homeschool
When SuperBoy was 3, and we had 3 kids under four, I remember saying to my husband, “Oh, why would I ever send him away to school? I will homeschool him forever.” I also wanted to buy every book about Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Classical education, and Waldorf. Just to cover all my bases. Fast-forward to having read a ton, and experienced the real live experience of having a kindergarten aged boy who loves to learn and loves to sass and loves to explore. I’ve adjusted my expectations to survive and read and math and a little of this & that and we’re good. He also gets to play at a local nature center a few afternoons a week–so the outdoorsy thing (not my cuppa tea) is covered. We spend about one hour a day doing a reading lesson, a chapter or two of math, and some handwriting. The other subjects flow during the week and when the little kids are sleeping. Our “curriculum” or what we’ve been doing the last year. 1) For reading we’ve done How to Read in 100 Lessons (which is fine but doesn’t teach phonics so we’ll do this one as we’re almost done with it). 2) For math Life of Fred & Bedtime Math (and lots of math games!). 3) For science, every natural science book I can muster up and lots of outdoor exploring and zoo trips. Love this Fun with Nature book series and this The Animal Book. 4) For art, trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Art…
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We have a toddler, and a baby in utero. Not exactly ready for school, one would think. But you’d be surprised how often I get asked where my 18 month old will go to school, or which schools we’ve checked out, or what our schooling philosophy is. And, sure enough, we have talked about it, discussed it, read up on options, and generally looked around at what the Twin Cities have to offer in terms of schooling. There are lots of great options! One that we discuss is homeschooling. Nothing like throwing gas on a fire to bring up the topic in the company of parents or teachers. 🙂 Some people are convinced that it’s the only and best way to go, others think it’s like putting your child in a time capsule, inhibiting her social growth, and turning her into a potential oddball. We think it offers wonderful flexibility with travel, learning beyond the classroom, and incorporating the whole family into the educational process. That being said, I don’t know that it will be what we choose, or what works best for us. We love the Montessori Method, and there are several great schools nearby that offer a wonderful Montessori education for young children: Cathedral Hill Montessori School, etc. There is also a great charter school in our area as well as our parochial school, St. Agnes, and both are excellent, A friend just posted on Facebook a link to 10 Celebrities Who Homeschool. The article shows them, and says…
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