sure where I am going with her pre-algebra course.
I'm sure there will be other changes coming, but these are the ones I've already been thinking about.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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saintanneshs
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Great ideas everyone!
I'm feeling really good about what we've been doing lately as far as curriculum goes, and am actually on a roll with getting things done around the house and with the kids...this is the longest I've gone between pregnancies in 6 years! (I know that's nothing for some of you! )
I'd like to read more chapter books (or at least listen to them on tape together) and keep more of a schedule within our routine, if that makes sense. I'd like to sign the boys up for a few weeks of something fun and extra-curricular but we'll see. My ds4 will be 5 this summer and is chomping at the bit, so we'll start kindergarten (going from 1 to 2 "students" counts as a change, doesn't it?) Ds 6 is working ahead of my pace, so I just need to stay on top of his need for challenge. The little ones will still just play and learn while they play.
I don't guess it counts as a "goal," but what I'd like most next year...
to have another baby
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Kristine
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Willa
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| Posted: April 19 2006 at 8:26am | IP Logged
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teachingmyown wrote:
I am actually vacillating between what seems to me almost two opposites, classical homeschooling and unschooling. ...
I do know that what I want most is to bring peace and enthusiasm into our schooling and our lives in general. |
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Me too.
I am trying to decide whether to keep up with directed math, or not. That's a big uncertainty for me. Everything else, I am not so worried about. Reading and writing seem to happen eventually here, even if not quite as soon as I'd be most comfortable with. I have never given math a chance to just happen, though.
My oldest at home is going to be 18 this summer, so I have to support him as he branches out into the real world, but there is no planned curriculum for this and if there was, it probably would not be the right thing for him
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Willa
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Take Up and Read
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lapazfarm
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Everything is up in the air for us right now! Although this year has been fantabulous, we are doing an unschooling experiment for the rest of the year to see what that is like. If it goes well we will continue next year. The only thing I will direct is math. We will be using Keys to Fractions, decimals and percents next year, as well as finishing up Jacobs' Mathematics, A Human Endeavor (plus our usual Marcy Cook math games). We will also definitely stick with Bravewriter, which we use in an unschooling way. If the unschooling proves to be wrong for us, we will return to our loose unit studies and project-based learning, which have given us much success this year.
Adding my litlest to the mix more next year as well. Have not decided what to do exactly. Most likely Alphaphonics, lots of read alouds, Miquon math (maybe), and unit studies based on picture books. Plus joining in on whatever her big brother is doing (like I could stop her anyway...).
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Topic: What will you change next year?
