| Author | |
Pamin OZ
Forum Pro
Joined: Sept 28 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 157
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 7:27pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Hi, I'm new to posting but not new to reading. I've always loved this board and the philosophy that so many share- "Life" seems to be a word that comes into my head as I read, again and again.
I'm trying to think about Year 7 for my son next year (which is the beginning of High School in our part of Australia). Part of me wants to follow Sonlight, love their books, never use their manuals the way they are set up.
Part of me would LOVE to use the 4reallearning book list in some way or a mixture of the two.
I alternate between wanting to be rigorous and allow time for my children's own interests and these two polar extremes can drive me mad at times. I'm not one of nature's own unschoolers- too scary for me.
Any words of wisdom or am I still too vague?
Pam
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
lapazfarm
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005
Location: Alaska
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6082
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 8:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Pam
I honestly don't think it has to be an either/or situation. You can follow your child's interest and still be rigorous. At least that is what I hope we do here in our home.
Rather than thinking in terms of classes or curriculum, try to think in terms of goals. For instance, if your goal is for ds to write a decent research paper, then there is no reason it cannot be on a subject that he is passionate about. He will learn to research and write no matter the subject, and likely do a better job of it if it interests him. If your goal is for ds to be able to analyze literature, let him choose the book and he will be more enthused about narrating it with you and discussing its elements. You have still reached your goal.
So, rigor and freedom to follow interests do not necessarily conflict.
Your son is beginning high school, so it is very appropriate to start letting him have a good bit of input on his education anyway. A great way to make your decision might be to show ds the options and let him voice his opinions.
Hope that helps!
__________________
Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Willa
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3881
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 9:53pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Pamin OZ wrote:
I alternate between wanting to be rigorous and allow time for my children's own interests and these two polar extremes can drive me mad at times. I'm not one of nature's own unschoolers- too scary for me.
Any words of wisdom or am I still too vague?
Pam |
|
|
I have trouble with this too in day to day life.
In the "big picture" I can see how allowing time for kid's interests has contributed to good academic things in this house. My kids' interests and free time have led to some really good, good things. Plus saved me from severe burn-out and allowed me to keep my own interest in learning alive, which I think is important.
But in day to day life -- I get frustrated when there is too much wheel-spinning, either mine or the kids'. On the other hand, I also get tired and disheartened when things are too structured. So I find that some sort of middle ground works best -- using resources but loosely.
I don't know if that helps with what you were asking! I like the Sonlight booklist but the year I bought the teacher's manual I ended up using it --- not at all. Instead I just combined it with the real learning booklist and we would use selected books as a jump off ground for research, mapwork, discussion and beginning literary analysis.
__________________
AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Leonie
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2831
|
| Posted: Sept 29 2006 at 10:57pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Can you combine the booklists and give your ds a choice?
Thats kind of what we do here. Thomas (13) was ready for a new book this week and we talked about possible titles and I said - "Look at the Sonlight catalogue and see if a book catches your eye."
Well, an author did - and now he is on a Rosemary Sutcliffe binge. 
Either booklist can provide many rabbit trails across the curriculum, imo.
__________________
Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Shari in NY
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 23 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 358
|
| Posted: Sept 30 2006 at 10:00am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Dear Pam,
This is an interesting first post! Welcome! I also spend alot of time reading this forum but don't take the time to post very often. There is always alot of grist for thought here though.
I'm guessing this isn't your first year homeschooling. I thought I would be an unschooler when I started homeschooling 15 years ago but my kids had other plans! They wanted a plan and over the years we have used Core Knowledge and Sonlight among others and now we use Elizabeth's list too. I have found that we have weeks when the acedemic work really flows and we get alot accomplished and then burn out rears its ugly head and we kick back and read and read and read. We just read three Swallows and Amazons books back to back and I was amazed at how much history, sea lore and geography were in each one!Now we are back to latin study and English history and everyone is refreshed and eager to learn because those kids in S&A work hard at acedemics when they aren't on vacation and we want to be like them, you know! So it really doesn't have to be either/or relaxed/rigorous but the natural blend that will be your family's unique rhythm.
Shari in NY
mom to six ages 7 to 23
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TracyQ
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1323
|
| Posted: Oct 01 2006 at 8:09am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I agree with Theresa (and the others here)  It doesn't have to be an all or nothing deal.
We are in the 11th grade with our oldest, and 9th with our second son, and both are doing rigorous, along with great literature in their learning still.
You can design your own courses as well in high school, and make it whatever you think the course should be. What I often do is find a core text, or guide, and then add wonderful literature (from many of the lists you mention, plus others), projects, movies to watch, sometimes notebooking or lapbooking as projects, documentaries, etc., and put it all together in a course that entails many different interesting ways to learn, but it's always full, and as "complete' as possible.
For instance, for Jake this year (the 11th grader), we're using *The Complete Idiot's Guide to American Literature* as a guide, and he will have the gist of American Literature by the end of the year, but we're adding many novels from the authors in the book as assigned reading, and allowing him to choose some others. I'm adding pieces of literature from various resources we have at home, and online as well, and am pulling in pieces of literature, and discussion questions from a very old textbook we have too. We're adding in book reports, discussion, and we'll have him compare some movies to the books, etc. as well. I'll probably have him write a paper on a comparison of authors too (still have to decide which and how). For him, if we used a more *traditional text* for literature, he'd most likely do it, and check it off, but will not have really liked it, found it interesting, or really learned American Literature well.
