Summer 2009 January 2009 - Home Education Association

Issue 1
February 09
It has been said "it takes a village
to raise a child." Stepping Stones
for Home Educators is the 'village'
to which all the members of the
Home Education Association of
Australia belong.
Welcome to our village! At the
heart of our village are our homes.
Rich in resources and skill these
homes create a vibrant community
in which our children are born,
grow and thrive. Together our
homes form a wonderful village,
full of opportunities and support
for everyone!
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From the Editor
Feature: Back to Homeschool
Feature: Relax, this is HOMEschool
The Post Office: connecting with fellow home-educators
The Bakery: the place to share tasty treats
The Discovery Centre: exploring science together
Sizzling Summer Science
The Farm: gardening, animals, pets and nature
What is Nature Journalling?
The Library: all things literary
Poems
A Read-Aloud Life
Six Billion Stories
The Art Gallery: art lessons and masterpieces
Degas: Master of French Art
Village TLC: sharing tips for nurturing health & wellbeing
My Well-being Journal
Top Ten Health Tips for Kids
Putting the Soul back into Education
The Museum: history and the world around us
Curriculum Review - History Alive
Collectors Corner
The Internet Café: wandering the world-wide web
Our Favourite Websites
Paul Newman’s Birthday
Our Children, Our Times
The Village Square: a place to meet and share ideas
What is the Difference between a Job and a Vocation?
Why I’m a Member of HEA
Do You Mind Map?
How to get the most from being in a Homeschool Group
How to Choose the Best Curriculum for your Family
Around the BBQ: where home-ed dads gather
An Unauthorised Guide…
The Town Hall: community events
The Great Resource Suggestion Challenge
The Village Market: buying, selling and classifieds
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It is my great pleasure to launch Stepping Stones for Home Educators, a bi-monthly online
magazine for HEA members. Some of you may remember the title: for a decade Grace
Chapman produced and published an excellent magazine that nourished the hearts and
minds of home educators across Australia. I was there in the early days, eagerly waiting for
my copy and exchanging letters through the magazine with families who felt as passionately
as I did about teaching our children at home. I became a regular writer for Grace, and later
for Eleanor Sparks and Education Choices, continuing that contact.
Stepping Stones for Home Educators also renews the tradition of an online magazine begun
with Australian Home Education Magazine, produced by Janelle Hardy and the HEA many
years ago. This is YOUR magazine and we want you to fill it with your words, your comments, thoughts, feelings, worries, doubts and passion for home educating in Australia!
Beverley Paine, Editor
“Stepping
When I first published Stepping Stones for Home Educators my intention was to
help my extended family and friends understand and value what I believed to be
the best form of education for my family. I published 10 copies of a 16 page
‘newsletter’ and gave it to the people concerned. They asked me for more so I
published another edition 3 months later.
That publication grew to be one of Australia’s leading quarterly publications on
homeschooling, its mission being to stimulate, inform, support and encourage
families to overcome their fears regarding breaking away from the mainstream
and to value what they could do for their family’s education. Notice I don’t say
what they could do for their children? That’s because home based learning is
education for the whole family.
Stones for Home
Educators
renews the
tradition of an
Australian
online
magazine ....”
After almost ten years, I had to let go of SSHED because its demands had grown enormously so had our family business and so had our teenage children. As their facilitator, I
was struggling for time to concentrate on the family’s needs. My heart was genuinely
warmed by the lovely contact I had with families all over Australia and I was reluctant to let
go. I was relieved to know that Education Choices would carry on where SSHED left off.
Knowing that this new publication has been launched, with the same name and with a similar mission, I feel confident that home based learners will continue to be stimulated, informed, supported and encouraged to do what they believe is right for their family. Happy
families mean happy communities.
May you, the people in the field, know the highs and lows of taking the responsibility of your
education in your own hands. Our eldest child is 20 now- and we – my whole family and
friends are ecstatic with the outcomes. Take the plunge and support each other whole heartedly. Be united across Australia with this new publication, give it your heart and mind and it
will serve you well.
Grace Chapman, Atherton QLD
Stepping Stones for Home Educators produced and distributed
by the Home Education Association Inc. 4 Bruce St, Stanmore NSW 2048 © 2008 All rights reserved.
Editorial Team: Beverley Paine, Bernie Meyers, Saani Bennetts
Design and Layout: Saani Bennetts
Proofreaders: Sharyn Grebert, Jim Bullard, Emma Buenen
Cover Artwork: Ellyse Brown, Perth, WA
Contributions:
HEA members are welcome to
submit articles and items for
publication in Stepping Stones
for Home Educators. Please
email Beverley Paine,
editor@hea.asn.au
for a copy of the Submission
Guidelines and Style Guide.
Original photographs and artwork used with permission.
ISSN
Content within this magazine is information only and not meant to be a
substitute for professional legal, medical or other advice. All articles and
advertisements are exclusively the opinions of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of the HEA Inc or the editors. Please
check websites personally for suitability before directing children to use
them.
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Market Place Classifieds:
Email your For Sale, Swap, or
Wanted to Buy, home business, advertisements to
editor@hea.asn.au
Classified ads are free for HEA
Members.
Please Note:
Please cut and
paste two-line
links into your
browser if they
don’t work.
By Beverley Paine
Do you love browsing and buying curriculum? Do
you get excited walking down the aisles of bookshops or libraries, planning unit studies for the
weeks and months ahead as you scan the titles or
examine the covers of shiny new books?
Do you get a thrill when you visit Spotlight and other craft
stores brimming with art and craft supplies, a zillion ideas
flying through your head?
Do you have trouble dragging yourself
away from the stationery section of the
department store, or linger a little longer
at the stationers or photocopy shop?
As a child I loved heading back to
school… I loved wandering through the
uniform section at the department store;
delighted in the smell of new stationery;
carefully sharpened new pencils and
happily decorated the covers on my new
exercise books. As a homeschooling
parent, especially one that gradually relaxed into unschooling as the years
drifted by, I really missed the rituals I
enjoyed as a child getting ready for the
new school year.
Beverley Paine’s ‘Learning Materials for the
Homeschool’ is an inexpensive booklet and lists hundreds of resources (and ideas) to help you set up your
homeschool.
Establish a routine that works for you and your family.
Some families organise excursions and homeschool
gatherings for the end of the week. A
regular morning routine means that the
‘must do’ chores and educational activities are done when energy is highest.
“For some of us,
making the
transition from
long lazy summer
days to busy
homeschool aren’t
embraced with this
enthusiasm…”
For some of us, making the transition from long lazy summer days to busy homeschool aren’t embraced with this
enthusiasm; you may be feeling a little reluctant to get
the homeschooling ball rolling again. The following tips
may help you to feel less apprehensive or overwhelmed.
An organised home makes it easier to enjoy learning at
home. Don’t just think about how you’ll store and display
the resources and materials you’ll use, think about what
habits and routines will make life more efficient and less
stressful.
Eliminate unnecessary clutter from your daily life – and
your homeschooling learning programs. Trim your list of
things to do each day until you are covering the absolute
essentials. Once you’re on top of these you can confidently add extra activities. Have a place for everything
and be strict about putting things away after use. Anticipate need. Forward planning will help avoid putting off
projects because you don’t have what is required.
Two websites homeschoolers have found useful for
‘organising tips’ are
FlyLady http://www.flylady.net and
OrganisedHome.com http://organizedhome.com.
Spend some time setting up your main homeschooling
area to suit the learning styles of your children. Most of
us work around the dining room table, have extensive
bookshelves, use a filing cabinet and have more than
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one desk for quiet study or the computer and printer.
Colourful, stackable boxes make great storage for toys
and games. Keep handy – and topped up – those supplies that run out frequently.
