Well we've spent the last few weeks in a flu haze, but finally out of it (For now anyway! Damn this weather!) So haven't been doing a whole lot of structured work, but we've been doing things like snuggling up and watching the tv series Spartacus, which, though fairly historically dubious in many aspects (Roman history of the republic era is one of the subjects I'm studying) is quite entertaining. It's been so interesting watching them with N, as I've become aware of the educational value even in these. He's been in the room with me while I've watched some of my Roman history lectures and we watched a documentary on Spartacus some time ago, so he'll actually watch the tv series and pick it apart. It's fascinating how his brain works and how much information he soaks up when I don't even realise he's doing it. During each episode we discuss the inaccuracies and how life really was for people in the republican time vs the empire of Rome. He's becoming more and more confident in his own knowledge and it's just so wonderful to watch.
This week I've started him on the www.Coursera.org course of "Think again: How to reason and argue". He loves to argue his point and is very anal about correct use of language and the correct way to argue so I think he'll find this very valuable. He'll also get a certificate at the end of this university level course which I think will give him a sense of accomplishment and show him what he can actually do. He's done the first few lectures and quizzes and could reason the answers better than I could! Hopefully he gets a lot out of it and will want to do more, as I love these new MOOCs and would love for him to as well. (I'm also doing it, as well as their Preparation for Introductory Biology, and I've completed the Introduction to US food systems which I actually found fascinating and which taught me so much about sustainable food systems)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Curriculum
Living in Victoria we're incredibly lucky as there are very few hoops to jump through as far as home educating your child goes. Basically we send in a registration form and away we go! It was extremely daunting at the beginning; what do I teach him, how do I know what to do, but as we're getting into a swing I'm starting to find our groove and panicking less, though I'm sure there will always be those occasional moments of self doubt we all have.
I like to describe our style of learning as creative eclectic learning. I use the Connect The Thoughts Curriculum for Creative Writing, History and Science and we are working on Maths through MathsOnline. I've had to take him back to grade 6 maths as he has just missed some basics at school as they've raced through units which he hasn't understood and so doesn't have the foundations he needs (and he HATES maths so really I just want him to be able to do the stuff he needs for everyday life). As much as he hates maths, the MathsOnline program is very user-friendly and he's actually admitted to learning stuff (even to randomly adding things up in roman numerals or discussing different polygons in the car without realising he's applying maths ;D yay!)
Connect The Thoughts is absolutely wonderful, I could hug the guy who made it. We are pretty heavy-duty atheists so it was essential that we find a curriculum that wasn't religion-based. Easier said than done! I didn't want to just use a standard classroom textbook, I wanted something that would be interesting and challenging. Enter CTT, it's fully secular, the kids learn about different religions in parts of it (history - creation myths, science myths vs facts) but it's more comparing the beliefs and myths and N has loved doing this. He's just finishing up the basic science overview and is about to start on a semester of Geology and we're currently working on pre-history in History; the big bang, the universe etc. I'm learning as much as he is! It's a combination of reading, locating countries (so actually learning Geography; I was appalled at how little he knows about other countries through school!), learning definitions and then answering short questions which we do as discussions rather than writing as he can get more indepth if we talk about things.
We're not doing a separate English as such, but he does Creative Writing through CTT a couple of times a week and so he's learning grammar and spelling through writing essays and real-life application. Last week he wrote a 1440 word essay because he just didn't want to stop! The CTT curriculum will give a guide as to what to write about; a word, a sentence to start off and then the child is free to write absolutely whatever they want from that starting point. It's all about letting the child choose and having the learning starting form them. We're both loving it!
So they're our basics. He also spends time with a good friend of mine once a week. K is an amazing textile artist and she's teaching him doll-making (he just loves creative work and discovered a love of textiles while at school). He's also working at his grandmother's cafe one afternoon a week to gain some socialising skills in dealing with both the customers and the staff, and learn about the real world. In free time he builds with legos, he does 3d modelling with minecraft (just recently he designed a full village), he draws, and he creates working replicas of guns and crossbows from duct-tape and cardboard. We don't watch regular tv but we watch documentaries on SBS on-demand and ABC iview. He's constantly amazing me with facts he gets from just everyday life (there's nothing about ravens he doesn't know about!).
I like to describe our style of learning as creative eclectic learning. I use the Connect The Thoughts Curriculum for Creative Writing, History and Science and we are working on Maths through MathsOnline. I've had to take him back to grade 6 maths as he has just missed some basics at school as they've raced through units which he hasn't understood and so doesn't have the foundations he needs (and he HATES maths so really I just want him to be able to do the stuff he needs for everyday life). As much as he hates maths, the MathsOnline program is very user-friendly and he's actually admitted to learning stuff (even to randomly adding things up in roman numerals or discussing different polygons in the car without realising he's applying maths ;D yay!)
Connect The Thoughts is absolutely wonderful, I could hug the guy who made it. We are pretty heavy-duty atheists so it was essential that we find a curriculum that wasn't religion-based. Easier said than done! I didn't want to just use a standard classroom textbook, I wanted something that would be interesting and challenging. Enter CTT, it's fully secular, the kids learn about different religions in parts of it (history - creation myths, science myths vs facts) but it's more comparing the beliefs and myths and N has loved doing this. He's just finishing up the basic science overview and is about to start on a semester of Geology and we're currently working on pre-history in History; the big bang, the universe etc. I'm learning as much as he is! It's a combination of reading, locating countries (so actually learning Geography; I was appalled at how little he knows about other countries through school!), learning definitions and then answering short questions which we do as discussions rather than writing as he can get more indepth if we talk about things.