For History, we're doing the same type of thing. We're using the Teaching Company video lecture series, while taking notes when watching it, but bringing in many other resources, projects, movies, documentaries, etc., and am piecing together a course designed specifically for him. We're using *Painless American History*, along with some reading from the Joy Hakim series, some pieces from other resources we have here, and from the library as well. By the end, he'll have gotten a much more complete course, but it's always designed around a guide that helps me to know where we're going with the course.
And where we can really allow his interests to be developed is in the electives he chooses to do. He usually chooses a computer course to do for one of his electives, because it's what he loves. This year, it's Visual Basic and Visual Basic Gaming (whatever that is  ).
For our 9th grader, because he's an extremly analytical and deep thinker, we decided not to design courses for him. We decided to use the Trisms curriculum for him, and see if it's the best route for him to go with high school. We can continue all through high school with Trisms if it's a good fit for him. It's very rigorous, but extremely thorough, something good for him specifically. I think for our oldest, it may not have worked well. It's very research based, but also brings in so much more as well, including literature. So we're happy so far after the first two units with it.
I'm sure with our 11 year old daughter, when she gets to the high school years, God will lead us even yet differently for her, as He often does. While there are so many wonderful things about the things we're doing with each child, and there are so many wonderful curriculums out there, I really see the beauty, the blessings, the fruits, and the necessities of praying, and allowing the Lord to help you discern the route that the Lord wants you to follow for each individual child, as His purpose and plan for each of them will be so different. That's the blessing of home schooling, and being able to do just that.
Even in NY State (where we live), where the regulations are SO limiting, and there are so many, I've been able to accomodate them, while still allowing the Holy Spirit to help me discern, and to lead me in what's best for each of them. Use your gut........your mom instinct is often God's way of leading you to what's right for them.
You sound like you'll have fun with lots of literature no matter what. It's your philosophy, so it will probably be always included in your learning, no matter what you choose to use as a guide or what route you choose to go.
I hope that sharing our experience thus far in the high school years has helped some anyway.
__________________
Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Pamin OZ
Forum Pro
Joined: Sept 28 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 157
|
| Posted: Oct 01 2006 at 8:17pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks everyone. I'm still cogitating, as my father would say. Another question for you: has anyone given any thought to what they would do if they were to invent booklists for years 9-12, in the same vein as the current 4reallearning booklist?
Pam
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Patty LeVasseur
Forum Pro
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 238
|
| Posted: Oct 02 2006 at 8:02am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I know lots of people here have, just not me  . I am searching to see what I can find for you. So far I found this: macbeth's opinion 9th grade.
__________________
Patty
mom to four blessings
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
lapazfarm
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005
Location: Alaska
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6082
|
| Posted: Oct 02 2006 at 8:11am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I was going to suggest MacBeth's opinion also. Great list she has put together.
__________________
Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Patty LeVasseur
Forum Pro
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 238
|
| Posted: Oct 02 2006 at 10:43am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Pam,
Elizabeth has also written lesson plans for the older grades. They are called "Transition Trails". I use the plans with both my 8th and 9th graders. They have been very helpful for me to see how to make these later years "Literature-based" and trust me, it's very rigorous. Elizabeth has a list of fiction books that she uses including C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy and of course the Lord of the Rings books. As well as some Shakespeare, Chesterton, MacDonald, Kipling, and Twain. She uses wonderful books for Apologetics and Catechism including Catholic Christianity (Kreeft), Real Love and We're on a Mission from God (Boncci), and the Surprised by Truth books (Madrid). I wanted to send you a link to this, but I can't find it. Maybe someone else knows where it is???
__________________
Patty
mom to four blessings
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Leonie
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2831
|
| Posted: Oct 02 2006 at 4:33pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Pam - I have a copy of the transitions trail, if you'd like to see it. Elizabeth has given me permission to sell the Transitions guide here in OZ - a few people have bought copies.
Let me know!
__________________
Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Pamin OZ
Forum Pro
Joined: Sept 28 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 157
|
| Posted: Oct 02 2006 at 6:12pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Leonie,
as if I could say no! That would be wonderful.
MacBeths' opinion was just what I wanted. Now I just want 10th, 11th and 12th grades, too.
I think I was having a wobbly attack but I'm feeling a little better now thanks. I will continue to do what we do and use Sonlight books but use them our way.
I think part of me just can't give up wanting the "Sonlight Experience" or The "AO experience" or the "Waldorf Experience" where I would do exactly what was written down and feel... what? I don't know, because I've never done it and I know that really the planning is the fun part and the daily consistent doing of homeschooling is pretty much the same no matter what pretty plans I have drawn up.
True up to a point, I know. Because some plans lend themselves more to Life and living and Home than others and that's what I want to aim for.
I like the thought of changing focus (focii?) every month. One more thought that is in my head is if you read four books on a topic, is that overkill doing it all at once? I think my younger son would like this but I'm not sure about the older one.
Pam
trying to slow down and eat- I mean smell- the roses
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Zeliemum
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 04 2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 636
|
| Posted: Oct 04 2006 at 9:01pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hi,
Just curious could someone enlighten me on the 4reallearning book list? I have probably seen it and even looked over it but I can't seem to remember where or when. I might be thinking of something else. If someone could give me a link I would be very grateful.
Cheers
Chemai
__________________
Mother to seven with five in heaven...Spiritualmotherhood for Priests
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Patty LeVasseur
Forum Pro
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 238
|
| Posted: Oct 04 2006 at 11:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Chemai,
The list is found at this link.
It is also found in the back of the book Real Learning by Elizabeth Foss which can be found here.
__________________
Patty
mom to four blessings
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Booklists, doing your own thing or not