Tidying up as you go is an excellent
habit to encourage. Make sure everyone
gets time to relax, for physical exercise
and to be alone. Be sure to schedule
whole family activities – playing games
together in the evening, eating together
regularly, reading together, etc. And record a message on the answering machine asking people to call back at a set
time, so you can be there helping your
children when they need you.
I’m a huge fan of creating a learning program for the whole year that sets the direction but is
flexible and adaptable to situations as they arise. Write
down your goals for the children’s education; don’t forget to ask them what they want to learn this year too.
Don’t worry if you don’t stick to the first daily schedule
you draw up, but be more diligent with recording what
your children are learning and doing each day. A few
notes in a diary will suffice. Get into the habit of filing
away finished worksheets in the children’s folders every
day before the job gets too big and daunting!
You’ll find lots of tips for evaluating and recording your
child’s progress on Homeschool Australia at
http://homeschoolaustralia.com/index/evaluating.html
If you are like me, you’ll want to make ‘back to
homeschool’ a special time of year, so why not celebrate it with a party?
Get together with a
group
of
other
homeschooling families and do those
things I loved doing as
a child in getting ready
for school; making
bookmarks, covering
exercise books and
pencil tins, creating a
time capsule, decorating and making library
book bags, etc.
Have you ever felt pressure to do a certain number
of hours of homeschooling each day, or worried that
you’re not doing enough?
resources and assistance. Suffice it to say that when
you take these factors and many others into account,
it’s a wonder that students even get 2 hours a day of
supposed ‘learning time.’
Perhaps you’ve had moderators tell you that you need
to spend a certain amount of time on each subject, or
maybe you’re just plagued by a vague sense of guilt if
you don’t homeschool within school hours.
And just what are students in schools learning anyway? How much of it is useful and relevant? What
about the children who have to spend countless hours
learning about dinosaurs when they couldn’t care less
about dinosaurs? Could they possibly grow up to be
competent, happy people without learning about dinosaurs, or to play the recorder (if they really don’t like
doing that)?
Several years ago, I conducted an experiment while I
was doing relief teaching. I decided to time how much
‘formal learning’ actually took place in a school day. I
used the stopwatch function on my watch and sneakily
made notes through the day. I collected the results
from about 20 schools and averaged them out. What I
discovered may surprise some of you, although I’m
sure there are others who will say, “I knew that.”
In an average primary school week, there are 32
hours of school time. Of this time:
• 5 hours are taken with lunch and recess
• 2.1 hours are taken with lining up (this is true - go to
almost any school and watch for yourself)
• 2.5 hours are taken with administrative activities
(taking roll, collecting and marking homework, handing out notes, organizing lunch orders etc)
• 1.5 hours are taken up with assembly
• 1.4 hours are taken up with transition - moving from
one class to another
In any standard 45 minute lesson:
• AT LEAST 15 minutes will be taken with classroom
management - telling students off, giving instructions, dealing with interruptions and problems.
• Between 5 - 15 minutes will be spent ‘ruling up,’
‘colouring the picture when you’ve finished the
sheet,’ handing out and collecting work, getting organized, packing up and other busywork.
The conclusion: around 2 - 3 hours a day at school
is spent ‘learning.’ And that’s a conservative estimate which hasn’t included many other pointless,
time-wasting activities.
How about the QUALITY of teaching and learning that
children in schools are getting or engaging in? How
many teachers know the learning styles of all their
students in depth and how many can actually cater for
individuals?
What’s the moral of the story? Relax.
That’s right folks - we homeschoolers can afford to go
camping, spend time at the park, get out into nature,
play games and take trips. We can have a long
weekend every week.
If you do two days of more formal work per week or a
couple of hours per day with your children, they are
getting as much, if not more ‘formal learning’ as they
would get in school. Homeschoolers have the freedom to teach according to their child’s learning styles
and to tailor-make a learning plan just for him/her and that’s what quality is about.
If you let your children pursue their interests, if you
travel or go on excursions, if your children meet new
people and try new things, they are learning more
than they would in a classroom, removed from life and
their community. So go on, throw away the guilt and
have a relax. Enjoy your family’s learning journey –
you’ve got the time.
By Saani Bennetts
In this experiment, ‘learning’ was defined as focused
activity in a lesson. This doesn’t take into account
WHAT students are learning.
In any classroom, teachers have students bored silly
because work is too easy or too hard, often resulting in
rebelliousness. Teachers also cater for around 20% of
students being on medication, 10% with special needs,
50% with difficult home situations and 30 different personalities and dynamics.
And they are supposed to deal with this in a space not
much bigger than your lounge room with insufficient
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Take time to enjoy the journey of homeschooling.
Use the Stepping Stones Post
Office to connect with fellow
home educators. Perhaps
you’d like to find a pen pal,
meet local homeschooling
families, or establish a connection with homeschoolers in
areas you might visit soon on
holiday. Email Beverley
editor@hea.asn.au
with your letter. We’d love
to hear from you!
Homeschool
Geography Project
My name is Meriam, I'm a
homeschool mom of two boys. As
part of our school geography lesson we are going to learn about
Australia.
We are homeschoolers from Kansas, USA and we would like to
ask your help in gathering any
information about your country for
our project. In the spring, we are
going to have a geography fair
about Australia and we are collecting any information you can
share with us.
Ideas for a geography fair include
any of the following: displays,
posters, maps, musical instruments, toy animals representing
animals native to the chosen
country, native food recipes to
sample, etc. We greatly appreciate any information and help we
can gather for our project, to be
presented to other homeschoolers in town.
You can email me,
meriam@tedkz.com, or post to
Meriam, 1001 West 19th Ave
Hutchinson, KS. 67502,USA.
We are looking forward to hearing
from anybody. Thank you.
God Bless you!
Sincerely,
Meriam
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Pen Pals Wanted
Hello! I am the Mum of two home ed kids in the
UK and am hoping that someone would like to
have their children exchange letters or emails
with them. To keep the cost down we tend to
send pre-paid aerogrammes and any photo's
by email, but also occasionally like to send
leaflets and bits about the area where we live/
local attractions as well.
We are educated at home from a small Market
town in Yorkshire and would like to hear from
anyone who would like to have penfriends from
England.
My name is Rhiannon Brazier and I am 12
years old. My interests are music (I love the
Jonas Brothers, most pop, some rock), films
(current fave Camp Rock! but I love kids adventure stuff too), cooking, camping, my pets
(we have 2 greyhounds), letter writing, computer games, shopping, chatting on line, having
a laugh with my friends and my veggie garden.
I am also a Scout and the family also does
17th Century living history re-enactment. The
thing I like about home ed is the creative writing I am able to do and art/design - the worst
has to be maths! lol!
My name is Iain Brazier and I am 14 years old.
My interests are Rock music (old and new),
computer online gaming (Runescape, Infantry
etc), computing in general (graphic and design), war-gaming (40K - space marines),
camping, films (war - WWII through to modern
conflicts, adventure, funny stuff), creative writing, archery, rifle shooting (targets), fantasy
novels, chatting with my old mates online
and17th Century living history re-enactment.
Best thing about home ed is being able to do
loads of creative writing, computer work and
learning about modern warfare/History -the
worst thing has to be Science!
You can contact us on email (via Mum at first)
jbhome-school@tiscali.co.uk or write to us at:
42 Westfield Road
Market Weighton
East Yorks
YO43 3EJ
England
Mango Ice Cream
3 small mangos (pureed)
350 mls of milk
120 mls of cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla
5 teaspoons maple syrup
Place in pre frozen ice cream
maker then into tubs, ice-cream
holders or waffle cones.
Fruit Drying
the Easy Way
Robin Paine
This is the easiest way I’ve found of
drying fruit and the result is YUMMY.
All you need is:
Fruit
Lemons (optional)
Some trays for drying on (we’ve used
baking trays, ice-cream carton lids
and even a folding trestle table. We
now use some recycled plastic ‘core
flute’ cut from boxes which transported fresh grapes from California!
