The decision is made--now I'm scared! Help?

[Katherine]

we've decided to give homeschooling a shot. :nails I am really really nervous. I'm marginally familiar with several different approaches, but I have not done the reading and research that I'd hoped to accomplish by this point. :blush So I haven't read anything by Holt or CM, for example. The last year had just kicked my rear in terms of keeping any semblance of order to my life. :shifty

I could really use some guidance from you ladies. My state requirements are, in short:

submit a declararation of intent
child must be schooled in language arts, reading, mathematics, social studies, and science
180 days a year, 4.5 hours a day
teacher must submit monthly attendance reports
teacher must write progress reports for each subject

ds seems to do well with computer media--likes to have complete control over his environment when he's trying to assimilate new info. (He was the kid who--at 4yo--wouldn't let me help him learn to ride a bike, but one day just wanted his training wheels off, and "tested" it's balance quietly for a full 5 min. before he finally just took off and did it)

He's very extroverted and loves art, so I'm planning a weekly park day, a weekly swim class (he's already taking it), and a weekly art class from local instructors (starts this week), and a "field trip" day. Granted, those are short classes, and he'll still be spending most of his time at home with me and his brothers. :shrug

I'm mainly nervous about the 4.5 hours per day, about balancing this with a 3yo and a toddler, and about the potential power struggles that I can see happening if I try to "make" him do school related activities.

I remember looking at the "Letter of the Day" curriculum at one point and it seemed very simple and flexible. I've also heard about unit studies, but I'm not sure where to get those... My impression is that with a unit study you learn about a topic of particular interest to you, and that writing/reading/math are incorporated along the way. Can someone describe what a unit study for a 5-yo would look like? :scratch

I don't know if I'm looking for specific suggestions or just reassurances, but I'm open to either. :O :nails

I'm going to order one book this month (possibly Holt or a "what Your Kindergartener needs to know" type thing :scratch) and read it as prep, then next month I'm going to start a simple "schedule" and do it for 3 months as a trial semester. Then come fall I'll have to commit to hs in writing or enroll him somewhere. (So the "trial" for the next few months is really about my own confidence more than anything else) :shifty

[Mama Calidad]

Can someone describe what a unit study for a 5-yo would look like?

I do those in my creative periods. :yes Say, your subject is apples. You could search your local library's files for easy stories that somehow include apples. For science, you could read about apple trees. For social studies, you could read a simple biography about Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman). For math, you could use apples as manipulatives or get a bowl of apples and create a graph of the apples by color or make applesauce and talk about the measurements as you go. For art, you could do apple stamping.

That's what they look like in our house. It's hsing, though, so yours could look completely and totally different. :mrgreen

[Katherine]

ok. thanks. That's basically what I was imagining... just drawing a blank on specifics... :O

and is there any rhyme or reason (like a pattern) to the unit studies?

Letter of the Day struck me as sort of a "unit study" approach but with letters instead of topics. :think

And I feel ridiculous asking this, but when I went to school "social studies" was just history. Is that the basic thrust, or should it really be a broader topic, like "history and politics and culture and basic living skills" :shifty :scratch

[Punkie]

:hug How exciting!

If you are a member of paperbackswap, then you should seriously consider looking there for the Charlotte Mason, Holt or the "What Your..." books. I've gotten them quite easily, and usually just after a few days of having them on my wishlist. Plus it is much cheaper :) Your library should also have the Holt ones, most of which you don't need for a reference (unlike the "What Your Kindergartner..." book). If you decide to do a pre-made unit study program, like Five in a Row, then you can also get that off of paperback swap. I've gotten FIAR, BFIAR, and the character supplement all off of there :)

As far as the time requirement, I think it'll come easily. You can include your classes in that, right? And when you read Charlotte Mason, she talks about having a scheduled time (say 20 minutes) for a subject, and then if the child finishes early then they can go play outside or draw or something. Doing it that way might make for some more filler, if you need it. I think by the time you do music, art, nature study, field trips, reading, etc, etc, you'll be totally fine :hugheart

Our boys are about the same age, and I am trying to figure out exactly how this will work with my ds (5), dd (3), and a baby due in October. :shifty I know it'll work out though. Last year we did the Letter of the Week, and then this year we've been doing Ambleside Year 0. We've been very relaxed about everything. I plan on starting Year 1 next year, right around when he turns 6 (since it is officially a "first grade" curriculum) :)

:hug I'm really excited for you!

[Mama Calidad]

I never had a rhyme or reason, other than it was a topic DD had requested. :mrgreen


And I feel ridiculous asking this, but when I went to school "social studies" was just history. Is that the basic thrust, or should it really be a broader topic, like "history and politics and culture and basic living skills" :shifty :scratch


At this age, I count anything that teaches about the world around us and its history that doesn't qualify as science.

[Chris3jam]

Paula, call me. I've got books you can borrow (CM, Holt, Moore, etc.). I've also got old curriculum stuff you can have. Seriously.. You need to come over. . . .I've probably got most everything you need. . . . plus, a little experience, if you wanna listen. Seriously. :)

[jghomeschooler]

And I feel ridiculous asking this, but when I went to school "social studies" was just history. Is that the basic thrust, or should it really be a broader topic, like "history and politics and culture and basic living skills" :shifty :scratch


Social studies includes learning about your neighborhood, learning about available resources (there are stores- where does the food come from? How does it get there? etc.), transportation, learning about towns, cities, counties, states, countries. Learning about habitats, cultures, laws, learning map skills, etc. Social studies is not the same thing as history, although doing social studies can include the history of the people/area/topic you are studying. (the history of a certain building, the history of the people who built it, the history OF building, the history of transporting building materials, and so on)
I HTH

[tempus vernum]

Yay! Congrats on the decision :hug

We do relaxed unit studies based on interests. WHen they get bored they move on. We also have times that we sit down and discuss what we should "study" when they are in a "slump". We brainstorm topics that are interesting. We also do "seasonal" stuff. LIke right now,they are into birds so we are hanging a bird feeder and listening to bird calls. They were so excited when the birds came back a few weeks ago that it stemmed fromthere :rockon We also study the holidays (Valentines day, st. patricks day, easter, etc). Just holidays could keep you busy :mrgreen

[Punkie]

I have a friend who did an amazing unit study on dinosaurs, and he is so knowledgeable about so many different topics because of it. They went really deep into studying about geology, math, TONS of reading, life cycles, botany, nutrition (in depth about what different dinosaurs ate and how their bodies processed it), global warming/the environment (which gets into social sciences), plus her son learned to read and strengthened his skills on his own because he was so passionate about it.

Anyways, I was so impressed as she showed me the different things they were working on. You really can do amazing things with unit studies :)

I know that another one that sounded really cool was when Sally Clarkson talks about them taking a road trip and following Lewis and Clark's trail. It sounds like such a rich way to learn about every subject - not just history.

[Katherine]

Thank so much for the responses... I just have to take a few deep breaths when I start feeling panicked. :giggle :O

Chris, I'll definitely take you up on that. :rockon