After what your son has been through, we really recommend a reset--a way to respark your son's love for learning. Documentaries, museums, nature walks, audiobooks, reading together, guide books with lots of pictures. Our boys have enjoyed these books.
https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Rothman-Collection-Anatomy-Nature/dp/1612128521/
Really, anything nonfiction with lots of pictures.
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Homeschooling is not school at home. It is an approach to allow your children to explore their curiosities and learn at their own pace, while every day is a balance of structured and unstructured lessons.
We do a mix of homeschooling and unschooling. We concentrate on math and English in the morning, then playtime and reading in the afternoon.
One of the arguments against homeschooling is the lack of socialization. However, our children have no problem in meeting new friends at the park or speaking to grownups. They also have a huge pool of friends--many who are also homeschooled--and they make up a diverse pool of children.
Because of homeschooling, we can have age-appropriate conversations the school system won't, like what can we do to speak out for social justice. The history they will learn is true history--one that represents the different voices of America.
I am going to include links of this in other posts.
The good news is there is no need to rush when first getting into homeschooling. I asked a student of mine what she liked about homeschooling and she said it gave her time to work on math without stress. Our children have the time to struggle with a problem. We tell our boys that struggling is a sign your brain is learning. I think this is a good approach for us parents to keep in mind.
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First, register that you are homeschooling (a non-accredited private school--you get to pick a name!) here. There is information you will want to go over on this page.
https://www.ksde.org/Agency/Division-of-Learning-Services/Special-Education-and-Title-Services/Title-Services/Non-Accredited-Private-Schools
Second, get a tablet. A simple one for apps and a web browser will work. The app for Khan Academy (a free service) and such might be the best way to learn math.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Voyager-7-16GB-Tablet-Android-OS-Charcoal-RCT6873W42/53990885?selected=true
Third, look at what to start with--which I will post some of the things that worked for us in the posts below. There are always free online lessons, so we never run out of options.
Networking is also a big part of what we do for support--and for playtime with other families.
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Feeling inadequate or asking yourself, "Are we doing the right thing? Are we actually teaching?" are very normal questions. I am assured by seeing our children happy and curious. Out twelve-year-old always has a research project he wants to do. Our ten-year-old is always reading. I am so happy our boys do not have to go and face another day of boredom and oppression by going to school.
Monday, June 22, 2020
About Facilitating
Black Homeschooling Resources
Friends of ours who homeschool passed these on to share:
This group has steps to homeschooling, too!
https://m.facebook.com/402549793167329
https://m.facebook.com/89357647646
https://m.facebook.com/1923068484606829
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Delayed Academics
What seems like something bad is something we embrace--that every child learns at their own pace and stage of development.
https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/delaying-academics-homeschoolers-defer-formal-lessons/
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Different Approaches
About less math
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201003/when-less-is-more-the-case-teaching-less-math-in-school
We introduced math ideas with Star Wars workbooks, then moved Asmund to Math U See and Wystan to Khan Academy's app. We wanted to make sure that, yes, math is tough, but there is more than just one approach to learning it. We wanted our boys to feel the most comfortable in learning.
(Math U See can be expensive, but Asmund wasn't able to engage with Khan Academy.)
For reading, we let our boys pick what they want to read. I grew up on comic books, which led to fantasy and sci-fi books. I also had a Mythology book.
This book is amazing. Even though it is expensive, we have our boys and the students I teach reading this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-African-American-Folktales-Books/dp/0871407531/
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Unschooling
Getting started:
Ask your children: “What are you interested in learning about or doing today?”
Giving them autonomy over what they explore on any given day will lead to much richer
learning experiences. And don’t try to lead them in any direction — let them embrace
what they’re interested in, even if it seems odd to you.
Breathe and embrace the boredom. Unstructured time allows children to get out of
their usual routines, giving them space to discover what they’re really passionate about.
You don’t need to invest in new supplies or activities. There’s always something
in the house that kids can “work” on. Whether it’s a broken clock or an empty shoebox,
you’ll be surprised what happens when you let children lead with their own curiosity
and creativity.
From Unschooling website for the new documentary. The PDF has amazing ideas!
https://unschooledthemovement.com/learn/
Friends of ours who homeschool passed these on to share:
This group has steps to homeschooling, too!
https://m.facebook.com/402549793167329
https://m.facebook.com/89357647646
https://m.facebook.com/1923068484606829
[
Delayed Academics
What seems like something bad is something we embrace--that every child learns at their own pace and stage of development.
https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/delaying-academics-homeschoolers-defer-formal-lessons/
[
Different Approaches
About less math
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201003/when-less-is-more-the-case-teaching-less-math-in-school
We introduced math ideas with Star Wars workbooks, then moved Asmund to Math U See and Wystan to Khan Academy's app. We wanted to make sure that, yes, math is tough, but there is more than just one approach to learning it. We wanted our boys to feel the most comfortable in learning.
(Math U See can be expensive, but Asmund wasn't able to engage with Khan Academy.)
For reading, we let our boys pick what they want to read. I grew up on comic books, which led to fantasy and sci-fi books. I also had a Mythology book.
This book is amazing. Even though it is expensive, we have our boys and the students I teach reading this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-African-American-Folktales-Books/dp/0871407531/
[
Unschooling
Getting started:
Ask your children: “What are you interested in learning about or doing today?”
Giving them autonomy over what they explore on any given day will lead to much richer
learning experiences. And don’t try to lead them in any direction — let them embrace
what they’re interested in, even if it seems odd to you.
Breathe and embrace the boredom. Unstructured time allows children to get out of
their usual routines, giving them space to discover what they’re really passionate about.
You don’t need to invest in new supplies or activities. There’s always something
in the house that kids can “work” on. Whether it’s a broken clock or an empty shoebox,
you’ll be surprised what happens when you let children lead with their own curiosity
and creativity.
From Unschooling website for the new documentary. The PDF has amazing ideas!
https://unschooledthemovement.com/learn/
About Resources
MATH
ENGLISH
MISC
We love the Julia Rothman collection. Farm, nature, and food as topics with awesome illustrations.
https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/julia-rothman/346157/
[
ENGLISH
MISC
We love the Julia Rothman collection. Farm, nature, and food as topics with awesome illustrations.
https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/julia-rothman/346157/
[
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