(It’s a crazy world.)
Cling wrap (depending on your trays)
Light cooking oil
A blender.
sticking to itself. If it is crispy dry don’t
despair: you can grind it to a powder in
the blender and use as a powdered cordial! Next time bring the trays in sooner.
The ‘core flute’ trays we use only require the cooking oil not cling wrap.
Plastic ice-cream carton lids don’t even
need oil.
You can make all sorts of blends, some
we’ve tried are: kiwi fruit and apple,
mango and banana, tropical fruit salad
(pineapple, peach, mango, and whatever else we can find!), strawberry and
apple. Some fruits are too juicy to dry by
themselves so the addition of apple or
pear allows them to be dried easily.
We also dry apples without preservative. Peel and core and slice into segments or rings about 10mm thick, dip in
lemon juice, spread on trays and dry in
sun (about 2 days). Bananas are also a
favourite.
Tomatoes are the easiest! Cut each
tomato into 8-10 segments (after removing the woody bit where the stem attaches), arrange on trays with the skin
down and dry (1-3days). Watch carefully if you want to store them in olive oil
as you don’t want them too dry. We dry
some and then chop them in the
blender, dry them some more until
crispy and blend again to make tomato
powder that we use to thicken and add
flavour to casseroles etc.
Simply cut fruit to remove pips, cores,
skin (if required) and blemishes. Addition of a little lemon juice will help preserve colour but no other preservative is
required*. Blend until smooth.
If you are using baking trays to dry on
you will need to first cover them with
cling wrap and then wipe a very thin film
of cooking oil over the wrap. Pour your
blended fruit on the tray until it is about
3-5mm thick and smooth out for an
even thickness.
Place trays in full sun until dry (usually
1-2 days). When dry your fruit leather
will still be slightly sticky but will be
tough and easily folded or rolled without
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Tomatoes drying in the sun
* We have found that in our climate near
Adelaide we need no preservative at all,
but if you live in a humid area you may
need to use some. Experiment and remember to store your products in small containers or bags so if you do get a mould infection it won’t affect your entire supply.
Sizzling Summer Science!
This issue we take a look at water, good old H2O… It’s a BIG issue, for
households, for farmers and for politicians. Billions of dollars are being spent
on desalination plants to provide water for cities. But for developing countries
such expensive solutions to this increasing problem are not feasible. On the
ABC show, the New Inventors, we once saw an excellent solar still invented
by John Ward of Adelaide, which uses direct sunlight to convert contaminated
water into drinking water without using power or moving parts – a brilliant application of appropriate technology. John’s still would come in handy if your
car broke down crossing the Simpson Desert and you ran out of water, you
could turn your own urine into drinking water!
It doesn’t take an inventor to make a solar still – anyone, even you – can
make one. It is a simple device used to purify water which is powered by the
heat of the sun. If you were caught in the desert the easiest still to make is
one built into a pit in the ground similar to the one pictured. Adding leaves
(and maybe your urine!) to the pit will increase the amount of water you distil.
Want to know how distillation works? Although we can’t see it the air is full of
water. Some days there is more water than others: this is called humidity. The
soil, even when it appears dry, can carry a reasonable amount of water too,
and the deeper you go the more moisture you’ll find. That’s why the solar still
pit will yield a few drops, maybe even a cup full of water. The heat of the sun
draws the water from the soil. The evaporated water then condenses on the
plastic sheet, and directed by the weight, drips into the buried cup. To get
really clean drinking water you’d need to distil the water a few times, or use
special filters.
Follow the instructions on
http://www.csiro.au/helix/sciencemail/activities/WaterPurifier.htm to build your
very own Solar Water Purifier. Using only a PET bottle and sunlight you can
turn dirty water into clean!
You might be wondering why, if it is so easy to distil water, it isn’t widely used
to provide drinking water for everyone? I think John Ward’s invention is the
answer and hope that with mass production everyone in the whole world can
access clean, pure water without it costing a fortune!
Science by Email is a free e-newsletter for members of CSIRO's Double Helix
Science Club, teachers and anyone with an interest in science.
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What is Nature Journaling?
by Michelle Morrow
Nature journaling is a form of note-booking. Put simply, it is keeping a
journal about nature. It has no rules, so you will always get it right.
Nature journaling is meant to be a natural process so we keep it fairly
simple. All of my kids journal at the same time, each working at their own
level. They also make entries on their own if they are particularly inspired.
Here is a list of things to have on hand when nature journaling: sketch
books; pencils (water colour, sketch and charcoal); paintbrushes; scrap
booking supplies; glue; scissors; magnifying glass; children’s nature book;
field and drawing guides.
Moving your Nature Journals off the ‘Bookshelf of Good Intentions’
I must confess I wasn’t a nature buff. As a kid my favourite nature show
was Gilligan’s Island (I wanted to be Mary Ann), and my favourite nature
holiday destination was a theme park. So, when I read about nature journaling, it just made me feel guilty… Yet another thing I wasn’t doing. So I
put it in the mental pile of ‘things I would like to do in the future’ – but
probably wouldn’t.
A few years ago, I began to read more about nature journaling and I was
reminded that using this tool would help my kids to observe the intricacies
of nature; give them an outlet for their artistic and written expression; and
help them see nature as more than just scientific names and processes. I
wanted to cultivate this habit in them now so that in the future they would
love nature and its Creator.
We started with a simple notebook and used The Wonderland of Nature
as our ‘bread and butter’ resource for nature study. We would read the
text and then go into the backyard in search of our specimen; we read
how aphids are ant cows and went looking and found them being ‘milked’
in the mandarin tree; we read about what clever engineers spiders were
and we went outside to examine a spider’s web. Then we got out our
drawing pencils and sketch books to make an entry. At other times I
asked the kids to narrate from a nature book and gave them pictures to
sketch or cut out to help them create their nature pages.
I plan about two nature walks a term and the rest of my nature study is
done about once a week using ‘living books’, nature stories and backyard
observations. Since the kids have become more aware of their surroundings they also create opportunities. Just recently there was great excitement when one of the kids discovered a praying mantis on the back porch
– everyone was called and pictures were taken.
Using Living Books for Nature Journaling and Science
“Books dealing with science...should be of a literary character, and we
would probably be more scientific as a people if we scrapped all the text
books. Where science does not teach a child to wonder and admire, it is
perhaps of no educational value.” Charlotte Mason
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As you are aware, it is not possible to discover all the wonders of nature from your backyard or on a local
nature walk. So we need some resources that will help us. Rather than sleeping through a science text
book, we chose ‘living science books’.
• The Wonderland of Nature (Children’s Book Council of Australia award) and
• The Wonderland of Nature Journals are a homeschool science resource set that covers one year Australian science curriculum for the homeschool or school.
• A Bush Calendar is an Australian nature diary classic written by Amy Mack over a year in the early 1900’s. Her enthusiasm is infectious and it draws you out into the bush.
• Crowns of Fire is a beautifully illustrated masterpiece that will delight as it teaches about bushfires.
• Nature Talks to New Zealanders written by Phillip Crosbie Morrison is an amusing scientific look at the flora and
fauna of New Zealand. It makes comparisons with Australia. Recommended by New Zealand homeschoolers.
• Nature Journaling with Kids written by Margaret Taylor and Michelle Morrow. Here we have provided some of our
own ideas about nature journaling and nature study in an Australian environment, plus referenced some useful resources for nature journaling.
[Ed: all available from Downunder Literature, an Australian homeschool family business.]
Some Useful Websites
http://homemade.truepath.com/nature2.htm
http://highland.hitcho.com.au/naturejournal.htm
http://www.gould.edu.au/shop/
http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/
A Real Life Nature Walk
‘Hey kids, after lunch we’re going on a nature walk.’ I
announce with enthusiasm. The kids reply in monotones, ‘Great!’ Not the response I was hoping for.
