Friday, October 5, 2012

Curricula Favorites

I'm in the mood to talk about some of my favorite curricula.
 
I either have really nerdy kids, or maybe since we home-school they don't know it's not cool to sit around reading your text books, or maybe their textbooks are just that interesting.
 
I also wonder if it is odd that my Justin and Jonathan talk among themselves about the difference between commutative or non-commutative numbers.  Maybe it's odd that Justin tells us when we use a hyperbole.
 
 I might think it is a combination of all three, but I'm more likely to think it's because of the awesome way their curricula are written.   At first, I had a little difficulty pulling away from my traditional thinking about these things.   After hearing rave reviews, I decided to check out some different curricula for Math and Science.  After all, I am the parent and the teacher and yes, I am free to direct the education of my children.  So last year, I took the plunge.  I am not disappointed.    Learning should be fun, shouldn't it?  It should also stick.  I have come to the conclusion that when learning is fun, it naturally sticks.
 
You know books are fun when your children read them:
 #1 Without much coaxing
 #2 over and over....and over
 
 
My favorite thing about Life of Fred books - besides the fact the kids love them- is that they teach in a holistic way.  In other words, the kids learn about biology, history, and other topics along with the math instead of separating math from life.  As a matter of fact, just to name a couple of the titles: Pre-algebra with Biology and Pre-algebra with Economics
 
The coolest math books ever written:


One of the lower elementary books
*I do supplement by using math problems from other textbooks as well, but the author assures the me that it is not necessary* 
 
 
The coolest science books ever written:
 
 
Justin, reading Apologia astronomy purely out of interest 
 
I think what I love so much about Apologia is that it is more of a living book, meaning that it reads more like a novel.  There are plenty of fun projects.  Instead of just answering questions, the boys narrate the information back to me.  They take notes in their notebooks.  They are allowed to draw pictures.   They seem to enjoy narration and notebooking. What kid doesn't love talking about the things they are learning?  Especially an auditory learner. They also enjoy going back and looking at the pictures they have drawn and the things they have written. 
Ryan's
 

 
Jonathan's
 

Justin's
 
 It's hard to break free from the thought process that says that learning has to be boring, but we are doing it.  I believe that more is retained when it is enjoyed.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Electives: Art

I had an answer to prayer. I have been feeling a little unsure lately about electives for my boys. Instrument? Carpentry? Art?  Justin and Jonathan had been taking piano, but I had come to a point where I was unsure how to move forward.

One day it dawned on me that the Lord knows what type of future they will have, so of course He knows more than I do what types of things they need to learn. All three of my boys love to draw, and I had noticed last year or so in one of the home-school catalogs that Thomas Kinkade had an art curriculum. I thought it would be great if we used his, but it was just a fleeting "maybe one day" thought. Besides the fact that I didn't want to jump into anything without praying about it. And that stuff is expensive!


I don't like to stress over things, so we started taking it to the Lord each morning during our devotions. A new friend of mine -I met doing Good News Club- called me and asked me if I would be interested in art lessons for my boys. She had bought it for her grand-daughter, but they had changed their mind about using it. She wanted to give it to me, and wouldn't take any money for it. Guess what art curriculum it was? That Thomas Kinkade set I was looking at!
 
 
I'm not saying this replaces music.  We are still praying about that.  It does give us something to which to look forward!