Teaching Different Ages

Most home school families (62%!) have three or more children at home. Teaching three or more children of different ages can get complicated! The good news is that it is and can be done. While not every strategy works for every home school family, there is a strategy that will work for you. The trick is finding it.


Dealing with Babies and Toddlers

Children too young to participate can complicate matters. Trust me—I know firsthand!

While some families prefer to coordinate school time for the older children with nap time for the younger children, I encourage parents to try to keep their little ones close by during school time if possible. I have been amazed to see how fast my young child learns as she watches her brothers. She usually supervises from her perch in the high chair, where she happily snacks or colors pictures. Some parents have found success dedicating a box of toys specifically for use school time, so that the unfamiliar toys hold the child’s attention longer.
If the younger child is detracting from the learning of older siblings, the children should be separated. Put the child in naptime or separate them into different rooms.

Work Together

Homeschooling takes a lot of hard work and dedication from the parents. However, there is nothing wrong with letting a skilled child practice with or even teach a younger child (with supervision). Do you have a child who is talented at math or reading? Encourage them to teach what they know to a younger sibling.

Do you have a child who needs to practice reading, and a child who loves to be read to? Set them up together and let the reader practice reading aloud to a sibling.

Teach the Same Thing

With the exception of certain skill-based material, such as reading and math, the children can be taught together in history, science, etc. While older children will be more prepared to tackle complex information and remember it, younger children will still be able to learn some of the content.

Take advantage of “Unit Studies” which allow the family to learn the same thing at their own independent level. This allows the entire family to learn and work together, without placing unrealistic demands on younger children or cheating older children of a challenging educational experience.

Encourage Independence

Independent learning is a wonderful skill that can be taught and acquired in a home school environment. Older children can be given tasks and encouraged to work without direct supervision.

Keep Perspective

A hundred years ago, one room schoolhouses with all age groups were the norm. Those children survived and thrived, producing educated individuals that excelled beyond the capacity of most modern-day graduates. It takes work and devotion, but homeschooling families with different age groups is very rewarding. Keep up the good work!

Questions & Doubters

Yesterday, I was once again asked The Question. I have a son who recently turned five, and people are very interested in where he’ll be going to school and when he starts. Everyone seems to have lots of opinions.

I always answer resolutely, “He’s already in school. We’re homeschooling.”

Reactions vary after that. Some people are enthusiastic; others don’t care. Some get downright irritated (and I’ll admit—sometimes their reactions irritate me! But I am starting to develop a thick skin about the whole thing). However, almost everyone says one or more of the following comments:

“I don’t know how people can homeschool! How can you stand being with your kids all day?”

“Aren’t you worried he isn’t going to learn anything?”

“He’ll never have any friends that way.”

“Is that even legal?”

“Do you homeschool all of your kids? How can you do that?”

             “What made you decide to do a thing like that?”

It is important to remember that people who ask these questions usually do so out of a genuine concern for the children. There is significant misinformation out there about homeschooling, and every homeschooler is confronted by some misinformed person at some point or another. Some of us are more fortunate than others, and do not experience much confrontation. Others encounter it from all sides—family, friends, acquaintances, and passersby.

The way these questions are answered depends on the individual family. However, it is generally wise to have your answers prepared before the questions arise. I have been caught off-guard a few times and one or two ill-meaning adversaries have taken advantage of my surprise. Now that I have experienced significant opposition, I am prepared for the comments that people make.

One of my favorite ways of answering homeschool doubters is to have my five-year-old begin explaining what he has learned recently. They can usually tell by his vocabulary that he's a smart kid. However, I haven’t always been able to push the answer off to him.

One of my favorite techniques is to argue with myself. I wrote my reasons down and argued with myself. It can be very beneficial to see your ideas on paper. It gives you the chance to identify and clarify any points that seem weak. Challenge your own statements. Arguing with yourself may sound stupid, but may make you sound a lot smarter when you are approached by naysayers.

   

How do you handle questions and doubters?

Handling History

History can't just stay in the past. It's an essential part of curriculum and, when properly covered, can give students and parents a unique perspective on today's events. After all, it was history that brought us where we are today.