After lunch I bark out orders. ‘Get hats, get water, get
sketch books, get pencils, not those shoes. No! you
can’t take Beary. No! you can’t take your scooter.
Ok! Beary can come but he has to stay in the car.’
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
We are finally on our way. As we drive, I hear all the
different reasons why my kids think a nature walk is
a bad idea. We park the car, lather ourselves with
‘mossie-stuff’ and off we go.
We walk, talk and absorb our surroundings. One
child has a headache and is complaining about the
heat, another hates big ants. I dash to rescue a tree
that is having all its fruits pulled off, I then give a
short lecture on preserving the native flora. We plod
on until we turn a corner and our spirits soar. The
kids run madly towards the pond. I feel like we have
found Monet’s garden. The Giant Water Lilly’s are in
full bloom, bees sip their nectar and dragonflies
hover about. The willows dangle lazily into the water.
Willy wagtails hop nearby. The kids are exhilarated.
We set up our pencils and sketch books and begin to
draw in this peaceful place. After an hour, we climb
back into the car, happy and refreshed, wanting to
bring some friends next time.
10
“And what do we teach our
children in schools? We
teach them that two and two
are four and that Paris is the
capital of France. When will
we also teach them what they
are? We should say to them:
Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel, you are
unique. In all the world there
is no other child exactly like
you. In the millions of years
that have passed, there has
never been another child like
you. You may become a
Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have
the capacity for ANYTHING.
Yes, you are a marvel.”
Pablo Casals
By Max Hunt, 5
Daddy loves his dahlias
But then he saw a dahlia flower
But his dahlia had magic power
As he looked in his vegetable patch
All the dahlias were gone
He looked everywhere inside the
house
Even inside the mouse’s home.
The Wind
Puppy Errands
My Town
I be a little puppy,
going on an errand.
I live in the town of Whoville,
It’s very, very big.
One sunny day in summer
And people like to jig.
I was sitting in a shady spot under
Head down,
tail up,
ears dragging on the ground,
little paws,
pound, pound, pound,
fluffy curling tail,
wagging here, there, everywhere.
‘round the town,
paying visits,
treats for all my friends,
sniffing here,
busy there,
greeting people everywhere.
Important business now complete,
too tired to even run,
tuckered out from all my fun.
I be a little puppy,
going home to bed.
Sleeping here,
woofing there,
doggy dreams everywhere.
by Chantelle Meyers
11
Daddy’s Dahlias
Where cars are shaped like cherries,
Where people dress up funny,
And eat a lot of noodles.
Where people make up funny
rhymes,
And have hair like French poodles.
I go to school at ten past nine,
And home time is nine thirty.
I have to wash my underwear,
Because it gets so dirty.
I go to bed with two odd socks,
One red and one bright blue,
And even though I am in bed,
I still wear just one shoe.
I must conclude my story,
For it is half past noon.
I must be up at midnight,
To sing to the full moon.
By Ellyse- Jade Brown, 1o
By Alannah Hunt, 7
For Lilly and Adele
some trees
When a wind came by
It brushed against my cheeks
It was saying something
But what?
And then the wind started
to become snow
And I closed my eyes
Then I opened them
And on the ground was snow
Not cold snow, but warm snow
It was a beautiful sight
Just like a white quilt
I started to build a snowman
I saw him move
He walked with me
And talked with me
by Melissa Curran
Every New Year’s Eve our family sits down to record highlights
for the year just gone and write,
narrate or draw our hopes for
the coming year. Looking
through our ‘Time Capsule’ I
noticed a common highlight for
2007 – my daughters, partner
and I had both written “listening
to the Laura and Mary books on
CD together.”
The simple pleasure of reading
aloud has always been the
backbone of my parenting and
homeschooling routines, even
when my children grew into independent readers. As the days
grow shorter and the weather
cools, it seems natural to adopt
a more indoor rhythm and to
curl up together at night with a
good book or audio book. All of
us look forward to our
‘chapters.’
There are so many reasons why
listening to well written, well
read books is good for our kids
– from enriching their vocabulary and developing an instinctive sense of grammar, to helping create a shared family culture. But there are at least two
reasons that make reading
aloud good for the homeschooling mama as well.
Firstly, unlike some homeschool
12
activities, the risk of burn-out is
low. Reading aloud is easy –
just grab a good book and open
it! You sit on a comfy sofa or
bed to do it. It meets the needs
of several children at once. It
tolerates interruptions, is portable, involves no clean up and
(unlike the TV), very little guilt.
Secondly, whilst you are nourishing your children’s imagination and language skills you are
also nourishing yourself. Beyond
the pleasure of immersing yourself in a good story or interesting
tale, reading aloud is a creative
act, just as vital and authentic as
painting, dancing, gardening,
writing or any other creative calling. Your voice is an instrument
working with the author’s voice
to convey character, mood and
tone. You-the-reader can truly
bring the written word to life and
in giving others that enjoyment,
enjoy the challenge and accomplishment for you.
Obstacles to reading aloud do
pop up but are often easily
solved. A restless or fidgety
child can be encouraged to listen whilst drawing or playing
with Lego… A baby or toddler in
the house means ‘read-alouds’
must wait for a feed time or the
little one’s nap… A family or a
child new to ‘read-alouds’ can
be eased into it with short read-
ing sessions to start with… A
long chapter and a dry throat
may require a second cup of
tea!
Don’t be afraid to ditch a bad
book. There are too many brilliant children’s books out there
to waste time on ‘twaddle’. And
sometimes, relinquish the role
of reader and enjoy an audio
book instead, just to give the
voice and enthusiasm a little
recovery time.
Listening to some of the wonderful recordings available of
classic children books (two of
our favourites are the above
mentioned Little House on the
Prairie books from Harper Audio
and for the littlies, Hodder Children’s Audio dramatisations of
the Winnie-the-Pooh stories)
can also help us develop our
own read-aloud skills.
So here’s to making the
homeschool life a read-aloud
life as well! A happy Autumn
and happy reading to you.
“You-the-reader
can truly bring
the written word
to life and in
giving others that
enjoyment, enjoy
the accomplishment for you.”
We’ve all seen the ads on SBS where different people say what their story is about … I’m
always left imagining the rest of the story after the one word has been said, inspired by
the imagery used in the advert.
Stories help us make sense of
the world. We seem to intrinsically need to share our experiences with others. Over time
stories have become the way
in which generations pass on
knowledge and wisdom and
the values we hold dear in society. Storytelling is more than
entertainment, though telling
stories is always entertaining.
Everyone has a story or many
stories to tell. The art of telling
stories comes naturally but I
find that it is undervalued by
parents and the education system, so that by the age of
seven or eight we begin to
lose this ability. Finding someone willing to listen in today’s
fast paced life can be difficult!
Storytelling is different from
reading a story aloud. When
we tell a story we relate an experience – imagined or otherwise – using voice and gesture. Eye contact is made and
held. The audience are as
much as part of the storytelling
process as the storyteller. Stories build on cause and effect,
what happens when, or if, an
element experiences change.
Stories aren’t told in isolation;
they are always part of a much
bigger, continuing story. No
two stories are the same and
one story is different for each
person listening to the story.
In listening and telling and
contributing to stories, social
skills are enhanced and devel13
“Because there is a natural
storytelling urge and ability
in all human beings,
even just a little nurturing
of this impulse can bring
about astonishing and
delightful results.”
Nancy Mellon,
The Art of Storytelling
oped. The imagination is exercised. We hone our ability to
solve problems. Understanding
and knowledge increase. We
become aware of different
states of being; we learn to
recognise and accept that our
worldview is one among many
and that we are not alone.
Through exploring cultural values and beliefs, stories help us
develop a sense of meaning
and belonging in the world.
The symbolisms in stories help
us to process emotions and
situations that are not easily
expressed in everyday conversation.
