Getting Started with Homeschooling
Practical Considerations for Parents of School-Aged Children
© Beverley Paine
Index
Homeschool
Australia
Retrospective Planning
(continued)
Sections of the recordings in your exercise book can be highlighted later, perhaps in different colours, to demonstrate how learning in many traditional curriculum areas occur spontaneously in daily home life. Recording like this can easily demonstrate how many curriculum areas can be integrated very simply into normal family life with very little effort; for example cooking activities involve learning in the traditional subject areas of maths, language, science, technology and health. With a little extension, cooking can include intercultural studies, even art! From here it is easy to brainstorm activities to extend the learning opportunities occurring in everyday life. If possible, monitor a month in this way, adding structure and educational activities each week. Try re-organising your recording from a journal format to one with specific headings. These may reflect traditional school subjects, or be grouped as interests, chores and responsibilities.
After a few weeks of refining this process you will find you have evolved an educational program ‘in reverse’. The next step involves using this information and knowledge to plan ahead, perhaps just for the next month. With forward planning you won’t achieve the same detail. This isn’t necessary, as too much detail can be a waste of time. All too often the direction and pace of home schooling rapidly changes in response to changing circumstances, and learning plans become irrelevant.
The following is an example of a highlighted journal recording.
Designing and building with Lego for Sylvannian family creatures - houses, furniture and cars. Added to lay out on bedroom floor and played for a while.
Roger and Thomas got out microscopes to look at ‘stuff’. Roger realised under the lens everything is upside down and back to front. Generated some discussion and explanation with Robin. Grandparents phoned. Tony has prostrate cancer - Robin researched our health books and explained it to all of us. Made get well cards.
Six baby guinea pigs born today!
April and Roger decided to draw up house plans for Roger. We got out ‘Great Circles’ (dome construction). We discussed diameters and radius and height, also council regulations. I explained ‘pavilion’ style of house design. Buildings/rooms need to be less than six metres squared to avoid needing council approval. Can be joined by pergolas and gardens. Introduced hexagon building idea. Robin explained how to work out area of hexagon and from this we deduced the radius.
We watched an interesting program about computer hacking which impressed us and generated some discussion. Then we watched the video ‘Speed’. Talked about special effects.
It is easy to see from this example how a busy life of interest, and play, leads to much learning occurring in the home. Being on hand to extend the learning opportunities, mostly by explanation, discussion and conversation, and taking the children’s activities and questions seriously, is an important aspect of your children’s learning program.
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Excerpt from Getting Started with Homeschooling, Practical Considerations
© Beverley Paine, 1997
