Buy Independent!

I haven't done a lot of endorsement of homeschool curriculum, mostly because I believe there is a LOT of great material out there and mostly because I truly think what works is going to be personal to you with very few exceptions.
I'm also not wanting to tempt parents that are perfectly happy with what they have to switch to something new.  Just because it's new, doesn't make it better and there's some high value to becoming an expert at the resource you do use. [over and over! It comes with practice baby]

So with all that in mind, there is one thing I can recommend.  And that's to buy Independent!!    If you are looking, check out the products HERE at the Homeschool Resource Roadmap to make sure they are independent of common core before you spend your money.     I know Tina includes other resources as well, but for me personally, if you are in the market to buy something- vote with your dollars and support independents!

Homeschoolers fought a very hard battle to even be legally recognized.  It took years before publishers and authors started providing homeschool specific resources. Most of my favorites are produced by homeschool parents themselves!  Individual State groups continue to battle state by state to keep our homeschooling free with minimal government entanglements.  Let's not lose our freedom even a tiny bit by supporting this Federal takeover. [which is what it is, really].  Let businesses know you are shopping independent and that you appreciate their independent stance.

Some independent resources I've just discovered that look good.
[doesn't mean they're new, I just rarely look anymore]
Classical Historian
Shakespeare in Bits

My long time favorites:
Spell to Write and Read
Institute for Excellence in Writing [IEW]
History Revealed
Trisms
Truth quest History 

If you want to know more about the history of common core and why we all should oppose it, read here.   For more in-depth anaylsis of our government school system, read John Taylor Gatto's books, such as the Underground History of Education.

Maryland Proposes updates to the Homeschool Regulations

December 10, 2015

Here are my comments on the proposed homeschool regulation changes.  I have included the regulations that I wish to point out, writing in italics my comment below each one.  

13A.10.01.01 

.01 Home Instruction Program

I would recommend that some additional wording be added here to confirm the breadth of the definition for the word program :  “ such as but not limited to textbooks, unit studies, online courses, parent-constructed curriculum, tutors, dual-enrolled college classes (full or part-time), and or other instructional options chosen by the parent or guardian.”

C. Instruction Program.

 (2) The home instruction program may include enrollment on a part-time or full-time basis in

 courses offered by accredited or unaccredited colleges.

This is welcome clarification. Though redundant if included in .01 program definition. 

D. Educational Materials.

2) A parent or guardian who chooses to enroll his or her child under § C (2) of this regulation

shall provide to the local superintendent or the superintendent’s designee a copy of a report

card or transcript from the accredited or unaccredited college at the conclusion of each

semester of the accredited or unaccredited college in lieu of a portfolio of materials for the

courses in which the child is enrolled.

While it might be easier to simply show a copy of a transcript, I would prefer parents have the option of continuing to show work/educational materials etc and not grades or credits to the superintendent.   And so  it should say “ may use a copy of grade reports or transcripts or continue. .  .” Also, why at the completion of each semester? Why not at the usual review time along with the rest of the portfolio? This entire section should be deleted, if college classes are part of the home school program option no special treatment ought to be needed.     

By the way, will the superintendent be documenting the grade/ credits or merely checking off a box that this form of evidence was presented? [This should be made clear in the regulations so that counties do not add to the intent of the changes] That would make a great difference, because prior to the increase in compulsory attendance age, homeschoolers generally were no longer required to report to the county by the time they graduated and therefore, the matter of transcripts and credits were rarely  brought up. Is this a small step to regulating the graduating of homeschoolers? Something we’ve been independently doing quite successfully for decades?  The fact that the MDSE has refused to clarify how the increased compulsion will  specifically affect homeschoolers graduating prior to reaching the age rising requirement has made me mistrustful of how it will eventually be handled.   

13A.10.01.05

.05 Home Instruction Under Supervision of Nonpublic School or Institution.

