Curriculum

This was wrote in my daily journal back in April:
My decision for this year’s curriculum was very difficult. There were so many good options for the boys out there, however, I find most very repetitive of what we have covered and what they have learned on their own. Surprising enough they have taught themselves more than I ever could of covered. I often find things that I decide to cover have very little interest to them so they grasp some of it but very little. When it comes to what they like I watch them drowned themselves in the subject – from reading, watching videos, DVD’s, listening to CDs, Making books, drawing pictures, playing computer, play station, board games and outdoor play.

The problem is that Kody’s intense interest in one thing seems to revolve around one thing what seems forever – the middle ages for a year and a half – of course I under stand that this could turn out to be a life long interest. But I would love for him to find other areas that he is just as passionate about. He has settled into eras of history and major wars and weapons broadly but noting as specific as he did with the middle ages. He has shown a serious interest in cooking in the last year and says he has a desire to perhaps become a chef in the future.

Collin for the most part seems to be coasting on Kody’s coat tails. I mean he does what ever Kody does and nothing really of his own choosing. He soon becomes board with what is being done and walks away. He has an extreme interest in building things, how mechanical things are put together, scrapbooking, and repairing broken things –these are areas that Kody has no interest in. Collin has very little interest in learning how to read, which at his age (10) I believe he should be, however I know every child is different and I could be wrong on this.

Joseph is still too young to truly find his serious interests of life. He is the typical little five years old. Digs in the dirt, collects nature objects, plays with the dog, and picks flowers. He is, however, showing a growing interest over the last couple of years for bugs and birds of any kind. He will find a bug of sorts and simply watch it for a very long time – then tell me what it had done. He will catch one and study it with a hand lens and try to draw and color it exact and when he can’t get it, it upsets him and he asks for help. He is very interested in their detail and colors. He does the same with birds but he’s not so obsessed. He also likes to take flowers apart to see how they are put together. He use to think they were all the same but by taking them apart he has learned that they may be similar but each type is different. All this on his own! He has not had any formal learning except in the area of basic math and some letter sounds.

All the boys are interested in any type of scientific experiment. Their handwriting is somewhat legible but very messy and spelling is horrid. The older two have finally memorized multiplication tables (I know some say this isn’t important to stress, however, I find that as math goes on- to have this in your memory bank as soon as possible makes it much, much easier and less frustrating for the child.) Each child is on above grade level with math but need help to get there with their language skills. This will be a major point in their goals for this year. We all have benefited from a more relaxed method of schooling than the gota’ get this done today that we have followed in the past. Home education is truly a less is more thing – at least for us. The boys retain so much more when given time alone with a subject to let it simmer for awhile.