Since my decision to homeschool Jack this fall, I have been on a bit of a crash course to research all things homeschool related. I have to admit that it is kind of exciting to be elbow deep in this type of research. In a later post I will share what my ultimate schooling plan is for the fall, but for now I just want to share a snippet of what I have been immersed in.
First up in May, I read The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell. This book was a bit older than I had hoped, but I want to utilize our local library as much as possible, and unfortunately for me, it's a small library. Anyways, the book was really good. I pretty much skipped over anything technology related (our library's edition of this book was from 2005 and I don't know if there is a newer version). But I found that overall the book was full of a lot of useful information and suggestions from a seasoned homeschooler. I jotted down tons of quotes and notes regarding resources I want to look into further. I had so many pages tabbed that I was tempted to just ask the library if I could buy the book outright instead of having to copy all of my notes. But I decided to return the book (I want to be in good standing with the library) and will consider purchasing my own copy in the future.
A few of the passages that really resonated with me:
Our kids need to be equipped now to participate in the future. The job market of tomorrow is a lush opportunity for creative, independent thinkers with well-honed problem-solving skills and an entrepreneurial drive.
The book broke down the different learning styles into four categories. This would be useful for any parent to know about their child. I believe that Jack, age 5, is already firmly in the Promethean Temperament category. The goal of the Promethean is to be competent. He does this by acquiring knowledge and exercising great patience and tenacity in delaying action until a rational, pragmatic, and carefully calculated conclusion can be drawn. He gives little credence to his emotions or desires. This is Gorlay's conceptual-specific learner.
In the early years, your goal should be breadth. Give your kids exposure to all subject areas through reading, field trips, and opportunities. The purpose is to bring to the surface their areas of talents and interests. This is so so you can begin to discern God's calling upon each of their lives.
First up in May, I read The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell. This book was a bit older than I had hoped, but I want to utilize our local library as much as possible, and unfortunately for me, it's a small library. Anyways, the book was really good. I pretty much skipped over anything technology related (our library's edition of this book was from 2005 and I don't know if there is a newer version). But I found that overall the book was full of a lot of useful information and suggestions from a seasoned homeschooler. I jotted down tons of quotes and notes regarding resources I want to look into further. I had so many pages tabbed that I was tempted to just ask the library if I could buy the book outright instead of having to copy all of my notes. But I decided to return the book (I want to be in good standing with the library) and will consider purchasing my own copy in the future.
A few of the passages that really resonated with me:
Our kids need to be equipped now to participate in the future. The job market of tomorrow is a lush opportunity for creative, independent thinkers with well-honed problem-solving skills and an entrepreneurial drive.
The book broke down the different learning styles into four categories. This would be useful for any parent to know about their child. I believe that Jack, age 5, is already firmly in the Promethean Temperament category. The goal of the Promethean is to be competent. He does this by acquiring knowledge and exercising great patience and tenacity in delaying action until a rational, pragmatic, and carefully calculated conclusion can be drawn. He gives little credence to his emotions or desires. This is Gorlay's conceptual-specific learner.
In the early years, your goal should be breadth. Give your kids exposure to all subject areas through reading, field trips, and opportunities. The purpose is to bring to the surface their areas of talents and interests. This is so so you can begin to discern God's calling upon each of their lives.
For anyone considering homeschooling, this book or something similar is worth your time. I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads.
How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature by Scott D. Sampson (the paleontologist from Dinosaur Train) has been popping up on my radar recently, so when I saw it at my library, I thought I should read it. Overall this is a good book – it provides a framework for mentoring children in nature (regardless of how they are schooled).
One of the goals of the book is to pull together as much research as possible on this subject in one concise place in an effort to encourage parents to get their kids to love nature. This book references several other books that I have previously read, including everyone's favorite: Last Child in the Woods. In some ways it felt a bit redundant, but that has more to do with my personal philosophy, and other books I have read, than the book itself. I'm totally on board with the child-in-nature goal, so a lot of the information felt a bit basic for me. But this is still a worthy read, especially if you are uncomfortable with kids being free in nature and you need a little push, or suggestions, for helping your kids make these types of meaningful connections.
