Homeschooling your child?

[2ppaamm]

I believe any syllabus from any education system is great, if we as parents execute them properly. I mix and try a bunch of stuff from various institutions. Here they are:


I started homeschooling DD1 when she was 4 years old. She was doing K-2 (Kindergarten to Grade 2) work. She was already picking up books from Popular and wanted to do them, so I decided to enrol her in a homeschool system (CLASS http://www.homeschools.org/whatIsCLASS/index.html) and took her through one year. That was in year 2001.

DD2 was homeschooled when I took her out of Primary 5 in her school. Both DD1 and DD2 wanted to travel and do sports that year and I wanted to support them on that. Nevertheless, the school teacher dissuaded me from homeschooling DD1 because it was her PSLE year and told me she would have missed out a lot. She was in her school's top class, and I wasn't sure what she would have missed, but in any case, she missed out a few good sports trips that DD2 went on. That was in year 2008.

Last year, I homeschooled DD2, DS2 and DS3 when we all left to join the older kids overseas while the latter do their university courses. In 6 months, DD2 completed her pre-university studies and will be starting university this year. She mostly self-directed her own studies, which included preparing for standardized exams meant for 18 year olds. She just turned 14.

DS2 was P5 last year, so should be taking PSLE this year, but we will be skipping that. He too will be starting university studies this year.

DS3 is only 8. I use the Singapore system for Maths, Chinese and Science (just like all my other children). In July last year, I started the syllables with P2 Maths again (even though he was already more advanced), then we moved on to P3, P4 and P5 Maths whenever we feel that he has learnt the materials. There is little frustration (unlike in school), no judgmental remarks from teachers, and he gets to finish his work fast and progress to what he likes, like going out to play or have a game of monopoly, or do art for an extended period. He gets to do a lot more art than in school, he loves calligraphy. Maths take 45 minutes a day.

For Chinese, I just follow the Singapore pace, about 1 chapter every 2 weeks. He does the P3 books this year. To achieve this, we spend about 20 minutes a day on Chinese.

For Science, I cover the school books, but we feel those are limited. We use our encyclopedia a lot, the internet and Youtube to find resources and enrichment. For example, when we studied classification, we went all the way to research on species and taxonomic rank (which is covered in high school/Pre-U), when we studied about earth, we covered geography, oceans, seas, continents and some history. All because it is fun, and not because it is required in the syllabus. We make videos and animation together after learning all these, mostly full of pranks and unrelated cartoons just for fun (not the serious, serious type that you have to do in school). Science also takes 45 minutes a day.

For English, I find the Singapore books quite poor, so I don't really use them. I divide English into Grammar, Vocab, Writing and Reading. Grammar - I use \"First Aid in English\" for every kid, they normally cover this in P1 to P3. Vocab, I use vocabulary cartoons meant for SAT takers ('A' levels), For Writing, I use http://time4writing.com/. For reading, I have small assignments (one or two books) for him to achieve everyday, and he writes a small book review at the end which just takes 10-15 minutes normally. We spend 30 minutes on vocab, and 15 minutes on writing assignments and then however long he likes for reading.

There! My simple homeschool system. Some good days, some bad days (mostly when I am busy). I also work full-time, so it is great that my daughters have taken over some of the monitoring from me. Now that 3 of them are already in the uni, only the 2 smaller kids need some monitoring. The teacher's job is to assign the work, and I set the syllabus and determine the sequence of work to be done. There's no fixed target how much must be finished in a year or day, we move according to what the child wants to do. Sometimes, we cover more, somedays, we cover less. On the average, my kids move 3-4 grades a year using this methodology, with lots of enrichment and fun.

For social, I bring the younger kids for sports 3-4 times a week and the older kids do their sports 5-6 times a week. The older kids are all national representatives in their sports now, so they travel with their teams overseas, go for training camps, and sports clinics. I no longer tag along with the older kids. For the younger ones, DH and I still make sure we arrange play dates and maintain birthday parties.

For art, I cover calligraphy (because I do this myself), animation and anime drawings. My daughter has become really good at still life and she has offered to teach the younger ones. DS2 has become really good at animation with the Nintendo DS, so he does them a lot. DS3 also won an award last year for his sculptures, so it is a pleasant surprise.

For music, I only have time to nurture them on the keyboard, so all of them do the same instrument. All the first 4 children finished their grade 8s at 10 or 11. For the little one who is doing grade 5, DD2 (with a diploma) is the teacher, she spends 1 hour with him, to cover 2 bars of music and 1 scale a day.

After grade 8, most of my kids pick up another instrument of passion mostly without teachers. DS1 took up clarinet and guitar, DD1 voice, DD2 voice and now asking for violin, DS2 - nothing.

I also cover the Bible on a daily basis, still using the CLASS books. We spend about 15-20 minutes on this everyday.

Other enrichment: My children all bake cakes. I don't have a proper syllabus though I think I might come up with one this year. We bake about once in 2 months together. For the next 2 months, my girls will be making their own summer dresses.

