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 A homeschool "room"??
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garliclady
True Blue Farmgirl

274 Posts


Reidsville NC
274 Posts

Posted - Jan 27 2006 :  09:40:21 AM  Show Profile
I am in the planning stages of starting my son in homeschool (he is 4) We already do some stuff but most of it is "play".
I wondered where you homeschoolers "have school" do You have a special place or room for homeschool? Right now we work in our kitchen /dinning area / den (where our only TV is). This is ok for now because every thing we do now is short and is mostly during his sister's (19mos) nap time. But as we start in reading and writing math I feel this room will be to distracting.

home many of you have a school room or area? Do I need to think about finding another space?? I know we will not always stay in the class room if I have one because we will have learning experinces on the farm and other places but I feel we will need to have a central location for school stuff and someplace quite
Any input and opinions woulld be appreciated
The Garlic Lady


Cornerstone Garlic Farm http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=6792
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/

Rebekka Mae
True Blue Farmgirl

965 Posts

Rebekka
Moscow ID
USA
965 Posts

Posted - Jan 27 2006 :  2:58:49 PM  Show Profile
This is written by my homeschooling mentor Marsha Johnson- she runs a great Waldorf homeschoolers yahoo group and gave the following advice for homeschooling parents and for young childrens play areas- also use tall wooden bookshelves for storage and hang simple light colored cotton or silk curtains across so that you can keep some things hidden- toys, shells, yarn, dolls, chestnuts, etc. in small baskets on the low shelves where the kids can get them during play or counting time - Your books and art supplies up higher. This will help keep the area looking tidy and if you are short on space this would be good to hide things away when not in use (so that the dining room can again be the dining room or whatever) please no TV in the learning space (or really anywhere on a daily basis), warm living wall colors- lazure painting (try a google search to see what I mean)!!
Please feel free to email me for more info on any of this. I am also a traditionally credentialed teacher so if I can answer any questions about meeting state standards, good lesson plans, etc once you are there (several years still).
Good luck and Blessings on your homeschool, Rebekka

"Children's Space

The less the better......keep it simple and add some nice elements
for the imaginary....silks at the windows to shift in the wind and
create color spots...baskets, natural items, stay away from the
plastic craziness that is gulping our natural resources...a nice
table with little chairs is good, too, a play house or doll house or
barn is fun, simple wooden items that can be so many many
things....keep it to a minimum so the clean up is easy and the
children can use the spaces interchangable, you can visit a Waldorf K
to get an idea, often there are clean open spaces, lots of pink, a
few toys, blocks, a dolly or mini home area...play kitchens are
popular, too. A few child safe plants..

With a little one, you have to be so aware of choking hazards so maybe
in the closet, special toys like a game or two, you can take out on
certain times to play with the four year old....special is good!

Marsha"




Finally Remember- Kindergarten is all about replicating a good home environment, play time, rhythym, work time with Mama, cleaning, making bread, resting, etc. Your child learns through imitation what people do in the world- not through flashcards, computer games, etc. As you continue this journey of education don't wake them up to early, tell stories out loud without books to ensure a love of literature, give the kids time outside to discover nature (it sounds like you do this already!) and leave them to play games where they try out adult roles. Children learn best through experience and not through books at a young age and so enjoy your daily groove together and work slowly toward more formal homeschooling as you child turns 6 maybe even 7.

Edited by - Rebekka Mae on Jan 27 2006 3:09:08 PM
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garliclady
True Blue Farmgirl

274 Posts


Reidsville NC
274 Posts

Posted - Jan 27 2006 :  8:32:42 PM  Show Profile
Rebekka
I too have my teacher's certificate and taught for many years. I am comfortable with teaching , it is the other things like where to have school that I am tring to think about ahead of time. I am still looking at all the curriculums out there. My son is ready for some prereading (he knows his alphabet and recognizes a few sight words he picked up on his own) He learned to spell and recognize his name printed out yesterday. But he is not ready for writing. We do activities pasting, coloring, cutting. Right now it is fun time at the kitchen table. But with cooking ,laundry ect going on in the same area I am thinking later of using our dining room, a room rarely used.
Thanks for your input.