If you are struggling to engage and enjoy the study of history, consider these ideas.

Find the Lesson

History enables us to learn from our mistakes. Have you ever touched a hot stove? Touched the thorn of a rose? Got a cavity? Most people have done at least one of these things, and learned a valuable lesson from it – don't touch hot surfaces, be careful with thorny plants, etc. Because of your history, you know to avoid these things.

Looking farther back into history can let us learn from the mistakes of others. When studying history, look for the lesson. What important lessons do we learn? How does it apply to life today?

Read it Firsthand

Find firsthand accounts of the history. Textbooks can be dull and distant, and remove the human elements of emotion. Reading a journal of someone who lived through the period being studied can pull emotional strings and make the study more engaging. For very recent history, try to locate a survivor in your area and interview them about their experiences.

Act it Out

Cast roles. Give each person a part to play and act it out within realistic and appropriate limitation. Becoming part of the action pushes players to learn their roles while gaining empathy and understanding by acting out the roles.

Eat It, Sense It

Engage the senses. As much as possible, incorporate tastes, smells, sounds and touch into the lesson. Make foods from that culture or period. Sing songs. Be creative.


Please comment! How do you handle history?

Nurturing Natural Curiosity

The ultimate goal of all educators is to teach. Anyone who invests their time teaching wants to know that their students are going to take something away from each discussion and lesson. Homeschooling parents are no different.

However, homeschooling is a unique scenario that balances teaching and parenting. Sometimes, the busy parents in us can squash the natural curiosity right out of a child without even realizing it. After all, how many times can any person be asked “Why?” without exploding?

The most important fundamental of any educational environment must be to nurture that basic curiosity that all children possess. Children are born wanting to learn, but most children learn somewhere along the way to hate learning. Why?

Most of us have heard at least one teacher say, “There is no such thing as a stupid question.” Children must be able to believe that. Once they’ve been shamed for asking a question, they may become discouraged from asking more. Repeated shaming or negative responses can kill the desire to ask any more questions.

One of the benefits of homeschooling is not being forced to adhere to a strict curriculum. If you deviate for a day, hour or week to discuss something you hadn’t planned to cover, things are still going to be okay. Nurturing that curiosity, especially at a young age, is more important than racing through other “more important” material.  

Learning must be fun. It must be interesting. If we are going to instill a lifelong love of learning, and not just the basic knowledge needed to survive, our children must have a reason to love learning. At a young age, they naturally do. This is the perfect time to nurture and encourage that love.

Children are also more likely to retain and remember information that they wanted to know.

I have been asked hundreds of questions at inconvenient times, and I will admit that I am not perfect at putting this philosophy into practice. Nevertheless, I know that it is extremely important and I try to make answering questions a priority. If I am unable to answer immediately, I write the question down and promise to answer it later.

If your children have stopped asking questions like “Why” and “How” and seem to have lost their natural curiosity, it does not mean that all hope is lost. Reignite their curiosity by asking them questions. Trust me –there’s nothing more fun than bugging a child with persistently asking “Why” after everything they say (I’m sure it’s not because it feels like revenge or anything. =D). Ask “Why” and “How” until they reach the end of their knowledge and start guessing. Then, seize that opportunity to teach them something new.

Field Trips for Less: Discounts, Deals & Freebies

Shaking up the educational experience with a field trip can keep learning fresh and interesting for busy children and bored teens. It’s not necessary to spend hundreds to go to unusual and exciting places, however.

Another great way to save money is to look for discounts and coupons.

First, check for any discounts you may be eligible for. Veterans, seniors, disabled individuals, etc. can often get a few dollars or a certain percentage shaved off of their price just by showing an ID.

Look for discounts and deals in the community.  Entertainment Books for most areas can be found on Amazon.com (click the product link and do a search for your specific area!) contain many coupons, but the initial price can be steep. Many places offer coupons on their website that can be printed, so always look online before planning a trip. Some grocery stores offer discounted tickets to certain places, such as water parks.

Homeschooling groups that organize field trips together can benefit from group discounts. A later post will provide more information about homeschool groups.

While families on a budget may wonder what they can do to supplement their educational experience, there are many options.