My girls do the laundry in the house, the boys vacuum. They all have to wash their own toilets if they want to have a clean one to sit on. They change their own bedsheets. I iron clothes, and cooking is split between the girls and I. We have no maid.

I am no expert in homeschooling, I just do what makes sense for my kids. I believe any system you adopt should not stifle a child academically, and when they want to move on to more difficult things, we should never delay, something totally in opposition to any education system. I don't believe in 'age appropriate material'. I believe a kid should lead in a learning process, so I let them do what they want, but first they must cover a sensible requirement or syllabus, they cover their 'staple' quickly in a day, and then move on to do what they have passion for. For passion, different kids have different definition : Maths, computer programming, art, animation, playing the piano, or just sitting there doing nothing. I believe a kid should not be sitting down 6 hours a day in school and spend half of that being scolded or watching others being scolded. My kids do not spend more than 2 hours on their academic work daily. I also believe kids should be outdoors and not kept inside, this is to protect their health and eyesight. So all my kids do their sports diligently with discipline.

A note on the times. I set the times and ensure that is never exceeded. For example, even though his piano lesson is 1 hour, he normally finishes in 20 minutes, that's fine. His Maths is 45 minutes, but if he cannot finish the 5 pages he is allocated, I take note of how much he can do (e.g. 4 pages) and reduce the workload to 4 pages going forward. That way, we tailor the pace the child moves through his grades. It is important never to 'cheat' on the time (that is cheat on your kid by asking him to do more!). I believe that if you do that, you'll take away his trust in you, and the passion he has for any topic. That is too much of a trade off. I prefer to raise a motivated, enthusiastic kid than a walking head-knowledge genius. :imcool:

I also make my little boy a booklet to let him keep track of his own progress and inform him of what is expected of him. The goals (set by him) are clear, and the progression of his work is also clear. He also collect his stars from his teachers (either my daughters or I) and puts them on this same booklet. If he collects all his stars for the day, he gets money to buy hot cocoa at the sports center when he goes for sports or he can walk down to 7-11 for a slushy if we are in Singapore. Something he really likes. Though done in a fun way, this is our little 'contract', curriculum book, and the teachers' (my daughters') guidelines when I am not around to monitor.

Hope this helps!

[buds]

:udawoman: 2ppaamm.. :please:


There's generally more time for fun, play, sports n aesthetics (music), plus other life skills tt many educators/parents find mundane or highly unimportant. Delegating work for the elder siblings provides fantastic opportunities to ground the family together n encourage responsibility towards the home n family members.

There's much to learn as they grow.

:goodpost: as always 2ppaamm... :celebrate:

PS. My girls are learning to knit n I'm trying to expose them to more Science experiments.

[buds]

deminc:

I have a child in primary school school and one in kindergarten. For us, homeschooling is according to the children's needs and if the children adapt well to school and are happy to go, they go. If there are issues that cannot be resolved, we will explore other options.


The problem with primary school level is the gap between the curriculum and the actual tests, plus marking styles. Even school going children have that problem - just look at the threads on local education. You can only use moe material as a baseline guide.

It is important to know why you are homeschooling and your educational goals for your children. This may sound silly, but you need clear goals and priorities to develop your roadmap. For example, parents who homeschool for religious values can choose from curriculums tailored for that, together with MOE syllabus. Others have particular learning philosophies that they are following, there are also materials geared for these. Those with special needs children will get materials developed for these children and adapt certain moe materials. Those with high ability children can do a lot of enrichment and skip most moe materials, and just get the children to practice test taking skills occasionally.

All these presume that the children are cooperative and learn well with you. The truth is there will be good days and bad days. A primary school going child is more opinionated. Managing expectations all round, including those of friends and family, is part of the challenge.

Would I homeschool in the primary school years? If my child feels strongly about it, I will. It has to be as much his decision as it is mine, and it must be initiated by him. I'm just here to support him in finding his true calling and gaining the skills to fulfill them.

:goodpost: deminc!

[2ppaamm]

buds:

:udawoman: 2ppaamm.. :please:


There's generally more time for fun, play, sports n aesthetics (music), plus other life skills tt many educators/parents find mundane or highly unimportant. Delegating work for the elder siblings provides fantastic opportunities to ground the family together n encourage responsibility towards the home n family members.

There's much to learn as they grow.

:goodpost: as always 2ppaamm... :celebrate:

PS. My girls are learning to knit n I'm trying to expose them to more Science experiments.

My girls wanted to learn to knit but I have no skill in that, so I asked them to find a book to do that. I think knitting is a great skill as well! It is nice to knit something for yourself/family member. Nicest gift ever.

I find the lost 'woman skills' so important. Cooking, baking, and sewing. Since they are 'lost' having them makes the kids feel special and 'able'. Everybody can study, not everybody knows how to cook and sew. The reverse has come! My daughters love to learn these over studying anytime, and I think they are more important to learn than learning to be a human walking calculator.