Cornerstone Garlic Farm http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=6792
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/
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Rebekka Mae
True Blue Farmgirl

965 Posts

Rebekka
Moscow ID
USA
965 Posts

Posted - Jan 28 2006 :  10:30:23 AM  Show Profile
The dining room sounds fine- maybe you dould have a special shelf for you school things and one for the childrens school things- or an armoire. I have seen a very nice way to do shelves up high on the wall with baskets, aluminum bins or cloth bins to keep everything tidy. It would be great to put this room to daily use for your family- wonderful! Good luck and have fun!
Rebekka
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl

2348 Posts

Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area Texas
2348 Posts

Posted - Feb 02 2006 :  05:21:56 AM  Show Profile
Garliclady, welcome to a new and wonderful world of homeschooling!

Rebekka has given some great advice and ideas. I agree with all of it....lots of creativity stuff, "homes" for the items, colorful, hands on...

You are doing just fine with all the things you currently do with him. I know you want to do the best for him and there are so many wonderful curriculums out there that get your attention. The temptation to set up formal school is so great. Try not to give in to too much formality yet. There is more than enough time for worksheets and text studies.

Many homeschoolers take a more laid back approach. Exposing your son and training him in your every day life is more than ample at this time. Just having things available for him to play with will provide him the opportunity for exploration, problem solving, and fun. Too many times we homeschoolers make childhood unfun because we're trying to teach latin and world history all before they're 7.

Relax, you're his mom and God has given him to you.....you, with all your own interests and skills. God has equipped you to give him just what he needs. Don't try to duplicate what another homeschooler does....it probably isn't what's right for you.

We've homeschooled for 10 years and now that my oldest is starting 9th grade stuff, we are getting more serious about formal and structured learning. All these past years have been about establishing a firm foundation in basic skills....math, reading, writing and research skills. I can honestly tell you that I have not "actively" taught my oldest in a few years. Once the skills were there, she has taken on learning in her own way. Now that high school credits are important, we're more structured with more textbooks to meet the criteria of an upper level education.

If you will feel better about having some structure, perhaps do themes. For example, one month can be all about bugs. The books you check out from the library can be about bugs. All of his learning is around that one theme....going outside and finding bugs, identifying bugs, drawing bugs, naming the parts of the body, counting how many bugs he can find, how many different, how many of the same kind, colors, etc.... Some of it you can direct and most of it he can self direct. You just give him the 'topic' and provide the resources and he will do what he does naturally.....read, look at pics, explore, etc....By the end of that month or week he will have gained a lot of knowledge and had a lot of fun. Plus, you can document each subject...
math-----counting, classifying
science--life, bugs, classifying, nature
art------drawing, colors
reading--picture books, reading aloud to him
writing--allowing him to narrate his picture and you write it down or let him "write" on his own
social studies----why are people scared of bugs?

Another approach is to have a letter a week. For example, the letter C can be the focus. You can study cats, crocodiles, cookies, cakes, California, Cat In The Hat, etc... Cookies are great...bake, count, eat!! Buy store chocolate chip cookies and count how many chips each cookie has, then have him estimate about how many are in each cookie, ie....each cookie has about 10 chips. You've now done higher level math....averaging!!

When I was a kindergarten teacher, we studied a letter and a number and a 'theme' each week. Hey, with letters, you know you have the next 26 weeks covered!

I have two suggestions...
1. Buy the book "Charlotte Mason Companion, Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning" by Karen Andreola. Very encouraging in the direction of allowing children to learn hands on and freely through nature, life experiences, and living books.

2. Look at the "Five in a Row" unit study type curriculum. It's a guide on how to study specific children's books. For example, one of the first books you read is "The story about Ping" The book is read together for five days in a row (hence, the title) Each day you choose something different to learn about. The first day you might choose to learn about ducks, then about China, you'll look at the illustrator's drawings and discuss art and have him draw, you can learn about fisherman in your area, etc.... By the end of the 5 days, that book has come alive. Some 6 years later, my daughters still remember each book we read and what we learned. Incredible! The best thing is you get to curl up on the sofa with your little one and snuggle while you read together.

Just enjoy him and have fun. He will learn most about life from being in your shadow.