B. The home instruction program may include enrollment on a part-time or full-time basis

 in courses offered by accredited or unaccredited colleges with the approval of the supervising

 nonpublic school or institution described in § A of this regulation

While C (2) was a welcome clarification, this idea of Approval being required is absolutely not.  We have a constitutional [ie natural right] to direct the education of our own children and do not need permission. If  C (2) is true, why do we need approval from anyone to implement this?  This is where a broad definition for “Program” needs to be given as above.  If it is specifically stated that a home instruction program may include anything from parent created materials to college classes, then this section is unnecessary.    

Let them see you Learning

Studying and practicing for my Yellow Sash

Life Long Learning -  This is a phrase you'll hear often in homeschool circles.  We want our children to enjoy the accomplishment of learning new things and to seek out to learn whatever they desire or need in life.  As homeschool parents, we too are learning!-  How to do this educational thing at home for one; most of us weren't homeschooled ourselves. [though thankfully, that's changing] And many of the subjects we  HAD to take in school just didn't stick. Now, however, we are embracing learning right along with the kids and enjoying it more than ever! I know I have learned so much more of everything by homeschooling these past 24 years. I always  get the most enjoyment out of learning something new if I am teaching it.  Maybe, because I like to be more engaged and of course, I'm a people person. But its true, it's just more fun and exciting to share.  All this to say, homeschoolers become life long learners, many times learning completely new things they never dreamed of!  Like homesteading, farming, and running a business- very popular among some home school families.   Well, I'm not about to announce we're heading to the hills, so don't freak out.  
No, I landed on some other types of learning instead.

About a year ago, I took up Eskrima. Also known as Arnis or Doce Pares. It is a Filipino stick fighting martial arts. My TKD black belt son took it up and became a world champion in 2010. He has competed in Mexico, Italy and across the United States. I have enjoyed watching him and supporting his sport/art.  For awhile, I secretly wanted to learn it too, so last June I took the plunge. My goal was to be able to compete in full contact sparring without being killed [Yay! I did it!] And to test at least into Green Sash. [Green Sash comes after none, white, and yellow].  There have been months where I don't make a single class due to my schedule or illness. However, I am comfortable with doing the best I can and progressing as I can.  So while it has taken me a little while to get to my second testing, the one for Yellow Sash, I am mostly happy with my progress.   I determined to carve out the time for Testing this month and hopefully I will  make it.    In this class I am not only learning martial arts, self defense, patterns, kicks and blocks,  I am also learning Tagalog  [or standardized form known as Filipino] and  some history about the Art and the Philippines.  To help me retain this new knowledge I am also learning to use an app called Quizlet. I have made a folder of Eskrima knowledge, such as the numbers 1-12, sash colors, some history and Filipino words for various body parts. These will all be needed in various amounts at the Sash testing.  Quizet helps me to study no matter where I am. I usually run through cards in the morning before even getting out of bed and then again at night before putting my phone away.

I am also taking an online class with ICCinc.org.  This is my second online class with them, having taken one in the spring of 2014.   These online classes not only have their content to learn, but it requires learning things like posting to forums, using Google docs, sheets and forms,  and using Google Classroom.     Being so computer savvy has the downside that no children nor my spouse want to help in the IT arena as they think I should be able to figure it out.  Argh. Sometimes I just want someone else to do it.

I am not the only one in the family though. My husband has taken on new things and learned new skills and all of our adult children have proven the be life long learners as well.  I have no doubts that our homeschooling lifestyle will continue to make life long learners of our last three children.

I am pretty confident that by taking on new things to learn ourselves,  that our children will see us modeling perseverance, diligence and commitment. As well as, the joy of accomplishment in an acquired new skill.   I am modeling being  a life long learner.

What are you learning these days?

