Homeschool Sparks


Homeschooling has been a journey for our family. I started out trying to do public school at home. It was okay for a few years, but eventually I came to the point of wondering why we were doing what we were doing, because of all the stress and frustration. About that time, my sister recommended a
book to me by Sally Clarkson, and that started a series of changes that has led us to where we are now.

We are about to begin our 12th year of homeschooling and I love the freedom and peace of mind we now have. 		 
   I finally learned that education is not learning the answers to the tests, or reading dry textbooks the government mandates, or brainwashing our kids with social "tolerance." It's not about us and what we think we can "teach."

Instead, it's about teaching them to teach themselves, becoming life-long learners. It's also about getting back to the basics and studying in the way great men like Thomas Jefferson studied. By focusing on the basics		  
  of Math, Reading and Writing, we eliminate the unnecessary, which gives time for the children to pursue what God has put in their own hearts and imaginations. It's about real life and grooming
children for what God intended them to be.

Our journey has been long and hard, but we are thankful for God's direction. We hope that by sharing these sparks, others will be spared the hard knocks we have been through, and experience the joy of seeing their children blossom.

 

"Education is not the filling of a pail,
but the lighting of a fire."
~ William Butler Yeats

  

 
Robinson Curriculum
by Art Robinson                                                                                      

Finding the Robinson Curriculum has brought peace of mind into our homeschool. It was the last step in our journey, and I wish it had been the first. To get the full scope of Dr. Robinson's philosophy, you will need to visit the website and read his writings, but we have found this resource invaluable. We don't follow all of his recommendations to the letter as far as no sugar, no computer until age 16, and no TV, but his education philosophy including science was just what we needed. A typical day will include 2 hours of Math, 2 hours of reading, and a page of writing, which can be copywork or original composition. I love not having to decide what to purchase every year and questioning what we are doing. The great news is we just graduated our oldest child and he completed high school with 29 college credits, and our second child is now accepted into college at age 15 and will be pursuing her photography degree. Self teaching works!
    ~ Patience		  


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Saxon Math
by Stephen Hake

We've tried a few different math programs over the years, including School of Tomorrow and Mathusee, but Saxon is where we've found a home. Dr. Robinson also recommends Saxon and we've found it to be very compatible  

 

with a self teaching philosophy. We start with Saxon 54 as soon as the child can read well, and knows all the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. We have all levels from 54 through Calculus. I bought them all used and got the hardback versions. I love not having to worry about buying books each year now.
    ~ Patience

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Educating the Wholehearted Child
by Clay and Sally Clarkson 

This is the book that started me on the journey to make our homeschool more than just doing public school at home. They introduced me to the concept of using real books and real life as the core leaning tools in our home. The authors talk about critical areas in making homeschooling work

for your family, including counting the cost, teaching models and methods, and learning styles. This book has been a great resource and I highly recommend it for anyone starting their homeschool or anyone who knows they need to make a change in their current homeschool.
    ~ Patience

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A Charlotte Mason Companion
by Karen Andreola

This is the second book I found very meaningful in my homeschooling journey. While I don't follow Charlotte Mason per se, I found Karen's book a valuable read. Many aspects of the Charlotte Mason philosophy fit very well with our own. Karen includes a chapter on self-education as well as many

 

other topics including nature study, living books and narration. This is a great addition to any homeschool library.
    ~ Patience

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A Thomas Jefferson Education
by Oliver Van DeMille

This is the third and final book that shaped our homeschool journey to self teaching. Again, we don't follow it exactly, but it was such a valuable resource in the process of discovering our own unique model. The author sets the stage and gives an explanation as to why this method of learning is so

important. He focuses a lot on mentoring, and while we don't read every book with every child, we are readers and we talk with our children on a regular basis. Here is another great addition to any homeschool library.
    ~ Patience

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Driver Ed in a Box

I haven’t compared a lot of Driver Ed curriculum, and honestly don’t feel like I need to search any further.  The progression of moving from classroom to parking lot to neighborhood, etc., provides a transition for 		 
the student that allows them to be prepared for what is coming next without a lot of anxiety, on the part of the student or parent either one!  Using the Instructor’s Guide and the checklist for each driving session has helped me become a better driver as well as a better teacher.  Of course it can be a little uncomfortable when your student starts correcting some of your lapses when you are behind the wheel!  I think this is worth the investment even if your child is taking Driver Ed in school. I know that this is far more comprehensive than any course I took in school.
    ~ Kevin


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"To learn to read is to light a fire; every
syllable that is spelled out is a spark."
~ Victor Hugo

  

Copyright . Kevin and Patience Constance. All rights reserved.
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