The Curriculum Question

Now that Monkey and Bug are obviously school aged, I find myself facing the question “What curriculum do you use?” more frequently. While our girls are learning SO much and we definitely have an educational plan in place, I always cringe through answering this question, because at this point in the entourage’s education we’ve chosen not to use a ready-made curriculum. I’d classify us as eclectic homeschoolers: we do our own thing, but we’re not actually unschoolers.

Back when we were watching our toddlers explore their world and thinking about how we wanted to educate them (not in the school system—that much was clear, but that’s another story), we were amazed at their boundless curiosity and ability to soak in knowledge like little sponges. We decided our best job description (in terms of academic education) would be to create a home environment encouraging of such curiosity while also making sure they had the foundational working knowledge of “the three Rs” that would allow them to continue satisfying their thirst for knowledge at higher levels. We’d help each child master new information and skills as she became ready for it, using whatever method worked best for her.

To that end, we’ve basically developed our own curriculums for all their subjects. (For the record, Daddy has a Master’s of Education, we had several years to study homeschooling methods before the girls reached “school age,” and we reference published standards of learning to ensure there are no major gaps, so we’re really not “just making stuff up,” which how I always feel it comes across when I try to answer that question.) I decided--mostly as a personal mental exercise and because I thought it might be fun for others to read--to come up with actual program descriptions for what we’re currently doing (these are approaches we think will get us to late elementary school at least).

[Please note: While we consider things like developing our children’s faith and discipline to be serious parental responsibilities, I’ve chosen not to address those topics here.]

Core Subjects

Joy in Reading: The simple goal of this program is to pass on a love of reading! Since their infancy, sharing books together has been an intentional part of our daily routine, using both parent- and child-chosen books with developmentally appropriate texts based on content and reading level (we have multiple read-aloud times; they are encouraged to enjoy books independently; and of course, they see Daddy and I reading both for work and pleasure). As they indicate readiness, we’ve taught them how to read using Teach Your Child to Read in One Hundred Easy Lessons, supplemented by hands-on games and activities that help develop their growing knowledge of phonics and sight words. We also help them develop reading comprehension skills by engaging them in conversation about the books we read—plot points, character motivations, context, etc. This program is supported by weekly visits to the local library, several magazine subscriptions of interest to the girls, and an extensive family library that includes a wide range of genres, subjects, and skill levels.

Foundations of Math: Through this program they will master basic mathematical functions, which will give them a strong foundation on which to learn higher level math. Specifically, they will learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponents, fractions, and decimals with emphasis on both memorization of math facts (e.g., times tables) and comprehension of the core concept. Also included are everyday math skills such as counting money and telling time.

Writing for Clarity & Creativity: In this program we seek to help them develop a number of different skills: legible handwriting and eventually competent typing, accurate spelling, correct grammar, and effective composition to express facts, personal experiences and opinions, and fiction and poetry. Assignments and projects will increase in difficulty and complexity as they gain competence. (To begin acquiring these skills we’ve used copy work, worksheets, simple reports, notes to family members, and dictated journal entries.)

Spontaneous Science: Strongly rooted in the world around us, this program takes advantage of children’s natural curiosity about their surroundings to dig deeper into subject matter of interest to them. Learning happens through personal observation (i.e., nature walks, zoo/aquarium visits, hands-on projects at home) and multi-media sources of additional information (i.e., personal and library books, reliable websites, videos).

Walking through History: This program seeks to engage children in the rich context of world history through the study of broad historical periods of particular importance or interest. At this early stage of their education, the focus of our history studies is to acquire a good sense of the cultural context for each period and to be able to place each period in a broad timeline (e.g., the Roman Empire happened long before the American colonies). We approach each period by studying art, architecture, food, clothing, literature, language, warfare, music, maps, etc. as well as the stories of important people and events. For each unit of study we acquire resources about the period such as library books, documentaries, hands-on projects, etc.

Arts & Extras

Visual Arts: The girls learn to appreciate both classic and contemporary art through art prints displayed in our home, a small collection of art history/appreciation books in our home library, and regular visits to local art museums. They are encouraged to create their own art through easy access to arts and crafts supplies and a dedicated “project table” in our home and through putting together portable art supply bags to bring with us to museums, gardens, etc. Formal teaching in art techniques will be added as opportunity and interest arise.

Music: We have built a personal music collection that exposes the girls to music from a variety of styles and regions and includes both classical and contemporary music. We also have a collection of kid-specific CDs with both classic kids’ sing-along music and more specifically educational songs (pop music renditions of things like countries of the world and U.S. presidents). The girls are also encouraged to create their own music with our collection of instruments (mostly rhythm and percussion with a few whistles/flutes thrown in). Formal music lessons will be added as opportunity and interest arise.

Foreign language: Since neither Daddy nor I speak a foreign language fluently, this is one area we will definitely need to find a curriculum for at some point in the future.  However, we are both familiar with Spanish and have begun familiarizing the girls the sounds of the language and very basic vocabulary through the use of a collection of bilingual picture books  and a music CD and set of pre-reader DVDs from Little Pim: Early Language Development.

Health & Wellness: Our goal is to help the girls continue developing a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and exercise as well as acquiring specific kinesthetic skills (like swimming and martial arts). To this end, the girls participate in grocery shopping and cooking our meals, enroll in formal lessons as appropriate, and are encouraged to stay active on a daily basis through backyard playtime, dancing to music, and trips to playgrounds.