Forum for the ICC Online Class

Happy Mom Moment

So for a good deal of the time moms may wonder if this is all going to work out; am I doing anything right at all?  And then there are those moments that mom just goes 'aaaaahhhh.' So Nice.   I had one recently that I don't want to forget- so I must share it here.    That day I was quizzing Lillian on the 26 single letter phonograms. [you know, the letters]  I say the letters by sound- so A is a/A/ah -giving all three of it sounds, and B is just buh without the uh.   She did not learn them in alphabetical order but rather by the way you write them in cursive; so  clock face or circle letters first for example.  She does know the ABC song, but  I have purposely not connected it.   This day though, I gave the quiz in alphabetical order and afterward I asked her if she knew what that meant.  We sang the song.  I explained what it meant and I said the order is very useful. We can organize our words in this order and then be able to find them easily.  I pulled out the huge 1828 dictionary and started to show her.  She was so mesmerized by this book!   We spent quite a bit of time just looking up random words, or flipping through it.   'spelling time' easily lasted longer than usual. Then she proceeded to carry the book upstairs and around the house for a couple of days to look through it.  I was happy twice. Because not only was it so cute, it was nostalgic for me.  See, her oldest sister loved to read the dictionary, so it reminded me of that too.   The first photo is during the real event of first explaining a dictionary.  The second one I had her pose for this post so you can see the scale of her carrying such a large heavy book.  

Finishing the Race!

Well its the middle of May and we are so ready for a vacation!  It's a struggle every year to finish strong and complete as closely as we can, our goals that we made at the beginning of the year. [or adjusted goals back in January or March!] So when we do meet a goal it is a good reason to celebrate.   Today Lillian completed List I4 in SWR by adding her sentence at the bottom.  As the youngest of 7 with many years between them she's had the cynical view of school way younger than her siblings ever did.  She's got college and adult siblings that moan about annoying professors, unreasonable papers or projects and those dreaded finals.  Not a happy picture of school really.  I wish I had never  called our time together 'school', but instead called it one-on-one time or mommy and me time- something she wouldn't associate with her worldly knowledge of that word.   Because of this she's had an ornery attitude from pretty much the beginning of our very loose,  fun, relaxed introduction to the basics.  For some reason, she loves math, so no problems there, but spelling and phonograms?  Not so willing.    Since she is young and I've had a few later readers, I decided to take the nonchalant approach.  So I am very satisfied that we completed the  suggested K grade track for her first official year with the program.  Next year I will let her know she's expected to do more with less attitude, but for now, we'll celebrate! 

The plus side; she's well on her way to automaticity in reading. My summer goal is to simply read, read, read together; preferably in a hammock under a tree.  

I really appreciated Janet Spitler's post on the IEW website on finishing the year well. I agree with her whole heartily and plan to use all three habits here during our last week or two of formal schooling. 

Curriculum Choices

Now is the time of year that parents start thinking about next year. .  . and forefront on a homeschooler's mind is 'what curriculum should I buy?'

I get plenty of questions about where to find curriculum and how to choose it.  It's a daunting task because the wealth of material available to us now is endless!  How can we choose between all the GREAT resources at our fingertips?  And many of them really are great; but you can't use them all.   Actually, most parents go about this backwards. They want to hurry up and get 'curriculum' that covers the 4 core subjects, and then they want it to 'work' with their family.  But it really saves time in the long run to turn that around. How can you tell what will work for you and your family?   Rather than rush into a purchase, first sit down and write up or discuss together a few key facts about your family's homeschooling:   

Are you considering something because your neighbor, best friend, sister-in-law, (fill in the blank),  uses it and recommends it?

Are your children young and just starting, school-age, or are they already in high school?

Are you homeschooling for the short term to get over a hump, like waiting for more funds or a prospective move? 

Are you homeschooling for the long term, hoping to go K-8 or maybe even high school?

Are you homeschooling because of academic issues in brick and mortar schools? Did your student already have trouble or problems in that environment?

Are you homeschooling for philosophical or religious reasons?

Do you want a specific worldview presented in your curriculum?

Let's start with the last one first and work up.  ALL education is religious. Even atheism is still a 'religion' because it has presuppositions as starting points and a belief system that forms its particular worldview.  The world would have you believe that teaching your children using your own worldview is 'bad', while insisting that using theirs is 'good.'   But  parents are supposed to pass on all that they hold dear and important!    Narrow down curriculum quite easily by discarding anything that is obviously in conflict with your own worldview. Don't feel guilty. You can inform your children later (in appropriate ways) about how the world operates.   Christian curriculum does vary, so if you are looking for Christian curriculum you will still have to check for anything that might conflict on important areas for you.   

