There is no “one way” to homeschool nor one way to school in general. If you’ve been doing it at any length of time, you already know this. So the best way to process any homeschool post, is to take away from it what will benefit you and your family and leave the rest.

After many years of research and many years of having my children work through the many different curricula, I have come to the conclusion that there is no perfect nor even close to perfect curriculum. I have been disappointed time and time again.

Another challenge is educating multiple children of all different ages. The majority of curricula is tailored for one year of use for one child. This means if you have five children working on five different subjects with about two books per subject, you have fifty books! This many workbooks/textbooks is impractical and completely unnecessary.

The way I homeschool now has been inspired by my faith, my minimalist lifestyle, the one-room schoolhouse and the importance of my family’s overall health and happiness. Many of the resources we use are faith-based which I know will not appeal to everyone and why I wanted to let you know in case this is something you would not be interested in reading. Also, homeschooling is a constant learning process and so my book list may change in the future as needed.

BIRTH TO 4 YEARS OLD

This is such a brief time in their childhood and I want to leave them with fond memories of natural learning. I didn’t do this in the beginning of my homeschooling journey and instead began formally teaching my oldest child at just four-years-old with a rigid curriculum which I regret. Natural learning in our family includes reading to them, praying with them, attempting to speak to them in more than one language, introducing the letters and numbers and exposing them to nature. This naturally encourages questions from them, with answers that will stick with them for a lifetime. They also listen to their older sibings’ oral lessons which allows them to absorb even more information.

The following is a list of books I read to my youngest children. They’re a mix of books on faith, manners, science, reproduction, body safety and the Italian language. I’ve had most of these for many years and my children have always loved them. But keep in mind, homeschooling is not just about these books. Our family gardens, raises chickens, plays together, prays together and experiences every day life together that often teaches more than any book.

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• • Children’s Bible •
  • Baltimore Catechism No. 1 •
  • God’s Alphabet by M.H. Ruane •
  • A Child’s Rule of Life by Robert Hugh Benson •
  • An Alphabet of Saints by Robert Hugh Benson •
  • Where Do Babies Come From by DK Children •
  • My Body’s Mine by Kayla J.W. Marnach • (body safety)
  • God Is Good Series (covers topics on science)
  • Little Jewel Books Series (covers topics on manners)
  • First Hundred Words in Italian by Mairi Mackinnon •
  • Drawing Notepad, Pencils and Crayons (purchased locally)

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ELEMENTARY YEARS

We begin our homeschool day in a group as a family, reading about and discussing history and our faith. My youngest are welcome to listen too or play quietly waiting their turn to “do school.” Every day looks a little different.

• • Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints •
  • A Year With The Saints •
  • The Catechism Explained •
  • Holy Sacrifice of the Mass •

 

PRE-READING

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• READING – Pronunciation Guide / Little Angel Readers
• WRITING – Printing Guide / Composition Book •
• ARITHMETIC – Number Guide / Wooden Abacus • / Tiny Polka Dot •

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All children learn to read at different ages so don’t worry if your child is seven or eight, and still isn’t reading. To encourage reading, make available a pronunciation guide, simple readers and ask them on occasion if they would like to try reading. If you are already reading to your child on a daily basis, the natural progression will be an interest in reading. But even after they take an interest, they may still have trouble learning the parts to whole of reading. Don’t let this discourage you or your child. There are so many other fascinating subjects and skills to learn while you wait for the reading skill to develop. And it will! 😁

“Everything your child learns increases his vocabulary and develops his thinking skills.
Pre-reading instruction is wider than the whole world.” -Dr. Beechick

Once my child shows an interest in learning to read, we review the sounds of the letters on the pronunciation chart and then practice reading from one of the Little Angel Readers or the God is Good series. While reading, we keep the chart close by to reference the sounds. Then we move on to the number chart and practice counting and skip counting on the abacus. Then they grab their printing chart for reference, open their notebook and copy from whatever book they choose. Afterwards we play counting games with manipulatives to solidify concepts.  And learning doesn’t end here. At this age they’re like sponges and absorb all that is going on around them throughout the day.

READING

In our homeschool, we follow the natural method of learning. The principle of this method is that children develop their intelligence and skills at different ages utilizing different resources. Not everyone learns to read at five, subtract at six and write at seven.  Subjects are also studied interchangeably throughout the day and not in isolation. The focus is not on completing pages of workbooks or on test scores but rather on fostering a natural love for learning.

“The natural method leads to higher levels of creativity.”  -Dr. Beechick

WRITING

Using the natural method when learning to write, intertwines reading, penmanship, grammar, composition, spelling, vocabulary, history and literature. My children write one page of copywork in their notebooks daily from the book of their choice. They select among history books, science, fiction, non-fiction, vocabulary lists and many others. After they finish their copywork, they read to me what they wrote while I check for grammar and spelling errors. They also use this collection of books as resources and inspiration for writing reports, essays or just for reading enjoyment. Then once a week we visit our local library.