Watch for the word “free.” Free is my favorite price! In Seattle, there are several museums that participate in a free museum night on the first Thursday night of every month. During certain hours, entry to these places is totally and completely free.  In Olympia WA, the children’s museum is free on the first Friday evenings of each month. Look for free events in the community and don’t miss them!

Summer is an especially easy time to find free events. Keep tabs on local newspapers and kid’s magazines. A magazine called “Seattle’s Child” offers a calendar of free and fee events in the Western Washington area. Getting a subscription to magazines like this can provide you with periodic reminders to check for freebies (which can be very useful because, let’s face it, homeschoolers are busy!).

Also, simple searches like “Free events Seattle” or “Free events Houston” etc. can find free events in major cities near you (of course, that only works if you search for cities near you… I don’t generally look in Houston. =D)

What are you favorite ways to find low-cost or free field trips? Share your ideas in the comments below, or in the discussion forums (in the 'Discuss' tab at the top of the page!)

Buying a Curriculum

Buying a curriculum isn’t for everyone. Some homeschooling parents really enjoy the ability to teach without stressing about curriculum development; other homeschoolers can feel burdened or restricted by the idea of a purchased curriculum.

There are some definite pros and cons to purchasing a curriculum. Before you decide to, consider the following:

PROS

Ready lesson plans

The curriculum makes school easy for parents, because it eases the burden of preparation. Everything that needs to be taught is laid out in the curriculum material.

Resell-able

Used curriculums can be resold, which can help mitigate the effects of the steep initial price. However, to get the best benefit from reselling, workbooks should be unused. This can lessen the convenience of the curriculum.

Reusable

Statistics show that most homeschool families have three or more children. If you are going to re-use the curriculum with another child, however, you may be unable to find another workbook when you need it. For most effectiveness, copy the workbook pages and do not write in the actual workbooks—or order additional workbooks if possible.

CONS

Expense

Purchasing a curriculum can be pricey, and can leave the family with less funds for “fun stuff” like field trips. Some families may feel obligated to continue using it, even if it doesn’t work well for the family, because of the cost involved.

Buying a used curriculum or re-selling it can help lessen the expense.

Learning & Teaching Style

Some curriculums can feel very similar to classroom school-work and lack the opportunity for curiosity that homeschooling naturally fosters. Did you choose to homeschool because your child wasn’t doing well in a classroom-style school environment? You may want to consider that before buying a curriculum. Is your student ahead or behind of the average student? You will want to consider this also, because most curriculums are designed to be at an average level.

The classroom-like qualities of a curriculum can be mitigated if the family uses the curriculum as a guideline for their work without actually adhering to each activity and assignment. However, this can lessen the cost-effectiveness of such a purchase.

Ultimately, it is important to make sure that the curriculum caters to your child’s learning style—and your teaching style.

Do you use a purchase a curriculum? Why/why not? What are your experiences?

        

Grocery School

The grocery store holds more teaching opportunities than most people recognize. Few people recognize just how many things there are to learn there!

Here are a sample of the things that children can learn and practice at the grocery store (and/or at home, after the grocery trip). This list is not all-inclusive. If you are interested in more grocery store homeschool ideas, let me know and I’ll make another list!  

Young Children (Preschool & Younger):

• Colors
• Shapes
• Names of produce
• Sorting

Math

• Write a grocery list and have children guess the prices you will spend. Compare to the end receipt.
• Have children keep track of how much you are spending on calculators. Or, have them keep track of how much you are saving by buying items on sale or using coupons.
• Determine unit costs. If something costs $6.79 per pound, how much is it for an ounce? Two ounces? How much can you buy for $5.00? Challenge children to find the cheapest item by unit (instead of the price per can, determine the price per ounce, etc)
• Before you leave, have children clip coupons and determine how cheap the shopping trip can be. If they decide it is cheapest to shop at multiple stores due to coupon or discounts, have them factor the cost of gas to travel to both stores. Compare the end results of the shopping trip to their predictions.
• A scientist, Dan Meyer, determined a mathematic formula to determine what checkout line is fastest. Each item takes 2.9 seconds and each person takes 48 seconds to get through the line (ergo, it is faster to be in line behind one person with more items than three people with fewer items) (Orzel, 2009). Have children guess which line will be fastest, based on this formula. Have each child stand in line with an item and “race” to see who finishes their transaction first.

