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Showing posts with the label homeschool methods

Three major things I wish I had done differently in our homeschool journey

As we finish up our homeschool experience, and evaluate what we have accomplished and where we have weaknesses, there are 3 major things I would change. 1.  I would have unschooled through grade 5.  I have determined that the only thing a student really needs to know to prepare for middle school are: Math: add, subtract, multiply, divide Language Arts:  How to read and be able to comprehend what is read Exploration: so much about all other subjects can be learned through exploration, field trips, and group activities.  Some might not call it unschooling if you are teaching math and reading, but that would be where I would draw the line.  I guess you could call it uber-relaxed homeschooling.  2.  I wish I had found ALEKS.com earlier.  I have found this to be the most intuitive and affordable system of teaching math to date.  It allows kids to learn math at their own pace whether it be slower or accelerated.  This program is ...

The thought of a tech free education leaves me scratching my head

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I spent most of the day hyperfocusing on the idea of a Waldorf education. I began when I woke up to a Today Show conversation about Silocon Valley parents using a school that shuns education , which is an oxymoron at best. It sounded insane, and interesting at the same time, so I looked into it, and into it, and into it and decided that it is a lot like unschooling, except not at all... as it is too rigid.  Yes, rigid unschooling would be the best way for me to describe it.  Then there is the fact that it is linked to an occult like religion (in it's founding) and there are a lot of disgruntled ex-Waldorf families. But that's beside the point.  I didn't have to research (though I did) to know what felt wrong at first glance.  The fact is that any movement, educational or otherwise that tries to eliminate an important segment of society (in this case technology) is just wrong.  Besides that, all the other stuff, like not reading or writing in the y...