When our children tell stories
they are developing and practicing their language skills. By
telling our children stories we
model the use of more complex language skills.
As home educators we have
the ability to create the time to
stop and listen when our children spontaneously tell us sto-
ries. Some are incredible
works of fantasy, others a
recounting of an event or
experience, some barely
coherent retelling of tired
old plots found in television
series or computer/video
games.
By listening and by sharing our
personal stories with our children, we naturally and almost
effortlessly add a wonderful –
and educational – dimension
to their lives.
Explore the world of storytelling through the following internet links:
Storytelling: Passport to the
21st Century
http://www.creatingthe21stcent
ury.org/Intro0-table.html
Story Arts Online
http://www.storyarts.org/
Story Telling Power
http://www.creativekeys.net/St
orytellingPower/sphome.html
by Beverley Paine
Degas
Master of French Art
by Bernie Meyers
12th December 2008 - 22nd March 2009
National Gallery Australia - Canberra
“Art is not what you see, but
what you make others see.”
Edgar Degas
Following hot on the heels of
‘Monet and the Impressionists’
at the NSW Art Gallery, the Degas exhibition in Canberra is sure
to be an inspiration to lovers of
art, horses and ballet. Degas
once said “Monet’s pictures are
always too draughty for me.”
you will have to go along and
see if you agree or not.
Degas was known as the greatest draughtsman of his time, he
was also know as a ‘bear’ because of his abrupt manner. This
brilliant artist was very prolific. His
work is among the best loved art
to this day but sadly he spent his
last years alone in his darkened
Montmartre studio, dying almost
blind at 83 years of age.
As a young man, Degas spent
most of his time copying masterpieces in the Louvre while he
was supposed to be studying
Law. He soon abandoned his
Law course and pursued art training full time in
Paris before travelling to Italy for three years to
further his experience. Later, back in Paris he
met up with the Impressionist artists and exhibited with them. He became close friends with
Mary Cassatt and took on the role of her
teacher.
Degas was strongly inspired by the modern
world of Paris, her theatres, ballets, horse races
and nightclubs. The invention of the camera
also had a huge influence on his art. His pictures have the appearance of a snapshot of
time, however, unlike his Impressionist friends,
Degas’ works were actually very contrived. He
spent many hours on them in his studio, referring to the sketches he had made from life. He
said “No art is less spontaneous than mine.
What I do is the result of reflection and the
study of the great masters.” “One must do the
same subject over again ten times, a hundred
times. In art nothing must resemble and accident, not even movement.”
He experimented with different printmaking
techniques, the use of mixed media and pastels as well as bronze sculpture. As his eyesight
deteriorated he worked more and more with
wax, using his fingers to ’see’. These models
were then cast in bronze.
The current exhibition follows Degas’ artistic life
from his early works through his famous paintings of racehorses and ballerinas right up to his
later modern pieces which anticipate abstraction. Sadly, many exhibitions focus heavily on
oil painting and include only a token few
drawings, prints and perhaps a sculpture. This
is a show of varied art mediums including oil
painting. It contains a great number of prints
and drawings and a few bronzes. The exquisite
‘Little Dancer’ is not to be missed.
In order to gain the maximum enjoyment and
learning from the exhibition with your children,
you could take along a sketch pad and pencils. Allow your kids time with the artworks,
stopping and looking at an artwork for long
enough to draw it is an enriching experience.
Perhaps you could think of some leading questions to begin a discussion.
The National Gallery website has an overview
along with a comprehensive online gallery of
the artworks in the exhibition. If you are planning on visiting, it is always beneficial to give
your children a sneak preview. Somehow they
respond so much more enthusiastically to art
which is familiar to them.
For further information visit http://nga.gov.au/
Exhibition/Degas/
Ocean Collage, by Bernie Meyers
14
Frozen Moments - An art lesson based on Degas
by Bernie Meyers
Aim:
•
Experience and enjoy the art of Degas.
•
Create lively artworks inspired by his work.
•
Focus on movement.
Age Suitability:
•
This can be adapted for use with all ages from preschoolers if they are interested, right up to high
school level.
•
Always remember: let the kids enjoy the process and don’t get hung up about the end product!
•
Allow time to reflect and revisit. Artists spend a lot of time working on a particular theme. It is very
rare for the first painting to be the final one.
Materials Needed:
•
Books containing artworks by Degas, or internet connection and Google Image search.
•
Paper, preferably cartridge paper which is thick and strong enough to cope with being wet.
•
A selection of art materials - charcoal, acrylic paint (dark tone), soft pastels or oil pastels.
•
Camera and access to printing at least one photo.
•
Cropping corners (pattern supplied).
Preparation:
•
Have the kids find examples of artworks in different media by Degas which show movement of animals or people.
Lesson:
•
Examine and discuss the chosen artworks, you can ask questions about the subject matter and art
techniques to get a discussion going.
•
Have students photograph animals or people - this could be pets, siblings, animals at the zoo etc.
Really creative children could photograph water, trees, washing blowing on the clothes line or anything else which is moving. The main thing is to capture movement.
•
Choose a photo or a couple of photos and print them out.
•
Study Degas paintings of racehorses or ballerinas to see how he deliberately cut off parts of his subject to add a sense of drama and movement to the work.
•
Use cropping corners to crop the photograph and make an interesting composition.
•
use paint, charcoal, pastel or a mixture of these mediums to create an interesting artwork using the
cropped photo as a starting point.
•
Working up a dark background using charcoal or a neutral dark paint such as grey, brown or blue
gives a solid depth to the picture.
•
You can then use paint and soft pastel or oil pastel over the top to make broad loose marks in Degas
style. Pale or bright coloured pastels look striking when used on a dark background.
Photos taken by
Olivia, 10
(top left & right side)
Ellyse, 10
(top middle)
Jamison, 8
(bottom left)
Isabella, 9
(bottom middle)
of Perth, W.A
15
Cropping Corners
Artwork by:
Ellyse Brown, 10
(Mouse,
Frangipani)
Jamison Brown, 8
(Ocean, left
Self-portrait,
R2D2
Palace)
We’d love more
artwork by
homeschoolers
and their parents
for our village Art
Gallery, so please
send us your
masterpieces.
16
My Well Being
Journal
Beverley Paine
A couple of years ago I read
an article about keeping a Well
Being Journal. It offered a
structured way to record my
emotions every day. Years before I’d seen a similar idea designed for students while working as a volunteer at a local
primary school and thought
that I’d give it a go.
When we were homeschooling, I found that my children
were more inclined to stick at
developing a habit, such as
daily journaling, if I did it too.
In my Well Being Journal, I record at the top of an entry how
I am feeling. The idea is to use
only one word and then, in another colour, write why I think I
feel like that. Beneath this, in a
third colour, I write what lessons I have learned from the
experiences that gave rise to
that emotional state. There are
no right or wrong answers; all
answers are valid.
The Well Being Journal isn’t
17
the kind of journal I write in at
the end of the day. It’s a barometer of my emotional life.
Over time I’ve found that it
helps to balance the stress I
experience every day. I’ve discovered that being happy and
excited can drain my energy
levels in much the same way
as being anxious or angry. By
drawing attention to my fluctuating emotions and noticing
recurring patterns I’ve learned
to manage them and use
them to my advantage.
For example, I find it easier
now to stay focused on what I
want to achieve and thus feel
more organised. This means I
can do more of what I want to
each day. I feel that I understand myself better – why I do
things the way I do – and this
means I am a lot more accepting of my strengths and limitations.
And I’m finding that I don’t feel
bad about not feeling good or
happy all the time. It’s as
though I’m not holding onto
my emotional states as much
as I used to; I’m able to let go
of them and allow the emotional energy to flow, rather
than bottle it up in inappropri-
ate ways.