Science

• Learn the meanings of the food labels. What does it mean if something is pasteurized? Homogenized?
• Cooking itself an act of chemistry. According to the MIT class Kitchen Chemistry, “Cooking may be the oldest and most widespread application of chemistry and recipes may be the oldest practical result of chemical research” (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009). Discuss how different ingredients and methods of cooking produce different textures, flavors, etc. (Ideas on specific Kitchen Chemistry experiments in a later post!)

Geography & Nature

• Where does your food come from? Make a map when you get home. Or, before you leave home, decide to experience a culinary world tour, and deliberately by meals from different countries.
• Where are pineapples grown? Bananas? Peanuts? How do they grow? Can you grow them in your area? Why or why not? How would your diet change if you could only eat locally-grown produce?

History

• What did people do before grocery stores existed? What would life be like for you if you couldn’t run to the grocery store?
• Did you know the first self-service grocery store was called Piggly Wiggly? It was opened on September 9, 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee. In 14 years, there were 2,600 Piggly Wiggly stores and other stores began changing to self-service.

Reading

• Read the labels and discuss what is in each item. There are some pretty weird food ingredients out there. Do you know what polydimethylsiloxane is? It’s a common fast food ingredient… and it’s also used in Silly Putty, head-lice treatments, and breast implants (Science Channel, 2009). You may not come across polydimethylsiloxane in your grocery trip, but you will most likely encounter (at least in passing) foods that contain high fructose corn syrup (candy), phosphoric acid (soda), etc. If you don’t know what an ingredient is, look it up when you get home and learn!
• Play a game where your family decides to avoid a certain item (like tomatoes or corn syrup) during the shopping trip and anyone who places an item containing that ingredient into the cart gets a penalty. If you have multiple children, encourage success by offering a reward for the person who makes the fewest mistakes (rewards could include a treat or not having to unload groceries at home)

Mission Statements

Every home school family should define a mission statement, either for the entire family or for each specific child that is being homeschooled. These mission statements provide guidance and should include one or more goals.

Some contend that effective mission statements include clear deadlines and are regularly reviewed. While this is certainly a good idea, it is also a matter of personal preference. I have one broad mission statement for the entire family with smaller individual goals for each child. It is on those individual goals that I set deadlines.

Answer the basic questions in the mission statement—who, what, when, where, how and why. Who does the mission statement apply to? The whole Smith family, or just Jane? What are you hoping to accomplish? By when? Where will this occur? How are you going to accomplish your goals? Why is accomplishing those goals so important? Why are you homeschooling? These questions don’t have to be answered in this particular order.

Our mission statement looks something like this:

This year, the Thelin family will work together to develop each individual’s knowledge, creativity and unique talents. We will use structured time and materials to learn the fundamentals of reading, writing, and some math at home. We will focus on our interests and explore science, geography and other subjects as opportunities of interest arise. At least once a month, we will visit a place of educational interest in our community, such as the science center, zoo, aquarium, children’s museum, etc. We will also look for educational opportunities in our daily life and in spontaneous family activities, such as going on errands, visiting family members, or going to the beach. We believe that learning is a fundamental part of living and that everyone should learn something new every day.

To break it down, we answered:

Who (The Thelin family)
What (develop each other’s knowledge, creativity and unique talents)
When (This year)
Where (at home and in our community)
How (through structured time and materials, field trips, and family activities)
Why (learning is a fundamental part of living)

Every family will have different focuses. I place great emphasis on developing and encouraging the talents and interests of my children. This is partially because, as a public school student, I was repeatedly told that I could never succeed as a writer. (Oh, how I would love to go back and show those teachers how well I’ve done as a professional writer!) My ego and personal issues aside, however, I never want anyone to discourage my children from pursuing the subjects and talents that genuinely interest them. 

As long as learning is the goal, there is no right or wrong mission statement. However, putting the homeschool mission into writing solidifies it for everyone. Consider framing it in a prominent location where most of the learning takes place.

