Homeschooling—less is more links and lists

I just received a homeschooling catalog in the mail today. It brought to my mind the memories of years long past when I would salivate over the countless multi-colored books and curriculum that always promised great success. I can also appreciate that this is the time of year when parents are either considering homeschooling their children for the very first time, or are in the process of re-evaluating their methods, materials and the organizational tools they have been using over past year or so.

A precious gift from God

That is why I paused to think—if I were to start today, from scratch, which items would mean the most to me? What did I buy back in the early days that I still value and use (besides my McGuffey Readers, Ray's Arithmetics and Spencerian Penmanship, etc.)?

Then I realized I also have found other resources and learned different skills and tricks that have stood the test of time for us. It occurred to me that others might benefit from some of what we've learned, although I would not offer this as an exhaustive list or even hint that anyone should follow what I have written here exclusively—each and every family is so different—thank God!

If I were to start tomorrow and had little or no money, I would purchase...

• A Bible
• Pencils
• Colors
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue

...and then I would get a library card.

The Bible standard

What I would do with these materials would be to read aloud with my children—first the Bible, (children can understand the simple stories beginning from Genesis on as they are presented verbatim, no need to purchase a "Bible story book") all types of illustrated books, etc. I would have them draw pictures about what we read, or not—depending upon our time and their interest at that moment. I would encourage them in whatever they drew—not too concerned with whether they were staying within the lines, or even if they were "artistically correct", but appreciating what they created as coming from their hearts and enjoying it. I would place these creations on the refrigerator or any other nifty place where we could all enjoy them together. They could color and paste if they wanted sometimes, but this would be during special times. Afterwards everyone would help to clean up.

As I saved a little more money, I would begin to invest, not in books for my children, but in books that would challenge and encourage me. These would include the books that are "tried and true", the ones that the "pioneers" relied on, the classics. Anything by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, or by Ruth Beechick would be peachy. "For the Children's Sake" by Susan Schaeffer-Macaulay is a good one, as are the books written by Marilyn Howshall. You could probably find these used, which would save you money. The Heart of Wisdom website and other materials would also be a great place to start.

For reading, there are some cheap essentials that could carry a family through many children, such as "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". We actually have gone through two copies of this one—even after I protected the bindings with duct tape and contact paper! For about $20, you really have all you need to teach the basics of reading, but a good, solid set of phonics flash cards will help the process along as well. I ordered mine from Rod and Staff Publishers about 19 years and ten readers ago, but they are still very much in use today!

For reading practice, Dr. Seuss books are about the cheapest and the best—and I have found multiple copies of each title at thrift stores and while visiting garage sales on the weekend. This is great if you are teaching or reinforcing skills with a number of children at the same time. I discovered most of the beginning readers that are sold in the catalogs were quite boring, so I decided to use the books we already thought were fun, with great success!

Also, we have found that our children loved learning to read with the Mother Goose poems—and you can find collections of these just about anywhere! In fact, a few of my kids taught themselves to read with these little rhymes.

A mother reading to her children

As for math, I would first like to share that everyone seems to think they are not good at it, until they teach it! Of course if you don't do long division well—you probably weren't taught it well to begin with, or perhaps you haven't used it in years. You would be surprised how fast it comes back to you when you sit down and do it with your kids for the first time—I know it happened for me that way.

But little kids don't need long division at first. They need to associate numbers with real-life. They need to count how may cups are on the table, how many bananas you bought at the store, etc. When they are ready, and this time varys for each child (just because they start late does not mean they will be behind—Einstein, Edison and Churchill didn't fare well according to their classmates—you can read some amazing education stories at Learning in Freedom), you can begin to help them to associate written numbers with concrete objects, then move on to the abstract concepts.

At this stage, all that is needed is a 100's board. This is such a great, simple and cheap resource. You can print one up from Donna Young. From this little tool you can learn to count by 10's, 5's and 2's

The Math Worksheet Site. You can also find other links Homework Helper.

I also like taking a trip to the teacher supply store and picking up the little "Homework Helper" booklets, which are often just enough to give young minds some math practice. You can find them Math: An Integrated Approach.

Science is always one of those things that we tend to tremble over. I like the old definition of science as "thinking God's thoughts after Him", instead of the secular idea of picking everything apart and trying to fit it all into some super-imposed humanistic framework. If any secular scientist would take the time to research, he would find that science was founded by men who feared God and revered His Word. Learning science from this perspective not only feeds the mind, but the spirit as well, as one oohs and aahs at the wonder of God in His creation.