I keep my Well Being Journal in a
safe place in my bedroom, where I
know it is private and will be respected as ‘for my eyes only’. I
don’t fill it out every day, but some
days I find myself adding two or
more entries. Looking back
through past entries is like having
a conversation with a really close
and trusted friend; it is easy to see
the areas in my life I need to work
on to feel okay about myself.
Studies have shown that writing in
a journal (or blog or similar) increases your chances of reaching
your goals and improves your resilience. My Well Being Journal
helps me stay positive.
by Megan Sheppard
Megan Sheppard is a Natural Health advisor based in Perth, WA, having worked in
the natural health industry for 23 years.
She authors a weekly health page in the
Irish Examiner Newspaper, along with
running the UK-based
website
www.whatreallyworks.co.uk. Megan is a
home educating Mum and lifelong learner.
1. First Aid
One thing you can be sure of with kids is
that accidents will happen! The number
one first aid remedy that is worth having
on you at all times is Arnica, which works
on both the physical and emotional level
to reduce trauma. The 6 or 12 strength is
ideal and most bumps and bruises seem
to respond well to a single immediate
dose. As with any homeopathic remedy,
transfer directly from the lid of the container to your child’s mouth without touching the tablets/granules.
Another remedy which is essential for any
emergency is the Bach flower combination, Rescue Remedy or the Australian
Bush Flower equivalent, Emergency Essence. Just a few drops under the tongue
as often as required helps to diffuse feelings of distress, shock, and anxiety. Finally, Calendula (Marigold) cream or ointment helps to ‘knit’ the layers of skin back
together when there are cuts, scrapes
and grazes. Always take care to clean the
wound before applying Calendula, as it is
so fast and effective at healing wounds
that it is possible to seal dirt inside the
area.
My favourite first aid range is made by
the local company, Arnica Montana
(www.arnica.com.au). This range consists
of three main lines – Arnica, Marigold and
Sage – and includes a brilliant Homeopathic First Aid Kit with a CD-Rom for Accidents and Emergencies. The Kit also
comes with a comprehensive booklet.
2. Immunity
Obviously if your child seems to catch
whatever is going around then the immune system is the best place to start.
Establishing a strong immune defence
begins with breastfeeding. Research has
shown that even a few weeks of breastfeeding will give your child that extra edge
in fighting any illness. For immune supplements specifically designed for children,
ask at your local health store and be sure
to stay away from any supplement brands
which include aspartame as an ingredient.
18
3. Gut Health
Digestive health is the key to optimal wellbeing. If your child frequently suffers from
constipation, diarrhoea, or simply refuses
to eat any fresh fruit or veg, then chances
are that the healthy gut bacteria are out of
balance. BioCare make a Banana Acidophilus powder which contains Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bifidum and is
free from artificial sweeteners and colourings. Solgar also have a quality range of
probiotics specifically tailored for children.
Add probiotic powder to smoothies
(bananas are natural probiotics) or mix it
with food.
4. Colds & Flu
Although there is no cure for the common
cold or influenza, you can certainly take
measures to hasten the recovery process.
Usually coughs, colds and flu are a sign
that your child is run down and the body
needs to recharge, so rest is top priority –
which can be easier said than done! One
remedy that I like to have on hand is New
Era’s Combination J tissue salts – for
coughs, colds & chestiness. The tablets
are in a lactose base and dissolve very
rapidly under the tongue, so they are easily taken by children of all ages.
5. Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids (EFA), found in the
oils of fish, nuts and seeds, support both
brain and eyesight development and performance while maintaining healthy skin
and digestion, making it the ideal supplement for children of all ages. For vegan/vegetarian families, try the EFA rich
chia seeds or choose a supplement such
as Dr Fuhrman’s DHA Purity.
6. Fussy Eaters
The stress of having a child who won’t let
a healthy morsel past their lips is tremendously underrated! Green smoothies are
the ideal way to get wholesome leafy
greens into the diet without a dinnertime
stand-off over a steaming plate of spinach. Simply blend two cups each of fruit,
loosely packed leaves, and water together
to create a delicious drink where the nutrients are highly bioavailable – the flavour
of the greens is masked by the fruit…all
you need to do is come up with an appealing name (Isabella dubbed these
“Shrek Snot” smoothies and for some reason this made them highly desirable to all
under the age of 10!!).
Ideally choose home-grown, organic or
spray-free produce. Fruit and vegetable
continued from page 18.
juices can also be combined and frozen
as healthy summertime icy poles.
7. Ear Infections
I don’t know of any child who has managed to escape infancy without at least
one of these. Fortunately there is a very
simple and effective home remedy.
Crush a clove of garlic in a tablespoon of
olive oil and leave to stand overnight.
Put a couple of drops of the garlicinfused oil on cotton wool and place gently in the outer ear (don’t insert in the ear
canal). Change 3 times daily or as necessary. Neat Lavender essential oil
works equally well and smells a lot nicer!
8. Eczema
Eczema is best treated internally – start
by using a good probiotic and adding
essential fatty acids to the diet (see earlier information). Reducing or eliminating
dairy, sugar and grains from your child’s
diet may also be beneficial as these are
foods which often exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema.
9. Headlice
When your children are visited by these
unwanted guests, the most effective way
of treating them is to painstakingly remove each and every egg (nit) and louse
daily until they are gone. For treatment
and prevention, Neem Oil is a widely
available effective repellent which also
leaves the hair in top condition.
10. Activity
Last but not least, a good dose of regular physical activity gives your child the
best possible foundation for general
wellness. Sedentary lifestyles and mindless eating in front of the computer or
television are undermining the health of
our youth, which is reflected in the dramatic increase of childhood diseases
and disorders.
Putting the Soul Back into Education
Beverley Paine, Jan 09
‘Heart, mind and hands’ is one of my favourite educational mottos. All
too often we forget that the ‘heart’ in a child’s education is more than
simply her social and spiritual development. Placing ‘heart’ at the centre
of our home education activities ensures that the values and beliefs we
hold dear grow naturally in our children as they learn.
How do you put ‘heart’ into maths? Counting rosary beads with one’s
fingers – with the heart rather than the head may be one example.,
Working out how much timber is needed to build a kennel for a new
puppy is another. Natural learning is full of examples of ‘heart’ centred
learning in any curriculum subject.
The way we approach our children’s learning will determine what kind
of learners they will become. As a young parent I didn’t realise how important ‘meaning’ was to my children. I gave them things to do that,
although they didn’t make sense to them, they did them anyway, to
please me. They trusted that when I said “You’ll need to know this
when you grow up” was real and true. I left the ‘heart’ out of their education and they promptly put it back in!
However, continuously doing things to ‘please mum’ began to hurt their
development. And, as a motivator, it slowly stopped working. Their
heads began to dominate their thinking and because I’d neglected the
‘heart’ of education they began to value it less too. We started to muddle through all the usual motivation problems I hear other homeschooling parents complain about.
My children have strong hearts and luckily they challenged my approach to learning. I sat up and took notice of this determined rebellion
and recognised it for what it was – a plea for learning to make sense, in
each and every learning moment of the day.
I’m not advocating that all parents become ‘natural learners’, but I do
believe it is possible to find the ‘heart’ in how we educate our children
and in the resources we use. If we don’t we’re not only wasting our children’s time and energy, we’re promoting a heartless culture which is
ruled by the head and values only that which can be produced by the
hands.
A good book to read on integrating heart, spirit and community into
education is Kessler’s The Soul of Education. Kessler’s concept of
‘seven gateways’ provides both a language and a framework for inviting
‘heart’ – meaning – into the educational lives of children. Each gateway
represents a yearning for experiences where the heart is safe and the
soul is welcomed: the yearning for deep connection, the longing for silence and solitude, the search for meaning and purpose, the hunger for
joy and delight, the creative drive, the urge for transcendence, and the
need for initiation.
Our children seek these things for themselves: when we align their educational experiences with this seeking our task as home educators becomes much easier, more joyful and less plagued by worry and doubts.