Seize the Moment

Spontaneous teaching moments are often the most memorable—and memorable lessons are the very best, because they help the child retain the knowledge and information imparted. Not every teaching moment can be an adventure, but at least a few of them should be.

Also, teaching in the moment integrates learning into daily life. This helps children accept and appreciate that learning is a part of daily life. Learning is so much more than a classroom experience. Encourage your children to look for learning opportunities in their daily activities as well.

I have been ‘teaching in the moment’ since Jack started to talk. It’s the easiest method of teaching for me, since our lives are often so busy and hectic. You can probably guess that our preferred homeschooling method is eclectic, heavily leaning toward unschooling.

Teaching in the moment is easier than it sounds. As a homeschool family, parents are already very aware of what their children are learning (after all, they teach it!). Keep in mind recent lessons, and look for ways to apply them.

For example, my family and I went grocery shopping yesterday. On the way home, my oldest son (Jack) asked if we were going to drive through town or on the freeway. No doubt, he was hoping that we would go through town and conveniently pass his favorite park. I explained that the freeway was a better choice, because the groceries would be tossed around the van by the turns and sudden, frequent stops on the roads that go through town. He remembered a recent lesson on inertia, and we discussed how inertia and Newton’s Laws of Motion apply to daily activities.

There are countless ways to teach in the moment. Future posts will give specific examples on how to seize teaching opportunities at the grocery store, park, and in other unexpected places.

Unlike many other aspects of homeschooling, the benefits of spontaneous teaching are often easy to see. When children learn in a format that is fun and exciting, they are often eager to repeat the experience.

I will never forget Jack’s fourth birthday party, when he started encouraging his friends to throw his toys off of our porch so that he could demonstrate and teach them about gravity. I don’t think any of the kids listened—they were pretty happy just to throw the toys—but I knew by watching that Jack had learned something from our previous lessons.

Using everyday activities to teach also gives parents an opportunity to regularly reinforce that learning. For example, seat belts came up in our discussion about inertia on the way home yesterday. Now, when we get in the van next time, I can ask my children why seat belts are important. If they mention inertia or the Laws of Motion, I’ll know that they’ve retained that information. Every time we get in the van, they will use their seatbelt and get a little reminder about a principle that may not have seemed important when it came from a textbook.

Learning Together

Many homeschooling parents fear that their knowledge is not adequate. Perhaps they only received mediocre grades in school, or maybe they think they need a college education. This is not true.

It is true that you can’t teach what you don’t know. However, it’s never too late to learn.

My oldest son is fascinated by trains. He tries to relate everything he learns to trains. As a result, I have learned a lot about trains. When he asks me a question about how something works and I don’t know the answer, we sit together and look for answers in books and online.

Whether you want them to our not, your children know that you don’t know everything. In fact, sometimes they don’t believe you know anything at all. Why waste your time trying to pretend like you know everything when you don’t? No matter how hard you study or prepare, your children will eventually ask a question that you cannot honestly answer.

Seeing that you still have things to learn is an educational experience for our children itself. Through this, they become aware that learning is a journey and not a destination. It is impossible to know everything there is to know in one lifetime.

Don’t just teach your children – learn alongside them. Learn about the things that interest them, and teach them about the things that interest you. Never be afraid to say, “I don’t know – but let’s find out!”

I have been in college for over a year in pursuit of an education degree. I can tell you honestly that I have not learned anything in my college classes that I didn’t already learn in high school, except for the classes on childhood development and learning – which knowledge I have gained outside of the classroom by being a parent. I have not finished my degree program yet, but I am certain there is no magic class that transforms an average wannabe educator into a superior teaching machine.

However, if taking college classes will help you be a more confident homeschooling parent, I encourage you to do it! There are many correspondence and community classes available. If you are nervous about going back to school, start with just one class at a time.

Ultimately, do not let yourself give up on homeschooling because you are concerned about your own educational shortcomings. Children start small, anyway. You don’t have to know calculus to teach a young child to identify his numbers. Learning is a journey that starts with small steps. Start by teaching the things you do know, and you’ll be amazed at where the journey will take you.