From this frame of reference, anything by Answers in Genesis is marvelous. If you visit their site you will find many resources that are free, and others that are well worth the money spent. Ken Ham is a homeschooling dad and is unapologetic about the fact that the basis for life and learning should be in the Word of God.

Another site I have recently discovered that has been an answer to my prayers is the Science of Cooking. With the aid of the links on this site, you can take advantage of the laboratory in your home—your kitchen! My children love the idea that we can learn and eat all at the same time! Of course, we had to start learning about candy first (in moderation)!

As far as penmanship, spelling and grammar, there are some really fun ways to approach these. First of all, we utilize the Word of God for these. I have found that Galatians 5:22-23 is a wonderful passage to have the children read, memorize and copy as a good foundation. The words are simple and in a list form that is easily broken up into small sections.

She is looking to you for her future

Another good section is Colossians chapter 3. Currently we are all enjoying studying Psalm 1 (a wisdom psalm). We read it aloud together daily, then do "word searches", dictations, etc. There is just something about utilizing scripture that opens up the heart and mind at the same time and makes learning easier and much more profitable.

Another resource is Kathryn Stout's "Natural Speller". In it pages are lists of spelling words, with rules, roots, etc. I have used these to make my own spelling game for my kids in the past. To go along with that, here is a list of basic spelling rules.

Grammar is hilariously enjoyable when you use Mad Libs. These are worth their weight in gold. They teach the basics of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in a totally painless way.

For learning technical grammar, like when to capitalize, when to use commas, semi-colons, etc. I have found that guides written for college such as "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White is excellent to have as a resource. Even a secretary's desk reference set can be invaluable, and these are found so cheaply second-hand.

Copying is the perfect way to teach penmanship. No special curriculum is required for this, just a few pointers from someone who cares. Donna Young has some wonderful stuff on her site for penmanship, if anyone is stuck or wants to improve. Another wonderful classical option is called Spencerian Penmanship.

As for those wonderfully fun subjects of History and Geography—we always read lots of books and had laminated maps on the walls, historical time-lines, atlases, and outline maps displayed or readily available. Making your own map from scratch is really the easiest way to learn geography, but reading about a place and finding it is also a wonderful way to make its location stick in your child's mind.

The reprints of Charles Coffin's books were a real eye opener to me, in particular was "The Story of Liberty". This is one of the only times that I would highly recommend the study guide as well. The idea is to look at history as HIS-story, and see God's fingerprint in and through it all. Ruth Beechick and others have also written some that are very enlightening. Biographies and autobiographies are history that can enrich the homeschooling experience and make your children yearn for more!

You will also need a dictionary, and an old set of encyclopedias is nice—we have one from the 1950's and one from the 1980's—most information is still relatively current. When in doubt we can access current reference material as well.

Over the years we have gathered so many books from yard sales, thrift stores, etc., that we hardly need to visit the library. Even if your children are little, you could begin this process today. Libraries contain millions of books that are of very little value—it is so wise to begin your own home-school library.

The ABC's of homeschooling

Of course, we can't leave out the obvious—the Internet and a good printer! What would we do without these?

And...

...reading aloud novels, histories, articles and all sorts of other subjects is the best way to learn almost anything together.

And...

...discussion is the way we work through all sorts of things, and is a way to organize things in your child's mind. Oral reports—as an experienced homeschooling mom, I have discovered that just listening to my children talk about what they are learning is often better than any test that could be devised. We have been known to sit around for hours, just hashing over life and what everyone has been thinking or dreaming about. So much fruit has come out of these sessions.

Things to keep in mind:

• Don't try to cover "everything"—no school could ever do this!
  
• Grade levels are not as important as allowing each child to learn at his own pace.
• Grades are irrelevant to children who understand the benefits of becoming life-long-learners.
  
• Prepare them first for eternity, then for life—in that order of importance.
• Don't forget that they are people, not educational products.
  
• No curriculum or method can guarantee "success", no matter how comprehensive or expensive.
• Your own prayer and devotional life are vital to hearing God in order to aid your children on their learning journeys.
• Don't let your own pride or fear lead you—let peace be your decision-maker!

Whew! I could have written a lot more, but these are some of the basics—I hope this is a blessing.

* This post was first published on April 2008.