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Our Approach to Homeschooling

The next step of my great adventure is to figure out what method of homeschooling will work best for our family. There are so many theories floating out there in cyberspace and probably even more within the confines of individual homes and communities. I had planned on putting short (and probably poor) descriptions of some of the most popular methods, but instead I thought I'd just focus on what we are going to do.

I was really pleased to learn through my research about the Charlotte Mason Method. It focuses on educating children as whole persons. Atmosphere is important as children absorb information from what is going on around them. Discipline in forming good habits is essential. Academics should be "living" and not just dry facts. Experience of the world around them should be crucial to a child's development.

Another method that really appeals to me is the idea of Classical Education or the Trivium. This theory is based off the idea that there are three stages of learning. The Grammar stage (1st-4th grades) teaches children facts. The Dialectic stage (5th-8th grades) teaches reasoning. Finally the Rhetoric stage (9th-12th grades) teaches self-thought and expression all the while using great books to accomplish these purposes. Since I was blessed to be in a Great Books program in college, I've really wanted to introduce my children to great authors early on. The Well-Trained Mind is an excellent resource for this method.

I really think that a mix of these would be a great. I stumbled across a book at the library that attempts to weave the thoughts together that I'm looking forward to reading called For the Love of Learning. However, it seems that I can't really begin to use the Classical Education approach to its full potential until my son is in first grade. Thankfully, Charlotte Mason advocates Great Books too, so my son will still be exposed to good literature before he is six years old.

The thought behind Charlotte Mason's theory really appeals to me for the preschool mind. Children at this age aren't prepared for formal learning, but it is also a key time in their development for establishing habits and setting a foundation for what will come next. I'm excited to read a compilation from Charlotte's Original Homeschooling Series called The Early Years: A Charlotte Mason Preschool Handbook. I have yet to finish it, but it is definitely helping me form a better idea of what I want to accomplish with my son this next year.

This is exciting and scary at the same time since my preschooler's mind is somewhat of a blank slate. It's exciting because he doesn't have any concept yet of formal education, and I (hopefully!) can show him a love for learning. However, it is very scary since this mama is going to have to be sensitive and aware to his particular learning style as we go along. What I might think is the best way to learn might not be what is actually best for him. I may change what method I use as we go along. We shall see. This is an adventure, after all.

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