We're not doing a separate English as such, but he does Creative Writing through CTT a couple of times a week and so he's learning grammar and spelling through writing essays and real-life application. Last week he wrote a 1440 word essay because he just didn't want to stop! The CTT curriculum will give a guide as to what to write about; a word, a sentence to start off and then the child is free to write absolutely whatever they want from that starting point. It's all about letting the child choose and having the learning starting form them. We're both loving it!
So they're our basics. He also spends time with a good friend of mine once a week. K is an amazing textile artist and she's teaching him doll-making (he just loves creative work and discovered a love of textiles while at school). He's also working at his grandmother's cafe one afternoon a week to gain some socialising skills in dealing with both the customers and the staff, and learn about the real world. In free time he builds with legos, he does 3d modelling with minecraft (just recently he designed a full village), he draws, and he creates working replicas of guns and crossbows from duct-tape and cardboard. We don't watch regular tv but we watch documentaries on SBS on-demand and ABC iview. He's constantly amazing me with facts he gets from just everyday life (there's nothing about ravens he doesn't know about!).
N and I are both sick with the flu at the moment so we're having a bit of a slow day. Took S to school in the morning and then climbed back into bed and N decided to hop in for a cuddle and a sleep as well. By the time we both woke up we'd also been joined by 3 cats! This is one of the things I'm loving so much about homeschooling; without the constant peer-group pressure to grow up and act cool, N still feels free to do things that other teenagers his age wouldn't and sees nothing wrong or unusual with still coming to mum for cuddles.
S came home from school at lunchtime today as he has spares in the afternoon on Thursday, and they've been actually playing together on the computer and co-operating! This hardly ever happens so I'm over the moon. S even bought N a game so they could play together. It's seeming as he's getting less anxious that they are actually starting to get along a little more as time goes on. I can only hope! So no schoolwork today, I've called an official sick day, but the wonderful thing about homeschooling is that learning is all around us and continuous whether we plan it or not.
S came home from school at lunchtime today as he has spares in the afternoon on Thursday, and they've been actually playing together on the computer and co-operating! This hardly ever happens so I'm over the moon. S even bought N a game so they could play together. It's seeming as he's getting less anxious that they are actually starting to get along a little more as time goes on. I can only hope! So no schoolwork today, I've called an official sick day, but the wonderful thing about homeschooling is that learning is all around us and continuous whether we plan it or not.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
I'm starting this blog as a few friends have expressed interest in my family's journeys in the homeschooling universe. So I'll start with a little about us as an introduction;
I'm a single mum, studying a Bachelor of Arts off-campus, majoring in Archaeology and Paleoanthropology. No idea if I'll ever use it for a career but I'm loving what I'm learning. My future aim is to finish this degree and by then, the boys will be old enough and I can go to uni full-time and on-campus and do a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science. Hopefully by the time I finish I won't be too old to actually work!
Oldest son, S is 17 and at High School, currently aiming to do something in graphic design.
Youngest son, N is 14 and my home-schooled kiddo. He was suffering severe anxiety and depression at school, to the point of having to see a psychologist, who really didn't do a whole lot. While he was being bullied, that wasn't the largest part of the issue, it was mainly that he couldn't learn in the school environment. Now he's at home I suspect he has some sensory issues, which I plan on having investigated in the future, as he freaks out with too much sensory input and completely shuts down. The school's response to this at the time was that he had to learn to deal with anxiety, however when it's something as overwhelming as noise, sights and various other input all at once, you can't just always deal with that. Since having him home he's become a completely different boy. He still has a few meltdowns but generally he's so much calmer and more relaxed.
So this blog is mostly about our homeschooling journey and our discoveries and anything else along the way :)
I'm a single mum, studying a Bachelor of Arts off-campus, majoring in Archaeology and Paleoanthropology. No idea if I'll ever use it for a career but I'm loving what I'm learning. My future aim is to finish this degree and by then, the boys will be old enough and I can go to uni full-time and on-campus and do a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science. Hopefully by the time I finish I won't be too old to actually work!
Oldest son, S is 17 and at High School, currently aiming to do something in graphic design.
Youngest son, N is 14 and my home-schooled kiddo. He was suffering severe anxiety and depression at school, to the point of having to see a psychologist, who really didn't do a whole lot. While he was being bullied, that wasn't the largest part of the issue, it was mainly that he couldn't learn in the school environment. Now he's at home I suspect he has some sensory issues, which I plan on having investigated in the future, as he freaks out with too much sensory input and completely shuts down. The school's response to this at the time was that he had to learn to deal with anxiety, however when it's something as overwhelming as noise, sights and various other input all at once, you can't just always deal with that. Since having him home he's become a completely different boy. He still has a few meltdowns but generally he's so much calmer and more relaxed.
So this blog is mostly about our homeschooling journey and our discoveries and anything else along the way :)
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