Health & Fitness
Homeschooling Tip: Ask Your Kids What's Working
Kids are the best indicator of what's working, or not, in the homeschool classroom. They feel more responsible when they are asked their opinions and have some control over what they learn.
Several weeks of homeschooling are now in the rear view mirror. We are still adjusting and making changes as we go, but for the most part I believe the girls have adjusted to the 4-day school week and later start to the academic day. I sure have...an extra hour of sleep can make a huge difference in my mood and productivity level.
Last week I came across a recommendation for K.I.S.S. Grammar on one of the homeschool group forums. I thought: "Oooh, another free resource! I can't wait to try it." Once I reviewed some of the lessons online, I thought it would be a great program for us to use so I downloaded a unit for both girls (3rd and 6th grades). I knew that if we used this particular curriculum, I would actually have to assume a 'teacher' role because there is a lot of material covered in each unit. Wednesday when I told the girls that we were transitioning to our Grammar lesson, one of them audibly sighed and mumbled something. I took that not-so-subtle obvious sign as an opportunity to ask them whether they liked it. NEWSFLASH: It is o.k. to ask your kids what's working with regard to curriculum, content, and the manner in which you go about your homeschool day. Both girls said it was just too much and a little confusing, even with me teaching it. I'm a little biased because of my background in Special Education but....there is a lot of content presented at one time and not always in the clearest manner. Again, I knew I would have to teach this but I didn't think the girls would be turned off by it.
While I am not going to abandon it completely (it is a comprehensive Grammar curriculum), we are going to try the Growing With Grammar and Soaring With Spelling curricula for next week. The creators of those lessons provide a free download on their webs site. We will also continue with our Dolch sight word lessons, where the girls receive ten new words each week for which they write a definition and sentences using at least two words in each. They also create vocabulary flip cards to help them learn both the words and definitions. They enjoy making the cards and quizzing each other throughout the week. If you are interested in using sight words for older kids, simply Google 'Dolch sight words +' whatever grade you would like to find.