RESOURCES

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• • Baltimore Catechism No. 2 • (religion)
  • The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need • (grammar)
  • The Grammar School Speller and Definer • (vocabulary)
  • Thorndike Barnhard Dictionary 1971 • (definitions)
  • Christ And The Americas • (American history)
  • Christ The King, Lord Of History • (world history)
  • Saints Lives Series by Mary Fabyan Windeatt • (20 book set)
  • The Little House Series by Laura Wilder • (9 book set)
  • The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis • (7 book set)
  • The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Batson • (3 book set)

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ARITHMETIC

Count your chickens before their hatched… and after! 😁 Children between the ages of about six to about thirteen, grow through two modes of thinking about arithmetic. These are called the manipulative mode (outside the head) and the mental image mode (inside the head). Dr. Beechick wrote that children need to be proficient in the manipulative mode as a preparation for other modes to follow. Failure to do this is one of the main reasons children have a difficult time with arithmetic.

Graded-level math books too often introduce concepts that are better tackled at an older age, when the brain is more developed, or attempt to explain abstract symbols without a strong foundation in manipulatives. After many years of going back and forth between math curricula, our family is now focusing on using manipulatives, board games, card games, working with money and planning investments to not only develop math skills but to learn about how to build an income for the future.

RESOURCES

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• • Wooden blocks made from a 2x4x8 (measuring)
  • Money Bags Board Game • (money)
  • Cashflow For Kids Board Game • (investing)
  • Play Check Set • (banking)
  • Money Set for Kids • (banking)

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MUSIC AND ART

My children have access to many instruments (ukulele, piano, guitar, etc.) and drawing books which they use on a daily basis. However I believe placing a structured curriculum over their artistic capabilities takes the enjoyment out of learning the fine arts. So rather than workbooks, drills and testing, they actually sing, play beautiful music and draw. If one of them wants it to be more structured or wants to dive deeper into the history of fine arts, I then provide them with the necessary books or online class.

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

With heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes and other related diseases growing at alarming rates, our health and science lessons are not confined to just one book nor are they set for a specific time of the day. Mankind subsists on more processed and chemically-laden ingredients now than it has ever before in history and why I think it’s very important to educate our children on what ingredients are actually in the packaged food at the grocery store and it’s damaging effects. We also have depleted soil around the world and why it’s important to learn about permaculture design in order to replenish it and begin the practice of living a more sustainable and healthier life.

RESOURCES

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• Human Anatomy in Full Color •
• Eating in the Dark * (about GMO)
• Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices • (nutrition)
• Nutrition and Physical Degeneration • (health)
• Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening •
• Edible Landscaping With a Permaculture Twist •
• Chicken Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Healthy Hens •

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Then there are times when we get a call from my husband and he wants to have lunch with all of us, or we unexpectedly run out of something and have to run to the store, or someone needs a little more attention from me, or any number of other things that may come up and we don’t complete the day exactly as planned. But everything we do throughout the day is a learning experience and just one of the many reasons why I appreciate homeschooling.

 

HIGH SCHOOL YEARS / unschooling

This age is such an important time in their lives and why I believe in encouraging them to choose their own interest of study rather than have them trudge through a subject of no interest to them. Not everyone may want a career which requires you to sit at a desk eight to twelve hours a day and why for some, it can be stifling to study these subjects.

For example, at 14-years-old my oldest daughter was interested in Euclidean geometry so she enrolled in an online college math class and really enjoyed it. Another one may want to apprentice with an electrician and want to take a class on electrical wiring. And another may be interested in agricultural ecosystems and spend the semester visiting farms working toward self-sustainability. The options are endless!

Along with their own interests, my husband and I encourage our children to prepare financially for the future. In the typical educational system, children are taught parts of speech, long division, extracurricular activities, how to apply for a college loan and so many other skills, but they’re never taught how to make money. Even though making money is what the majority of people do for most of their adult life, not one class during their twelve years of education is devoted to this task. Instead students are encouraged to enroll in college and in turn, go into debt.

Beginning around the age of twelve, we talk to our children about getting a part-time job. This can be anything from dog-walking, to babysitting, to lawn mowing, to tutoring a school subject or music lesson or any other skill they may want to offer. While they will spend some of their money, we encourage them to save most of it for future investments.

The following is a list of resources for both money management and college-prep options.

MONEY MANAGEMENT RESOURCES

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• Bigger Pockets • FREE investment videos & podcasts
• Rich Dad Poor Dad • by Robert Kiyosaki
• The Book On Rental Property Investing • by Brandon Turner
• The Millionaire Real Estate Investor • by Gary Keller

 

COLLEGE-PREP RESOURCES

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• Religion – The Catechism Explained •
• English – Writing the Five-Paragraph Essay •
• Vocabulary – Vocabulary.com
• Math – Khan Academy High School Math
• History – A History of Christendom Series • (6 volume set)
• Science – The 101 Series (biology, chemistry, physics)
• Foreign Language – Duolingo.com
• Typing – Typing.com

 

Home education doesn’t stop once the books are put away but rather every moment of the day is an opportunity we take for learning. Throughout the day we are also raising and taking care of chickens, gardening, composting, cooking, we have building projects and so much more. Conventional education is limited where home education is limitless!

Thank you for reading and as I said in the beginning, I hope you are able to take something away from this post whether negative or positive, to enhance your own homeschooling experience.

Happy homeschooling!

last updated 03.10.18