Blessings
Catherine

One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt."
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McKenzie Mist
Farmgirl in Training

41 Posts

Bev
Walterville Oregon
USA
41 Posts

Posted - Feb 02 2006 :  8:31:55 PM  Show Profile
Welcome Garliclady!
We've home schooled for the past 12 years, using our kitchen table as "base camp". It is there that the little ones practiced penmanship, and worked on their grammar and math assignments. Most chilly winter days, the girls chose to curl up on the couch in front of the woodstove to do their reading assignments. As they grew older, they were drawn to the office where they worked on their writing and math assignments (partly because they utilize a computer for some of those assignments), but when they have reading assignments, you'll still find them kicked back in a recliner in the living room near the woodstove! As spring arrives and we have some warm, sunny days you will sometimes find them sprawled on a blanket outside in our yard with a pile of books alongside them. Here, they can enjoy the warmth of the sun, watch the lambs bounce across the field, and hear the birds sing. A more pleasant learning environment would be hard to find! Our eldest is in her second year of college now and has commented that she believes that our relaxed atmosphere taught her to be able to study practically anywhere she goes. Many of her co-students that hail from a traditional classroom approach seem to need to be sitting at a desk in order to concentrate, and can't believe how she can focus while curled up on a sofa in the lobby of the student center in between classes. LOL

In a nutshell, the answer to your question "where do you have school" is: AT HOME! We finished off our basement when we started home schooling and made a large playroom/family room that is lined with bookcases. It would have been easy to set this area up as a classroom but that didn't fit our lifestyle. The approach that we have taken has worked well for us but each family is unique. Please don't compare your family with other home schoolers that you know, and please don't feel like you must have a classroom setting for learning to be effective. Relax and enjoy this precious season. Learning will occur ANYWHERE there is love, inquisitiveness, and patience. Enjoy!
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abbasgurl
True Blue Farmgirl

1262 Posts

Rhonda

USA
1262 Posts

Posted - Feb 02 2006 :  10:52:30 PM  Show Profile
We used to have a little giftshop on our farm & when it closed, it became our one room schoolhouse. It was so adorable and soooo not practical! LOL I soon found that although the distractions were few, it was inconvenient in nearly every other way. Later when we moved into a bigger house we designed it with a "schoolroom". Our beautiful organized room met the same sad fate. Live & learn. :) No matter where we started, we always seemed to end up at the big oak farm table that is the center of our home. In the afternoons we settle into comfy chairs for family reading time. I agree wholeheartedly with McKensie Mist above. The space doesn't matter so much as what is going on there.

...and I will sing at the top of my lungs, and I will dance, even if I'm the only one!
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl

2348 Posts

Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area Texas
2348 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2006 :  05:53:44 AM  Show Profile
Bev and Rhonda are right....learning takes place anywhere. We're a lot like Bev....we are often outside on a blanket or curled up on the sofas. I agree with Bev's oldest....she learned to study anywhere. When I cared for my grandmother, my girls had to be flexible and do their work in emergency rooms and hospital rooms. I'll find mine reading up in a tree, in the hay with the goat or in the chicken coop with chicks on their shoulders.

Our "school room" has 4 walls of books and supplies. So, there is a central place of storage for everything but isn't a traditional set up for schooling. This room also houses our computer, 4 sewing machines and all our crafting / sewing stuff. It's the messiest room in the house!!

Blessings
Catherine

One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt."
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garliclady
True Blue Farmgirl

274 Posts


Reidsville NC
274 Posts

Posted - Feb 20 2006 :  05:46:50 AM  Show Profile
Thanks for all the ideas. I have moved 3 rooms of furiture around. We really like the new arrangement. The dinning room will be our catch-all room. Where we can keep homeschool stuff and exercise equipment . I took down our dinning room table that seemed to be only there to collect things that need to be put away. If we have Christmas dinner at our house (the only time the table was eatten on) we can easily put it back up. The dinning room is now lined with book shelves and also will also hold my plant stand for a couple months while we start plants. We will probably later put a computer in the dinning room too. We probably will have school all over the house but I am glad we have one place for stuff and if we are working own projects that need to be on a table for a while we can set up one of our farmers market folding tables in there, so we can eat on the kitchen table.
Thanks for the ideas
The garlic lady

Cornerstone Garlic Farm http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&ext=1&groupid=140532&ck=
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/
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