If we stop teaching for a day or so and observe our children at play,
doing the chores, helping each other or us, being creative and busy, or
simply daydreaming, we can see Kessler’s gateways naturally at work.
If we do nothing else allowing our children time away from heartless
lessons will keep their love of learning alive.
19
Curriculum Review: History Alive, by Diana Waring
Reviewed by Bernie Meyers
When I re-joined Aussie Homeschool
after it was revamped, one of the questions to fill in asked you to state your
favourite resource. I didn’t even have to
think for a moment. It was without a
doubt Diana Waring’s History Alive curriculum. “Why” you ask? Well, the first
answer that comes to mind is because
my daughter loves it and wants to do it
more than any other subject. She voluntarily reads the recommended books,
works on projects and begs to listen to
the audios almost every time we get
into the car. We don’t get the same
enthusiasm for maths or even science.
Diana and her husband Bill will be visitin g Australia aro und Se ptem ber/October this year. They home
schooled their three children who are
now all grown and have also spent almost two decades travelling and giving
workshops to home school parents. I
wanted to write this review because the
History Alive curriculum has been the
most wonderful resource we have discovered for home schooling so far.
Diana’s dedication to her topic and her
friendly personality and empathetic,
caring character certainly play a large
part in the success of the course.
Diana has also written books to encourage parents on their home school journey. Her wisdom and experiences are
a joy to read and her honesty is refreshing. She speaks with a humorous,
personal and relevant style. It is a real
treat for Australian families to have the
opportunity to hear an inspirational
speaker who is a little further down the
road than most of us. It seems to me
that her amazing knowledge of history
combined with her faith has given her
an appreciation of people from many
cultures and walks of life.
So, what is so good about this history
curriculum? In a nutshell, it is personal
and lively. It is a smorgasbord of learning experiences laid out appetisingly on
a table of fascinating, well researched
teaching. It is not ‘curriculum in a box’,
it is full of varied choices. It is not designed for each project to be tackled. If
20
you tried to accomplish that you would
quickly get bogged down. Actually, if you
had a spare five years and your child
was taken with a particular period, they
would have a wonderful time immersing
themselves in the subject. But, sadly,
most of us aren’t quite that liberated.
Diana loves her subject and this passion
is clearly conveyed through her audio
talks. She has an infectious enthusiasm
which one can’t help but catch. Even the
non-history lover is drawn in by a continuous stream of interesting, thought
provoking tales and anecdotes about
people and events from the past.
Difficult or delicate subjects are not
glossed over but treated tastefully from a
caring, personal perspective. These are
not merely legends, they are intimate life
histories of real people with emotions
and the potential to change the world for
better or worse. Original source documents are often quoted which give an
authenticity to the teaching. Diana challenges listeners and readers, not so
much with questions, but rather with her
compassionate attitude to be one of
those people who make a positive difference in our world.
This bible-based, sequential history program covers time from creation until the
Korean War. It looks at history from a
Christian worldview and tells of God’s
grace toward mankind throughout time.
It is designed to be used with multilevel
students ranging from grade 5-12 but
has an accompanying activity book for
younger children so that the whole family
can learn together.
Many years of experience and research
have gone into the preparation of the
learning activities. They are planned to
encourage active rather than passive
learning. There is a deliberate framework which allows students to listen,
explore, discover, practice and use the
knowledge.
The History Alive curriculum is broken
into three parts which can each be covered in a year:
•
Ancient Civilizations and the Bible
•
Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries
•
World Empires, World Missions, World Wars
Each of these three periods of history are then divided chronologically
into nine month-long units. You can
be really flexible with the timetabling.
Many people find that there are so
many interesting threads to follow
that they take two years or even
more to get through the material.
Each course is accompanied by two
sets of audio CD’s. There is a
Teacher’s Guide, Student Manual
and Junior Activity Book. Parents
may also join a lively yahoo discussion group for people who use the
curriculum. It is a place where you
can ask questions and generally
throw around ideas connected with
what your children are learning in
their history studies.
Each unit contains the following activities plus more:
• Reading articles and listening to
recordings
• Discussing key concepts and
opinions
• Choosing books to research
• Vocabulary exercises
• Timeline
• Mapping
• Art and Architecture appreciation
• Art projects
• Science Experiments
• Music
• Cooking
• Final week of creative expression project work
Because Diana is a homeschool
mum herself, the curriculum is very
family friendly. She understands that
each child is an individual and has
his/her unique way of learning.
Each month is broken into weekly
segments which emphasise a different learning style, this makes it easy
to accommodate everyone’s prefer-
21
ences without the Mum having to
figure it all out. On top of that there
are many choices for creative projects. Students are encouraged to
express themselves through different
styles of writing, dance, music, acting, cooking etc.
Many excellent resources are reviewed for each unit. Another great
thing about this curriculum is that it
contains thorough articles and
audios and therefore is not dependent on the purchase of other specific
texts.
This has been a great benefit in my
eyes. I do like to try to get hold of at
least a few of the recommended
books but don’t want to spend too
much money ordering a lot of books
which have to be posted out from the
USA. Diana also includes Dewey
numbers for the topics to encourage
students to find their own books in
the library. There are often excellent
substitutes to the recommended
reading available.
If like me, you hated history at
school because it was a load of dry
facts and dates about wars and long
dead rulers, you may enjoy learning
along with your children about all of
the fascinating and amazing people
who are our ancestors.
There is a real sense of digging up
the mysteries of our ancient family
tree. This curriculum offers the opportunity for kids to learn a very in
depth and sometimes daunting subject at their own level, with a focus
on enjoyment, choice and application of knowledge.
Diana’s website has free preview
downloads of written and audio material: http://www.dianawaring.com
For further information about her
upcoming visit, contact Bernie
Meyers: meyersab@tpg.com.au
Collectors’ Corner
Do you see a museum as simply a place
where lots of collections are stored and
displayed? It’s a lot more than that! Next
issue you’ll find out why when I tell you
about a very special exhibition we saw at
the National Museum in Auckland, New
Zealand last year…
If you read the descriptive plaques beside those collections at the museum I’m
sure you’ll notice that many of them are
donated or bequeathed to the museum. I
often wonder what will happen to my
many collections – will they end up in a
museum? Sometimes corners of my
house look like mini-museums!
My favourite collections were those of
my children: an ice-cream container
packed with colourful bouncy balls; a
carton of golf balls; stamps; foreign
coins; rocks and minerals; matchbox
cars; marbles; assorted home-made
firecrackers; LEGO; strange coloured
‘magic potions’ in tiny bottles… These
are all tucked away in cupboards now
that the children have grown.
For years we had a shelf with our
‘natural history’ collection proudly displayed. Our prize items were always the
skeletons! These we found in our garden
and included delicate and complete rat
and frog skeletons. Outside in the garden was a rather scary sheep’s skull with
horns. Silk worm cocoons were added to
the collection one year. Most of these
treasures are now buried deep in the
cupboard, waiting for grandkids to find…
Do your children have a passion for collecting? Ask them to tell us about their
collections!
They can write, draw or photograph their
collections. Perhaps they’d like to share
why they collect what they do, what will
happen to their collection eventually, and
if they have a favourite item in their collection.
Send to the Curator, The Museum, Stepping Stones for Home Educators –
editor@hea.asn.au
Our Favourite Websites
We asked our HEA members to
share with us some of their favourite educational websites. Enjoy!
For over 20 years, Film Education has been developing resources and services to respond to the
growing importance of Media Education and to
meet increasing demand for current educational
material on film and film making:
http://www.filmeducation.org/
The Totally Free Children’s Learning Network is
a “free portal into the many exciting facets that
make up our Universe. From the human heart, to
the moons of Jupiter you will find it all on the
KidsKnowIt Network. Free Educational Websites.
