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OK, here's my Homeschool Snips and Tips tip for this week:
If you've got a larger than average family, or even if you're just homeschooling more than one, or are thinking about it, chances are you're going to get overwhelmed at some point. Think about it: I've got six kiddos. So far. All but 2 of them (the twins) are different ages. All are going to be at different levels at some point. Try as hard as I did to keep my oldest two on the same "level," they had other plans, and now one is pulling ahead in one area, the other in another... ((sigh))
But, if I tried to plan 6 different classes, for 6 different kids, at 6 different levels--I'd seriously lose my mind.
I figured out early on (thank goodness) that I was going to have to find something that simplified our school. I could NOT have 6 different sciences, histories, language arts, ect, going on, and still manage to keep my brain on straight. We absolutely had to be on the same page.
After much, much, MUCH searching, researching, and asking around, we settled on
Tapestry of Grace. It was perfect for us. There are many products similar to Tapestry of Grace out there, but this is by far my favorite. Let me tell you why:
1. I'm an avid reader. I'm the kid who would drive everyone nuts by not letting go of the cereal box in the morning until I had read every. single. thing on it, just because it was there. BUT... I hated reading in school. Reading short stories out of those readers seemed so pointless to me. And, frankly, the stories were boring, and, if they did happen to be out of good books, there was only a snippet of the story. Reading real, classic, wonderful literature, in whole books form, is much, much, SO much better! My kids enjoy reading, and it's not a "class," it's a way of life.
2. A chronological study of history. Let me just say... I hated history. I mean despised it. I told my husband very early on that he would be the one teaching it, since he loved it so much.
I've since changed my mind. ;-)
The way I learned history, and the way most American schoolchildren do, was disjointed. You start with social studies, then maybe jump to American History, then perhaps to modern events, then back to world history, then back for at least another year of American, perhaps a year of government, if you're lucky, and you go to a good school, maybe some political science...
It didn't make sense to me. We jumped all over the map. When I started schooling my own kids, I knew I just couldn't do that.
Eventually, I learned about a chronological study of history. That makes SO much more sense to me!! Now, we're seeing the big picture. It flows, like a story. And children, especially young children, they "get" that.
4. Different children learn in different ways. Some are visual, some are hands-on, some are auditory. Most are a combination of all, but no one is exactly the same combination. Tapestry of Grace provides resources and activities, from Lapbooks to teacher's notes to help you lecture, to video and book resources, it's all there to make sure that everyone is covered. That's really, REALLY important when you've got a houseful of learners you need to teach.
5. K-Mom teaching. Every day, I realize how much I missed with my own education. I have to relearn a lot. Things I either forgot, or never learned to begin with. With Tapestry of Grace, that's expected. They understand, and they've provided a bunch of resources to help you do just that, from the teacher's notes included in your week plan, to Tapestry Teachers Training (which I HIGHLY recommend, by the way!!).
There's so much more that I could say about Tapestry of Grace, and I probably will, in another post, but my main focus of this one is to find a curriculum that makes your life easier, not harder. That's what Tapestry of Grace does for us. It's been an absolute lifesaver for our homeschool. Without a doubt, I would crash and burn without it.
You can Explore Tapestry of Grace for free by clicking the link and using a free, 3 week sample. Enjoy!!
My tip for this weekly link-up is: Computer time!!
Every kid has something they struggle with. For my Katie, it's math, hands down. She is having a heck of a time memorizing her math facts. It's really holding up her math. Drill is fine, and good, and we do drill routinely... but drill gets really old.
My Danny is scary-smart about computers. Really, he's like evil-genius smart when it comes to technology. When he was mad at us, he made his way into my DOS system on my laptop, and would've probably crashed me somehow, if Patrick hadn't stopped him. We're teaching him to use his powers for good instead of evil.
Sean is quite obviously a visual learner. The kid can remember just about anything... if he can see it. If you're telling him, it's in one ear and out the other.
What do all three of those have in common?? They all use computers to help them learn!!
My kids have their own computer. We just got it, rather cheaply. It's an HP laptop, and we paid about $380 for it at Best Buy. (Seriously, if you're going to get your kids a computer, do you want a top of the line, all the bells and whistles one?? Probably not, because, as responsible as they may be... they're still just kids.) When we got it home, they weren't allowed on it for about a day and a half. Why? Because Mommy was "customizing" it. ((insert evil laughter here))
I put on a trial version of Safe Eyes, for one. Like I said, I have an evil genius who has also learned to upload videos of himself to Youtube and sign into and buy downloads from Amazon. Yeah, we need security. I'm not sure about Safe Eyes yet. I think I just really don't know how to use it. I've got to explore more. It would be great to hear what you all use, too!
After I did that, I downloaded any software I wanted. We're not using Teaching Textbooks anymore, it didn't work well for us. But, I wanted some math on there, and Katie needs something to help her learn her facts. We decided on Math Rider for that. We also downloaded Mavis Beacon Typing onto their computer. Now they don't have to take my computer as soon as I'm into something to finish school!!
I didn't add Sean's stuff onto the kids' computer, because I have to be sitting right there doing it with him, anyway. He is using Funnix to learn to read. I wasn't planning on teaching him how for at least another year, but Funnix was free to download in January, so we got it, and he wanted to try it right away. That was the end of that, and he's truckin' along now!
The next thing I did with the kids' computer was to bookmark the things I wanted them on, and block the things I don't. They're not allowed on Amazon, YouTube, or Facebook, for example. They are allowed on a bunch of educational sites, and Katie has a membership to Always Ice Cream (a safe, educational games site for girls... if you check it out, please use the friendship code "SunC99Amazing". Katie gets more $coops to spend if you do!). In my next post, I'll be listing a big list of educational websites for you to try. I also bookmarked the Tapestry of Grace Loom, so that they can try the sites out there.
I bookmarked the ones I wanted the kids on, and explained the rules. One of our rules is that the kids are ONLY allowed on the sites that I have bookmarked. If you use computers for learning, make SURE your kids know, understand, and FOLLOW internet safety rules. Also, we never, EVER allow our children to have the computer or a smartphone while they're alone. They are only allowed to use them in a common area (such as the living room), never in a bedroom or other private place. Do I think they're looking up bad things now? Of course not, they're young. But... they won't be young and innocent forever, and it's best now to develop good accountability habits, rather than wait for something to happen.
I know a lot of people don't like to use computers with their schooling. For us, it's a wonderful tool. As the Maxwells on Titus2.org say (and I'm paraphrasing...), the internet is not going anywhere. It's best to teach our kids well, and teach them early, how to use it as a tool, and use it responsibly.
Besides which... now they're not bugging me to use mine! ;-)
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