The latest quiz...

Last week a quiz was running rampant on Facebook - being passed along to all that belonged to our homeschooling group. I didn't have the time to sit and write out my answers as we were getting prepared for our trip to OKC, but I did want to respond, in time. I didn't care for how the quiz was written, however. The questions were too vague and didn't really address how we homeschool. So I took the liberty of tossing some questions that I thought were pointless, and amended others so that they were a better fit to our situation.

1. What time do you get up?
The set time is always evolving, as the youngest is transitioning from infancy into toddlerhood. When we first began homeschooling, there was a general rebellion against having any kind of time table (from Jordan and myself). It was just so nice to no longer have to have any kind of morning rush-out-the-door routine that we rejoiced in getting up late. I was also pregnant, so it was twice as nice. As time has marched on, we have eased in our rebellious ways and gravitated toward a schedule again. There is order where there is predictability, and having a schedule helps all of us meet our goals as a family. By getting up earlier, we also help daddy get out the door earlier too. I tend to get up at 5:45 am, and the kids get up at 6:30 -7 am (on their own!). It has just become part of the routine to have breakfast with daddy before he leaves, and then we can get the kitchen cleaned up and the day underway by 8 am. It used to be much, much later (like 10 am), but that was really hampering other things that needed to happen - like errands. I am also a morning person, and I feel like the day is wasted if I haven't accomplished anything by mid-morning. I have found that several of the families in our local group do practice a later schedule, and it seems to really work for them. For our family, it was really dragging my husband down, since he has to keep the respectable hours of 9-5. So the change was made to help him stay on track, and it has just proven to help all of us get more done.

2. What do your children wear to school?
At first I wanted to toss this question because it's silly, but then I thought that it might be important to just address it and move on. It is a common misconception that homeschoolers just wear pjs all day. Not so in our house. We all shower every morning and dress in normal, casual clothes. We do up our hair and brush our teeth.. the whole 9 yards. I have always found that the days when I don't shower and stay in my pjs or wear grundgy sweats, my attitude is lousy and I hardly get anything done. Same with the kids. On the days I clean up and dress nice and put on makeup - I have an unstoppable urge to get my whole to-do list done by 10 am. It may be just a mental thing, but it works. Dress for Success!

3. What curriculum works for you?
What works best for Rylan is reading out loud. Reading, reading, reading. We get about 10-15 books per library trip, just for Rylan. They wind up being predominantly nonfiction, because that is where her interests currently lie. She loves to color, and create pictures using stickers. She also loves to cook and dig in the dirt. Rylan is a hands-on type of kid for sure. I don't know what direction this will take in the future, we will just have to wait and see.

What works best for Jordan is having a structure set forth by using a guided curriculum, with wiggle room for personal adjustment. Jordan loves to read as well, although he has yet actively start pulling books off the library shelf (other than Garfield comics). So here are our guided curriculum choices:

Language Arts:
Wordly Wise 3000 (Vocabulary)
The American Heritage Children's Dictionary
English from the Roots Up (Latin and Greek)
Write! Foundations and Models for Proficiency
Mountain Language (a daily exercise in grammar)
Comprehensive Handwriting Practice in Traditional Cursive
Steck-Vaughn Spelling: Linking Words to Meaning
BrainQuest Workbook: Grade 3 (various activities)
A variety of writing activities (letters, poems, descriptive stories, ect.)

Math:
Daily Math Practice: Grade 4 by EvanMoor (daily warmup exercises)
Mathematices Enhancement Programme: Year 3 www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm

Social Studies:
Books, books and more books from the library
The Story of the World (Ancient Times, The Middle Ages, Early Modern Times, The Modern Age)
A History of US
World Geography: grades 4-6, Carson-Dellosa
United States Geography: grades 4-6, Carson Dellosa
Spanish (Rosetta Stone)

Science:
R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey by Pandia Press:
Chemistry
Earth & Space Science
Life Science
Weekly experiements from Krampf's Science blog: http://www.thehappyscientist.com/

The Arts:
Piano lessons
Artistic Pursuits: An Introduction to the Visual Arts
P.E. - We don't have a curriculum here. We just run, bike, hike, swim, and play!

Plus a smattering of other things: computer programming with Lego Mindstorms, typing, technology skills, photography, gardening, cooking, health-related stuff... everyday life!