If you are homeschooling out of a philosophical, pedagogical or religious motivation (and I hope if you didn't start out that way, you soon convert),  it is even more imperative that your curriculum match your motives.    While the religious reason is more obvious, the other 2 are next in importance, because they also have to do with your unique worldview. This is where we tackle the 'school at home' vs 'home learning is a lifestyle' type differences.   If you are desiring results fundamentally different from group schooling produced, then definitely don't replicate it in your home!  This category further breaks down into things like Classical, Charolette Mason, Unit Studies, relaxed homeschooling, principle approach,  and on and on.  All of these categories have popular curriculums.   This will require some research time from the parents.  

If  you are homeschooling out of a desire for better academics, the above research is still the place to start.  You can hardly 'mess up' your kids unless you really try, so don't be locked into only the traditional approaches unless they are appropriate.  If you know your student has issues, either not challenged or too challenged, there are resources that target your student.  You will want to use that in your search window.  Many curriculums tout that they are excellent for certain challenges students face, and while I think that can be true, just remember, the one-on-one coaching by a loving parent is the biggest advantage by far over any of those miracle claims. 

If you are homeschooling for the long haul,  then don't sweat it.  Play, get messy, have fun.  . . and while they are making their own forts, you can research, research, research and network, network, network.   Kindergarten is an extension of what you've been doing since birth.  Talk to your children, read to them often and DO things with them, including your daily chores. Many of the activities in group school at this age are just meant to artificially replicate the learning that flows naturally out of ordinary life.  You'll get plenty of ideas online.  Even if you buy curriculum at this age, don't sweat it if you don't use it.  I call that 'research and development.' You have time to test a variety of options and develop your own personal or family style of homeschooling. You might want to borrow resources until you know you'll use them.  By the time your oldest reaches high school, you'll be the expert.  From personal experience I went from one philosophy to a completely opposite philosophy over the course of my oldest child's elementary years;  expect some change in yourself as well. This is a learning process just like anything else.  Do you remember learning to ride a bike?  Didn't you fall a few times? Didn't you need someone to hold you up until it clicked?  Once you learned how, wasn't it easy? Did it take a lot of effort or concentration once you could just do it?   Homeschooling is a learning process too.  Give yourself permission to be a student.  And remember that no permanent damage was done from those learning-to-ride falls.  Your kids will be fine despite a few false starts on your part.

If you are homeschooling for a short term goal, then curriculum choices are much easier. You'll want to use the same or something as close to what you expect your students will go into once they return to school.  At least, find out what the group school will expect your student to have as a knowledge base when he or she re-enters the school, and make sure you've gotten to that point, even if you got there by another route. The exception may be Phonics and Math tutoring;  if you are homeschooling because the school's method wasn't working, you'll obviously be using something different.  Either way, you'll be using more of a textbook/traditional approach in expectation of returning to that environment.  

Are your students young? Been in school? Already in high school?  If young, you have the time to follow the above suggestions; if already in middle or high school you may not have time to research methods or do a lot of leg work, since your student needs to be thinking about credits and graduation.  This is where your motivations will help you, though.  Do your high schoolers want a completely independent study program? Are they looking to move on quickly or take their time?   By this age, I am a firm believer in 'identity directed' learning.  That means they are searching for their identities, and their course load is reflective of that.  College-bound students may choose a typical schedule of courses, but most students would benefit from a load that more reflects their interests and talents.   Dancers should be doing a LOT of dance. Carpenters, carpentry. Programers, programming,  artists, art.   Those who are not so sure, a variety of opportunities so they can discover what they enjoy or excel at. 

Using a program picked by others is not necessarily a bad thing as long as it meets the requirements of the other questions to ask yourself.  Since there are so many choices, it makes sense to narrow the field by taking a poll from those you trust. I would consider the favorites of others as simply narrowing the field of research, but still compare their choices to the needs  and philosophy of your own family.    Sometimes finding one resource will lead you down a path to many more that fit right into your needs.   

