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Dull Moments and Homeschool Curriculum

I said I was going to do posts from Shannon on Thursdays, but I'm afraid the schedule got thrown off a bit last week. So who cares? It's Monday and here's a post from my wife on homeschooling...

Lest you readers should think that all moments around here are crafty and exciting, here is a photo of the kids working at the kitchen table. Everyone was hoping I would call it a free day, because it was so nice outside. It's hard to be the bad guy sometimes.

The last few years I've experimented with a few different materials, trying to find my way through the maze of curricula out there. To some degree or another I've used Math U See, Right Start Math, Five in a Row, Learning Language Arts through Literature, Rod and Staff Spelling, Drawing with Children, Reading Made Easy and My Father's World Kindergarten. I've also tried creating my own unit studies.

But one thing I am learning is that I don't have as much time to plan for school as I thought I would. Even if I have a world of ideas and excitement, none of it matters too much if I am unable to execute it. It seems to me that as soon as I get one week finished, the next week is upon me. And grocery shopping, making meals, church meetings, and the other stuff of life take up a lot of space in the schedule too. So I am finding I need something that requires less planning on my part. My Father's World materials have been a blessing to us in the past and are a lot of fun & not overwhelming. It's a less is more approach, and I think that will be good for my "global, tons of possibilities so I can't decide" type of brain. So that's why we'll be doing their 2nd/3rd grade American History study called "Adventures" next year. The kids will be able a good bit of this together. And Joshua Quinn will also have his own work from MFW 1st grade. I'm really looking forward to using their materials next year.

A few weeks ago I sold some of my curriculum at our church's curriculum sale. I made $55.00! And it was really fun getting to chit chat with all the others there. Emma and Joshua came with me. Emma was helpful, sitting in at the table for me when I needed to take a break or look around, and JQ had a fun time running around the auditorium and greeting everyone on the live mic that he bodly picked up exclaiming, "Attention Ladies and Gentlemen!" (I tried to calmly apologize and mentioned that we have a budding pastor on the way).

Posted by on April 21, 2008

Comments (4)

I'm chuckling right now as I look at your picture of the kids studying. The 'head-in-the-hands' concentration pose is endearingly familiar.

I'm fascinated that you are putting together your own curriculum. That is the way we chose to go this year and it can be quite a task discovering which books resonate amongst the hundreds and hundreds of options. You and your "global, tons of possibilities so you can't decide" type of brain also gave me a laugh. As soon as I show that quote to my husband, I have a feeling he's going to poke me with his elbow. He would love it, I'm sure, if I could finally decide what fabric to use for our living room curtains.
Thankfully, homeschooling my kids feels like it carries the kind of weight that deserves that extensive sort of consideration.

There is nothing more wonderful than a child who is bold in all the right ways. "Ladies and gentlemen..." That is truly funny. All I could think was that our Joshua Daniel and your Joshua Quinn would get along just fine in that department.

Have a great day and thanks for giving us something fun to read.

Posted by Heather | April 22, 2008 10:04 AM

We're using MFW next year for the first time. we are doing from rome to the reformation. i chose it for similar reasons: less planning, but still thorough. it's funny, because i had heard very little about the curriculum and now everywhere i turn i'm hearing about others who are using it. Oh, and my "ladies and gentleman" child is a girl. Hmmm. :)

Posted by Laurie | April 23, 2008 1:59 PM

Shannon,
You didn't ask for advice, but I wish I'd heard this when my 4 kids, (3 now all grown up, giving me grandkids) were young and I was homeschooling:
KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!!
Math and a Spelling book were my only goals everyday, and often all we'd get done (and usually a walk). History, Science, regular writing, etc. was all very random till they were in High School. But, I read good books to them everyday, trying mostly to choose ones with an historical plot. (Little House, Johnny Tremain, etc.)
They've all done really well in college and are succesful at their work. Interestingly, Science and History are their favorite subjects.
I know your father-in-law is a great in the homeschooling movement; It was he, actually, who sealed my heart in the decision, to homeschool. So, you have the best advisors in the country. I only offer this because if we think we need to cover a lot of topics, generate tons of paperwork, we set our goals unreasonably high, and feel like we're failing. If you keep your day simple, goals few, it's better for everyone and the kids still learn.
Listen to good music, talk with your kids, read to them, don't turn the TV on much, and trust me, they'll be fine, even excellent.

Posted by Michele | April 24, 2008 6:54 PM

Heather, oh my goodness - I laughed out loud about your curtain comment. Boy can I relate to that too! I have been saying that same thing for years! (Decorating is not my strong point and we still do not have curtains or cushions in our dining room; there are also no pictures on the walls...though I have tried...it just never looks good!) And just for the record...I think "putting together my own curriculum" would be way overstating it...This was just me trying to put together a few unit studies...after doing two of those I was done. Laurie, that's so neat that you are going to use MFW too. I wasn't aware of your move to Ohio until recently. May the Lord bless all your work there; I am praying for you. I hope you enjoy MFW this year...I'll think of you when we're doing "book basket!"... And finally, Michele, I love your simple goals! Thanks for that word of encouragment...and advice. That you only did spelling and math is so helpful to hear...I tend to have a way of making things more difficult than they need to be!!! I need to hear that over and over again. Thank you. God bless all you ladies as you press on toward the goal!

Posted by Shannon Harris | April 25, 2008 10:28 PM

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