4. Who is your most inspirational homeschooling role model?
Well, I would have to say that I have taken my inspiration from a variety of places. When we started on this venture, I spent months trolling the internet looking for ideas and ways to go about it. Everyone has their own take on what homeschooling is, as they should. It is about each individual child and their needs - not someone else's. The author John Holt helped illuminate some of the basic tenets of what homeschooling should be for me. I draw a lot of inspiration from fellow homeschooling bloggers (visit some of the places I go...). I am only two years into this adventure, so I feel I still have a lot to learn and experience. Every homeschooling family I meet is an inspiration in its own right.

5. What homeschooling method do you use?
When I first began my forays into the vast information vaccum that exists out there, I was astounded by all of the different methods of homeschooling there are. A lot of new terminology to learn! As much as I would love to completely embrace unschooling and all the wonders it can potentially hold, I do not have the personality to sustain that for my kids. I need schedule, order, and predictability in my life. We experimented for a time, just before and after Owen was born, with having no schedule or formal lessons. It just didn't work. Jordan has very strong right-brained tendancies, but he lacks the self-motivation or discipline to see anything through. He likes the visual presentation of what he needs to do, and he actually likes working in workbooks. He will do them independently, when he can. We have adopted an eclectic approach to most everything that we do. We have a daily list of subjects/lessons to work through (see my blog post Barometer Soup), and yet there is a great deal of flexibility as to how we do these lessons. History and Science lend themselves to be attended to while I am cooking. We discuss as we work, cook and eat. Math is about the only highly structured lesson format that we do - the rest are done as we go about the day. It is early yet to tell with Rylan, but I think she will not require as much structure as Jordan.

6. What about socialization?
Oh my. That really has become a dirty word. All you have to do is walk by a public school playground during lunch recess and the difference is clear. In our 2 years with our homeschool group - not one argument or minor disagreement, no hurt feelings... everybody plays with everybody. Every child can intelligently converse with any of the adults. We socialize with every adult we meet on every outing we go on. I don't want a pack of 3 year olds socializing my 3 year old. What magical social skills do they possess that she doesn't and therefore must learn from them? Are they the ones to teach her how to behave? They may teach her social skills all right - how to tease, taunt, scorn, bully and flaunt for that is how they get a leg up in a classroom setting. Um, no thank you?

7. Favorite field trip?
We recently attendend a WaterSHED class at a local watershed in an adjacent neighborhood. We used field microscopes and got a very good primer on water ecology, botany, insects and more. I think what made this class extra special was that it was just Jordan and me (without the little ones along). Just a small handful of other families from our group attended, so the low numbers were nice. I am still kicking myself for not bringing the camera along...

8. Best thing about homeschooling?
I wrote about it in my first blog post (the New Normal), and it still rings true for me. Each day holds a promise and a chance to learn something new and wonderful - on our terms. Always on our terms. I love that!

9. What is our priority?
Our priority is to see to it that the kids are always engaged in learning something new. In addressing the needs of the whole child, a child that can think and chose wisely after careful deliberation is of utmost importance. An empathetic attitude towards others and a healthy respect for our environment and all who must share it is also important. I (we) refuse to raise a brat, a princess, or a child that is lazy and refuses to pull his/her weight.

10. Best one stop shopping for school books?
The most popular answer seems to be the library, and I can concur with that. I also enjoy shopping at The Bookies, in Denver. I just wish the store was bigger!

11. What will you do when the homeschooling years end and the last child leaves for college (or whatever...)?
My degree is in elementary education, but I do not think I can ever return to public (or private for that matter) education. There has been just too much water under that bridge - especially now that I have seen the 'other side'. My best loved subject was social science/anthropology. I might do something in that direction - and see if there is a way to use my education degree. Right now though, my education degree is serving me just fine! :)

12. Better to start schooling late or early?
It all depends on the particular child. It is best not to push, but when the child seems ready, you go for it. Rylan started avidly 'reading' books when she was old enough to hold one on her own. She is now ready (and receptive) to working on her letters, numbers, colors, using tools - all in a very informal way and mostly on her own. Owen is almost 16 mo. and could care less about books unless there is something to grab a hold of (like a pop-up book). He watches everything like a hawk, and after a single demonstration, he can do it on his own. Kids are much more capable than we ever given them credit for.