The one thing I didn't have you ask was price. That is also a consideration, but I feel that all the other options are available in all price categories, so while you may need to limit [unless the sky's the limit] spending, you can still concentrate on the type, style and worldview of the curriculum you choose, even if it's free. Some of the best educational resources are also the most affordable.    So now,  with a little reading and online searching, you too can become a curriculum junkie expert like the rest of us homeschool veterans. 

Some places to start:

Cathy Duffy:  http://cathyduffyreviews.com

The Well Trained Mind: http://www.welltrainedmind.com

The Bludedorns: http://www.triviumpursuit.com

Spell To Write and Read:  http://www.swrtraining.com/id27.html

Of course, I'm listing my recommendations, mostly ones I agree with in content and style, but that's not to say I agree exactly 100% with all of it.   Another site that seems good for general homeschooling on everything, but too large for me to endorse, is http://a2zhomeschooling.com

Happy Surfing!!

Sharing an epic story

       Humans love story.  We thrive on it.  Jesus taught w/stories and many great teachers have done the same.  We have a longing to know a place or event through the people involved.  We also love an epic story- something bigger than us.  Something grand and noble that gives us purpose and value.   That is why we love the likes of  Tolkien, Narnia,  and Harry Potter.   

Stan Williams of the Moral Premise says: 

The moral premise is at the heart of all successful story telling from ancient history right up to the modern day. We find its controlling nature in the writings of Plato, the Bible, and Aesop. We find it in English Classics from Henry Fielding on…and in the many good stories of modern stage, movies, and television.

Being able to share a grand story with others gives us a special bonding and sense of belonging.  It can be as casual as waiting in line at the midnight showing of the next movie sequel or it can be as deep  as drawing a family together with the sweetest memories.     

Stan goes on to say: While the physical, explicit story or plot line is what a movie is about, the psychological or moral premise is what the movie is "really" about.  

I believe this is how God makes us, in order to draw us into His story and to realize we really ARE part of an epic grand story where we have unsurpassable value and purpose. And so, we love the type of story He wants to write for us and I think we internalize it when we read great books. 

      Reading out loud as a family is one of the most cherished memories my children have and it is/ was a major part of our homeschooling lifestyle.  [and one of my most cherished childhood memories too, Dad]   I urge you to take up reading together in your family. Pick books that You love- the passion, interest, and love will be infectious to your kids.   It will provide the fertile soil for many a great discussion in later years.  

My husband and I loved the Belgariad series before children, so when they were old enough to understand it, but not quite old enough to read it themselves, I started reading it out loud. My husaband wanted to hear it too.   As subsequent children became old enough to appreciate the story, I read it again.  Sometimes an older kid or my husband would request it saying, "Hey its been a few years since we read that, maybe its time to read it again."    I have read many other books.  Charlotte's Web, Narnia, Black Stallion, and Harry Potter, but the Belgariad is our family story.   Don't be afraid to read an 'older' book.  The beauty of reading out loud is that you can 'edit' as you go when necessary with something you would never let them read on their own. Within reason of course.  You get pretty good at it.   

So now, I am reading the tale of Garion all over again and it washes me with memories, warmth and love and I hope to pass it all on to the current crop.  

We do love series books. One book is simply not satisfying enough. So we tend to read during holidays.  At the birth of a new baby my husband takes the week off and we all lay around the bedroom while I read.  Sometimes late into the early morning.  

Our second favorite time, and more regular, is Christmas Break. Again, Dad can usually take days off or 'work from home' because offices aren't open and everyone is more or less around to join in.   

And lastly, we read on vacation. My husband taught me that the purpose of vacation is to slow down and relax. We like to go to the beach.  We'll go for 2 hours in the mid-morning then come back to the condo for lunch and a reading session or we'll stay longer at the beach but read together on our beach towels. . We'll go back to the beach for 2 hours or so in the evening  when everyone else is  leaving to clean up for dinner.   We head to the condo as the sun is setting, eat a late dinner and read most of the night.  Oh did I tell you we were mostly night owls?

We did a similar schedule even at Disney World.  Condos are usually rented by the week, so that gives us plenty of days to see what we want and lounge around in the hotel room and read.  Don't try to see it all. 