[Chenonceau]

2ppaamm:

It is important never to 'cheat' on the time (that is cheat on your kid by asking him to do more!). I believe that if you do that, you'll take away his trust in you, and the passion he has for any topic. That is too much of a trade off. I prefer to raise a motivated, enthusiastic kid than a walking head-knowledge genius. :imcool:

This is important. Even if you cheat a little bit, they'll know. I err on the side of taking away work. Never adding more. I'll trade content coverage any time for trust... as well as happy moments.

Funny thing though is that when you take care of these, the kid takes care of content coverage.

[corneyAmber]

2ppaamm:

I find the lost 'woman skills' so important. Cooking, baking, and sewing. Since they are 'lost' having them makes the kids feel special and 'able'. Everybody can study, not everybody knows how to cook and sew. The reverse has come! My daughters love to learn these over studying anytime, and I think they are more important to learn than learning to be a human walking calculator.

When I was young, I only knew how to \"study\"(as in only manage school life mainly) and my traditional mum was deeply concerned that I could not do girly stuff. However, I learned how to do all the 'woman skills' naturally because of the \"study\", I could pick up cooking, baking, sewing, knitting, crocheting....etc... the science and common sense acquired allowed me to do that....at least good enough to run a household efficiently and run small parties with family and friends. So when these skills become easier to pick up, it can be therapeutic and I enjoy them thoroughly as well. It is nice to be able to knit vests for hubby and sweaters for kids. In the past, some of these may be regarded as required \"womanly skills\" but now they are all my hobbies... see the difference?

[schweppes]

2ppaamm:

I find the lost 'woman skills' so important. Cooking, baking, and sewing. Since they are 'lost' having them makes the kids feel special and 'able'. Everybody can study, not everybody knows how to cook and sew.

Sad but true. And because these skills are gradually lost, ppl will outsource.

[jermainet]

I think that it’s better to send your kids to a proper school, they can interact with other children rather than home schooling them (maybe not be as sufficient)

[cnimed]

There is no clear cut case. The decision depends on your child, family lifestyle and needs, and level of commitment. Successful Homeschooling takes sacrifices. It’s not a decision that families make on a whim. A decision to homeschool is also a commitment to give up a certain amount of income, and to devote that particular year to the child. Homeschooling parents have very little me time. School would have been the easier short term solution for many.

[2ppaamm]

ksi:

2ppaamm:

I find the lost 'woman skills' so important. Cooking, baking, and sewing. Since they are 'lost' having them makes the kids feel special and 'able'. Everybody can study, not everybody knows how to cook and sew. The reverse has come! My daughters love to learn these over studying anytime, and I think they are more important to learn than learning to be a human walking calculator.

When I was young, I only knew how to \"study\"(as in only manage school life mainly) and my traditional mum was deeply concerned that I could not do girly stuff. However, I learned how to do all the 'woman skills' naturally because of the \"study\", I could pick up cooking, baking, sewing, knitting, crocheting....etc... the science and common sense acquired allowed me to do that....at least good enough to run a household efficiently and run small parties with family and friends. So when these skills become easier to pick up, it can be therapeutic and I enjoy them thoroughly as well. It is nice to be able to knit vests for hubby and sweaters for kids. In the past, some of these may be regarded as required \"womanly skills\" but now they are all my hobbies... see the difference?

Yes, I see the difference! The other day, I was upset with my girls because their walk-in wardrobes were untidy, and I am quite a neat freak so I wanted them to neaten that up. So the next time I saw the wardrobe, it was not only neat but color coded. I was surprised and wondered how they managed to do that, because I don't even know how to do that. They had gone to youtube and learnt how to pack a walk-in properly. Education does enhances, and they stand on my shoulders when it comes to wardrobes packing!

During our days, housework and all these skills like clothes making, baking, cooking and homemaking were part of our duties at home, even if we do not do them day-in, day-out, at least I had to chip in even though we had a black and white maid. She made me do the mopping. Nowadays, our children had these tasks assigned to maids, maids who have much less 'authority' then my old maid. So these become much less second nature. Even sweeping the floor has to be taught to my girls! It was second nature to most girls my generation.

Also, during our days, our home econs classes were a little different. I was shocked that the teachers actually measured all the ingredients and prepared everything for the girls and they just throw them in. We had to learn how to measure properly and cook from scratch. Same for sewing, I cannot make up what my girls sew in home econs class, but I vividly remember I sewed skirts and blouses I could wear to parties when I was Sec 1.

I am also concerned from watching 'modern' women these days (even those with not that much education) who believe that just because they bring home a pay, it is not their task to cook a simple meal for the kids. My nephew and niece feed on McDonald's exclusively and their mum has never cooked in the 10+ years of marriage. It is ok for some families but I don't like that. As a mother, I want to do my part in imparting proper skills to my girls, so that when they leave this house, I have done my job. Even if they manage to get great maids and choose not to have these hobbies, I have done my duty as a mother. Yes, they are hobbies, but great skills to boot as well.