TheHolisticParent.ORG Decisions of Home Schooling

Decisions: How Will You Homeschool

There are all sorts of ways to accomplish learning. It was difficult at first for me to break
the thinking that the traditional classroom setting is the only way of doing things.
Homeschooling, in essence, is going against mainstream thinking. Mainstreamers
cannot fathom why on earth someone would want to homeschool their children. How do
you know you’re kids are learning the appropriate things? How will your kids be
prepared for life? These things are easy to become concerned with until you educate
yourself further. Children do not have to learn exact things at exact times. Some
homeschoolers don’t even keep to strict grade levels. Basically, learning can take many
forms with the end goal of the child being prepared for adult life. This is accomplished
quite outstandingly by homeschooling.

Curriculum

There are some very good curriculums to choose from. I am not too familiar with every
curriculum out there. In our household, we have chosen an unschooling approach at
this time. As my children get older, we may have to find something a bit more structured.
The curriculum that I hear good things about is Sonlight. I believe them to be more
literature based. This seems to be the curriculum most widely used in my area. For
more information about curriculums, there are some great books to read in our
resource section.

Beware of “Integrated Math”

Integrated math may seem great at first. It integrates different types of math such as
algebra and geometry together in an effort for better understanding. The truth about
integrated math, however, is that it is a dumbing down of math, where not as much is
expected of children. It may be great for a child’s self esteem, but are they actually
learning what they need to be learning? Integrated math is typically used for children
that do not do particularly well in math. For children who excel at math, this type of
learning should not be used. Before blindly agreeing to a curriculum that uses
integrative math, be sure to research this area further to decide what you personally are
comfortable with.

Unit Studies

Another way to learn with your children is not by a set curriculum, but by unit studies.
Unit studies are where a topic is chosen in which a variety of subject areas are applied.
For example, one could choose the topic: weather. Children would then read books
about weather; draw pictures of various types of weather; learn to spell words relating to
weather; older children may write a report about something weather related; do
experiments with weather such as creating a tornado out of two bottles; study prominent
meteorologists; study how we came to our modern understanding of the weather; study
the trends in weather; take your children to a weather station for a tour; teach your
children how to check the weather daily either by television or internet; children could
collect and measure the rainfall for a week; you could take your children outside for
some cloud watching; and allow children to splash in the puddles after a rainstorm. The
possibilities are endless. The point is literature, science, spelling, grammar, writing,
history, reading, nature, exercise, and art were all incorporated into the above examples.
This allows a child to see the application of the things they are learning and relate what
they are learning to the real world. In this type of learning, it is easy to make connections
between subjects. There are even companies who publish unit studies available for
purchase.

Online Schooling

There are schools in which children can enroll and learn entirely online. While there are
tests and deadlines, this option presents itself well for some children. There is often
more flexibility than with a traditional classroom setting with much of the same structure
of a classroom. This is an option more commonly used for high school students.

Unschooling

Some homeschoolers learn in a way called unschooling. This can encompass many
different ways of learning, but ultimately, no set curriculum is followed. It is child-
directed learning. Textbooks often present information chopped up in little bits and
pieces. Children then know tiny parcels of information about many different subjects,
but never gain depth of any one topic. When children unschool, they typically read
“whole books” in their entirety. This offers many benefits including a deeper
understanding of the subject matter and better retention of the information presented.
Unschooling focuses on trusting children’s innate drive to learn. It is often thought of as
a natural form of learning. With unschooling, there are no artificial guidelines dictating
what a child must learn and when. Children can learn at their own pace, which means
they can skip ahead of the material to be more challenged, or they can take it slowly if
they need to, which results in better retention of the material rather than a struggle to
keep up and feel constantly behind. All children learn differently and at their own pace.
Arbitrary test scores, grade levels, and standardized tests are not necessary for learning
to take place. They are simply a quantifiable way to keep track of so many children in the
traditional school setting. It is a luxury for homeschoolers to do without these things.

Eclectic Homeschooling

Eclectic homeschooling is basically doing whatever works. This is probably the most
common approach to homeschooling. Homeschooling is very flexible. There does not
have to be a set way of doing things. There is no wrong way to homeschool so long as it
works for the child and family and learning is continually taking place. A homeschooling
approach can be reevaluated and changed at any time. There are even different
approaches to homeschooling within the same family to best suit the needs of each
child.

Empowering Parents to Make Holistic Choices For The Benefit of Their Children

Advertise
With Us
Click Here

Calling All
Birth Stories!
Click Here
To Submit
Yours!

Visit our
Book Review
Blog
Click Here

Download
our FREE
GIFT! The
best money
saving tool
ever.
CLICK HERE

The Holistic Parent.ORG