Lest you think I have alien children, let me assure you, I do not.  Our family reading almost always included an infant, toddler or young child.   I have 2 bam bam boys. [they're older now and might not like that description but it was true] and the rest of my children were or are normal antsy, wiggly, talkative types.   It was and is hard and there's a lot of scolding sometimes, but mostly we planned well and took plenty of breaks. 

Some of the ways we coped with children too young to sit still and quiet:

1. Allow reasonable movement.  an exercise ball they can sit on and bounce. Beware of fighting over it. Maybe they switch with each chapter, the child on ball needs to be far enough away from all others to lesson temptation. 

I have a rocking ottoman a child can lay across and rock. A rocking chair would work too.  

Setting up 'stations' that they can walk to while listening helps them stretch their legs and allows them to 'switch' attention while still listening.  Especially my bam bams; they could be running circles and hanging upside down but they heard and retained every word.  I did have to keep them confined somewhat because it distracted the others, but if I was reading just to them, I let them move more. 

2. Provide snacks-  This can be a 'station.'   Christmas Eve is always hors d'oeuvre and hot chocolate. That just means ritz crackers with various toppings: sardines, sliced boiled eggs, cheese slices, pepperoni, olives, and mayo for example.  Building their own little masterpiece gives them something to do. Popcorn is another favorite.  Fondue could work.  Food that one assembles as one eats does double duty. 

3. Provide something for the hands to do.  

A small pile of legos on a hand towel for example. A small amount because digging through a large bin makes a terrible roaring noise. They are to pick out what they need before the session begins. A small hand towel helps muffle noise and also designates one child's stash and space from another's. If it's on his hand towel it is NOT for you.   

Play dough and other modeling agents are also good. It's good therapy and they can start over w/ new creations as they get bored of older ones.  

Paper and drawing/ coloring supplies are the most common around here. I like those design coloring books with all the little spaces to fill in- very time consuming. They come in geometric shapes, butterflies, leaves and many other themes.  Try Dover brand.  

One of my favorite activities is a puzzle.  You can do small individual puzzles or you can have one big family puzzle that several are working on together.  

My older girls know how to knit, so they did a lot of knitting.   

        If I am reading for bedtime though, I read in the dark using a flashlight and all children have to be laying down w/ their covers so they will be more likely to fall asleep. But that's a different goal. 

4. Take breaks. Some books are simply too difficult to put down, but when the kids are getting too restless we take a break. Everyone gets a chance to restock on food, use the bathroom, check their email, or whatever. We might reconvene in 20 minutes, 2 hours or 'after dinner,'  just depending on the situation. 

5. Switch readers.  I don't do this if I can help it. I am visual and prefer to 'see' the story in print. But I did take turns with my oldest, I think she was like me and enjoyed the long stretches of reading. None of the others showed as much interest, so I didn't  encourage it as much as I probably should. It gives the new reader something to do if they're getting bored with the station offerings and the new voice helps the listeners have something 'new' to listen to as well.  If you can relinquish control. 

6.. Allow some discussion and bantering. After a really great part everyone may be laughing and high Fiving one another, or discussing how stupid the character is being. Allow a little steam to be let off. It's like comedians learning to pause until the laughter dies down.  You need to be able to do the same. Young children may have questions about something or you may need to define a word or explain a skip in G-rated terms.  Take the time to do so.  

7. Take your time.  One of the Begariad rotations took almost a year to complete. We started it with the new baby, took it to the beach and finished the series over Christmas.  We read in-between times, but during normal busy family schedules it is just hard to get in the extended reading times needed.  I also read just to the current kids at home and that's easier to schedule as I count it towards 'school' and I don't have to compete with other adult or busy teen schedules.  I try to always have a book or series in progress to the currently homeschooled. 

NO-NOs: I don't allow electronics.  Computer games are 'stories' of their own and I can't believe they can really get into a book if they are looking at a screen, it's just not the same to me as drawing or knitting.  Nothing with a battery has always been our rule.  [and what parent doesn't want another opportunity to ban them for a little while?] 

I do hope you take an epic adventure with your family real soon!

ps. The series is now printed in two large volumes: There are also additional tales from the perspective of other important characters. We've read those too.