Receiving support services as a homeschooler

by on February 20, 2013
in a mom's education · 25 Comments

tips for receiving support services as a homeschooler ~SimpleHomeschool

Written by contributor Hillary Boucher

We started to notice the gap in his expressive language around 18 months old. Other kids his age were pointing at things, trying out words. Him, not so much.

I didn’t pay any attention. Our eldest son spoke early and has always had an impressive vocabulary. I had already promised myself that I would not compare and would trust that he would bloom in his own good time.

He turned two, then two-and-a-half and there started to be other signs that he was struggling: intense tantrums and mood swings, extreme clinging to parents (mostly me),  and clear signs of stress.

We began declining social invitations and found it difficult to bring him to the grocery store or even to the park. It was just too hard on all of us.
[Read more...]

Bloom’s Taxonomy: A simple roadmap to learning

by on August 15, 2012
in a mom's education · 10 Comments

Written by contributor Jena Borah of Yarns of the Heart

I’m a big picture kind of person. I like to look at the map and stay focused on the destination. But homeschooling is full of little details that threaten to pull us off the path and down rabbit trails.

That’s why, here at the beginning of the school year, I like to remind myself of how simple education really is.

In the 1950s, a committee of educators came up with a list of broad learning objectives called Bloom’s Taxonomy, and it’s been revised over the years. The first step in learning is simply remembering facts, and as a student progresses through the levels, he or she takes the learned material and creates something new. I love that.

The ultimate goal of learning is the ability to create something new.
[Read more...]

How to avoid summer setback

by on July 11, 2012
in curriculum · 21 Comments

Written by contributor Jena Borah of Yarns of the Heart

Do you know about summer setback? Education researchers say a child can lose up to two months of reading achievement between May and August. If this happens every summer, children can lose up to a year and a half between 1st and 6th grade (Cooper et al., 1996).

Why? Because their home lives are not full of books and enriching experiences. Whatever learning momentum they had gained during the school year comes to a screeching halt. When I heard that, I was amazed! We homeschoolers never stop learning.
[Read more...]

4 Simple Methods for Teaching Elementary Science

by on July 27, 2011
in methods & philosophies · 25 Comments

Written by contributor Renee Tougas of FIMBY.

This past spring all of us here at Simple Homeschool shared our curriculum choices. In my contribution to that series I talked about the curriculum we’ve used so far for elementary reading, writing, and math.

But of course there is a lot more to our homeschool routine than just those subjects.

Today I want to share how we teach science to our elementary aged children in the context of every day life, without a set curriculum.

I have found science to be one of the easiest “subjects” to teach our children.

I know it will get trickier as they get into the higher grades and so we plan to start using curriculum sometime during the junior high years.

But so far interest-led science has worked well for us.

Here are the four methods we’ve used.

[Read more...]

Relaxed Elementary Education (2011 Curriculum Fair)

by on May 13, 2011
in curriculum · 30 Comments

Written by contributor Renee Tougas of FIMBY

Ages of my children: 12, 10, and 8

Educational Philosophies I pull from: Leadership Education, Literature-Based, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling

When Jamie first proposed this series I thought, “That will be easy to write. We don’t use much.”

Then I saw all the questions from the introductory post and realized I might actually have something useful to say.

A few of your comments jumped out at me:

  • The repeated request to know what has worked and what hasn’t, and why.
  • How to “make your own” curriculum.
  • How to use readily available resources (like the library) and literature as materials for learning.

I can answer these because of our own eclectic and interest-led elementary homeschooling experience.
[Read more...]

Choosing Good Books for Your Children

by on November 11, 2009
in methods & philosophies · 17 Comments

Today let’s talk about what we should read to our little ones.

With thousands of children’s books published each year, choosing can feel overwhelming. Poor quality literature may entertain, but it’s also mind-numbing.

High quality literature is thought-provoking as well as entertaining. It inspires greatness and character development, and doesn’t shy away from dealing with difficult topics.

Think of it this way: it’s our job to nourish our children’s minds as well as their bodies. My kids really love candy, but I don’t allow them to eat large amounts every day. It wouldn’t be healthy. I need to pay the same attention to the quality of reading material they digest.

Here’s how to choose the best books for your little ones.

[Read more...]

« Older Posts