A glimpse of some of the passages that really stood out to me:
Teens returning from one- or two-week wilderness excursions frequently report that these programs were among the most influential, worthwhile, and satisfying experiences of their lives. [I can totally attest to this. I participated in Wilderness Trek, a week-long backpacking trip, during four summers of my teenage years and those trips were among the most defining moments of my life.]
At the risk of sounding overly harsh, public education in North America today [Dr. Scott is Canadian but has spent most of his career in the US] is still geared toward control, obedience, and self-restraint much more than engagement, inspiration, and empowerment.
Beyond teaching and testing, however, perhaps the greatest problem with our current education system is its irrelevence to everyday life.
Wired magazine listed Best 5 Toys of All Time as 1) a stick, 2) a box, 3) string, 4) a cardboard tube, 5) dirt.
Heavy consumption of information technologies reduces attention span and makes us more easily distracted. Regular interruptions (like e-mail and text messaging) tent to increase stress and decrease short-term memory, making it more difficult to learn or perform even the simplest tasks. Brain researches are becoming increasingly convinced that excessive screen time makes us more impatient, impulsive, forgetful, and even narcissistic.
There is definitely a lot of good information in this book and I wrote down a list of additional books I hope to read. I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads.
Wired magazine listed Best 5 Toys of All Time as 1) a stick, 2) a box, 3) string, 4) a cardboard tube, 5) dirt.
Heavy consumption of information technologies reduces attention span and makes us more easily distracted. Regular interruptions (like e-mail and text messaging) tent to increase stress and decrease short-term memory, making it more difficult to learn or perform even the simplest tasks. Brain researches are becoming increasingly convinced that excessive screen time makes us more impatient, impulsive, forgetful, and even narcissistic.
There is definitely a lot of good information in this book and I wrote down a list of additional books I hope to read. I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads.
A friend recently lent me Play The Forest School Way: Woodland Games and Crafts for Adventurous Kids by Peter Houghton. This is a book I plan to purchase to use as a resource for our homeschool. The book is full of activities for children (ages 4-11). Each section gives you a list of items you need to complete the project, specific instructions and also additional information on how to tie the projects to education.
A few highlights from this book:
Forest School is an inspirational process that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experience in woodland or natural environments with trees.
Research suggests that young children learn most from experience by using their senses actively rather than passively, and it is via these experiences that the learning remains with us into adulthood.
From play comes real knowledge about the environment and a direct connection with nature, and a sense of belonging, of wonder, and of respect for life.
I did not rate this on Goodreads yet as I have not used it as a resource or completed any of the suggested projects..
Over the course of the last several weeks, I read the third book in The Guardians series, Toothiana: Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies, by William Joyce to Jack. I have to say that I am loving the series, but it feels like Jack is over it. He typically plays Legos while I read and we periodically discuss what is going on (he wants to see all of the drawings), but he hasn't been really paying attention. He says he wants to continue with the final book. He is excited that the next book has Jack Frost as a supporting character – he's pumped that Jack Frost shares his name, and I have promised we will watch the movie when we finally finish, so that helps. I think he will have to reread the series in a couple of years when he has more patience for it.
I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads.
Honorable Mention:
We read another from the Flat Stanley series by creator Jeff Brown to Jack this month. This time he picked out The Amazing Mexican Secret (Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #5). I think he may be losing interest in Flat Stanley since we only read this book through one time.
We read another from the Flat Stanley series by creator Jeff Brown to Jack this month. This time he picked out The Amazing Mexican Secret (Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #5). I think he may be losing interest in Flat Stanley since we only read this book through one time.
Right now Jack picks out five books every time we visit the library and we read through all of them multiple times, along with our own books at home that continue to be long-time favorites.
Isaac's Favorite Books are currently Your Baby's First Word Will Be DADA by Jimmy Fallon and I Know a Wee Piggy by Kim Norman. Most of our baby and toddler books I could quote in my sleep at this point in my life...