Fun and educational games, activities, worksheets,
free online classes, and much more, make learning
fun.” http://www.kidsknowit.com/
Design Your Homeschool is Marianne's excellent website. Check it out, but brew a
cuppa first!
http://www.design-your-homeschool.com
Home Educators Helpers has links to free
resources and suppliers in Australia.
http://homeeducatorshelper.googlepages.com
All the issues of Life Learning Magazine are
available to read for free on
http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/about.html
Smartkiddies Mathematics appears to be
free during school hours and you can tailor
each child's program and keep records of
their progress, etc.
http://www.smartkiddies.com.au
Another free program for maths is TimezAttack www.bigbrainz.com, an arcade game
that reinforces multiplication facts.
http://www.jennifererix.com/ has a huge listing
of links to free educational resources on the
internet
Homeschooing mother, Amy, has collected links to her favourite resources:
http://www.freewebs.com/mytwomonkeys/f
avoriteresources.htm
USA home educator, Ann Zeise, has thousands of pages for homeschoolers!
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/
Teaching Ideas for early childhood:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/cur
riculum/pep/teach.htm
The Children’s Literature Web Guide
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/
Enchanted Learning lesson plans, worksheets:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/
TSL free worksheets for early childhood
http://www.tlsbooks.com/
Over 400 online educational games, activities
http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/108.html
Treasury of Puzzles at Puzzle Playground
http://www.puzzles.com/
The Potted Learning Pages… lots of
great links!
http://www.happychild.org.uk/pottedlearning/
Thousands of worksheets and activities
http://teachingtreasures.com.au/
More free worksheets and activities…
http://www.learningtreasures.com/
Over 1000 original crafts, free craft projects and easy homemade gift ideas:
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/
Circle of Learning Library for special
needs ed:
http://www.circlesoflearning.org.au/library/p/28
Starfall for reading: www.starfall.com
Fishpond has a huge supply of discounted
educational books.
http://www.fishpond.com.au/
All of the books at http://www.scb.com.au/ are
below cost. Some have huge discounts.
Brightly Beaming Resources have free
online curriculum for homeschooling families:
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/
22
Quest Lifelearning has huge database of
educational organizations of all kinds!
http://www.questlife.com.au/modules/down
load_gallery/dlc.php?file=155
There’s also bundles of links on various themes
including Learning and Thinking Styles, Creative Thinking and Extraordinary Young People:
http://www.questlife.com.au/pages/connec
t/relish...-our-resources.php
Paul Newman's Birthday
Bob Collier
Saani Bennetts
http://www.parental-intelligence.com
We live in times of rapid change. Times
when the world is at our fingertips and with
the click of a button we can access vast
amounts of information, speak to people
globally or arrange to be on the other side of
the world by tomorrow. Yet not everyone
shares
these
advantages. http://
www.miniature-earth.com/me_english.htm
Here's a perfect illustration of what the
internet means to me.
When I was the same age as my
“Digital Native” son is now, it was
1964. I was thinking about that when I
woke up this morning.
Here's a question, not necessarily
random. What year was American actor Paul Newman born?
Do you know?
How, I wonder, would I have found
out the answer to that question in
1964?
In fact, I wouldn't. What could I do?
Phone my local library? We didn't
have a phone in our house. Although
there was a public phone box about
five minutes walk away. If it wasn't
raining. I could walk up the hill to my
local library maybe on Saturday. If it
wasn't raining. Maybe catch a bus;
after all, it was quite a walk.
But I'm not going out of my way to do
that on the off chance that the library
has a biography of Paul Newman or a
book about Hollywood actors on its
shelves. Maybe if I happened to be in
town one day I'll do it. Maybe not.
Maybe I'll spot a magazine at a newsagents that might have the answer. Or
next time I visit the doctor. Maybe I
could ask around at school. Maybe
not. I don't think I'll bother. It's too
hard. If anybody asks me, I'll just say I
don't know.
This is how I found the answer in
2008. A few days ago, I was sitting at
my computer and my wife was in the
next room watching TV. She called
through to me a question: "What year
was Paul Newman born?" I have a
Google box in the top right corner of
my screen at all times. I typed in "paul
newman dob". I didn't even need to
visit a website - the first item that
came up had a heading that read
"Paul Newman - Date of Birth: 26
January 1925".
Knowledge acquired in 0.21 seconds.
Originally published on the now defunct
Self-Motivated Learning in the Digital Age blog
on May 6, 2008
23
Our Children, Our Future
Our children are the ones who will grow up to
face the crisis of today’s problems. In the
space of a decade or two, our children will
grow into a world vastly different to the one
we know now. Are we preparing them for this
new future?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8DRPCJ86U&feature=related
Our children no longer live in a world of linear
information - they live in a digital world.
Reading used to mean decoding lines of text
and writing meant spelling, penmanship and
grammar. Literacy was reading and writing
printed text. Whilst these skills are still important, new definitions of literacy are emerging.
Reading is now also decoding information
from moving text, from multiple screens and
from symbols. Writing is now also editing spell-checking, cutting and pasting text, presentation - typing and presenting information
using not only text but also sound and pictures and the art of conveying messages in
the most convincing way possible. Literacy is
sifting through mountains of information, it’s
scanning, multi-tasking, linking, networking
and decision making. It’s knowing where to
go to find the answers you don’t have, as Bob
Collier shows in his article to the left.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g
Gordon Dryden and Jeanette Vos, authors of
‘Unlimited: The New Learning Revolution
and the Seven Keys to Unlock It’ show that
there is indeed a learning revolution in progress and the characteristics of this revolution.
By clicking on this link, you can
download the first 34 pages of the book
which is definitely worth checking out!
http://www.thelearningweb.net/unlimitedcountry.html
Today’s children show behaviours and attitudes that sometimes we just don’t understand. Perhaps these behaviours are a message to us. Are we listening, or are we labeling children? Are today’s children part of
something bigger?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAA-BPZpA&feature=related
This wonderful clip shows the possibilities for
our children and our future http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA watch it right to the end and then celebrate
the brilliance of our youth and the hope they
embody for our future!!
What is the Difference
between a Job and a Vocation?
For many of us, we don’t really care
what our children do with their lives so
long as they are happy, kind and considerate, healthy and so on. If they do
what they love every day we know
they’ll be fine.
nored…
• Some of the things I have to do or work with
don’t line up with my personal values in life…
By Beverley Paine
From about the age of thirteen the
pressure is really on young people to
have some kind of idea about what
they will ‘be’ when they grow up…
collaboration on projects…
• My opinions are tolerated, though largely ig-
• If I don’t like my job, I can always quit, get a new
...the first step towards a passionate,
authentic life centres around the understanding of the
difference between
‘just a job’ and a
‘vocation’...
But so few people end up doing what
they love: so few even know what it is
they love doing. Home educated
youngsters appear to be at a distinct
advantage here over their schooled peers as more
of them seem to have a better sense of self-identity
at school leaving age.
I’ve read that the first step towards a passionate authentic life centres around the understanding of the
difference between ‘just a job’ and a ‘vocation’.
How do you know the difference? Let’s look at how
most of us feel about both…
•
•
•
•
•
‘Just a job’:
• I don’t like doing it, but I do it because I have to –
I need the money, I need the respect, it’s a necessary step on the path to what I really want to
be doing…
• The focus is on product and performance; I’m
rewarded for what I get done, not affirmed for
who I am as a person…
• I get paid a set amount, regardless of what I produce or how good my work is…
• I look forward to days off, vacations, lunch time
and going home…
• There is little autonomy: what I do is mostly dictated by other people, to meet their needs and
their schedules…
• People are compared against each other; there is
an aura of competition and bitchiness in the
workplace…
• I don’t feel supported; there is little cooperation or
24
•
or different job, or go on unemployment benefits until I do…
‘Vocation’:
• I’m doing work I feel is important
and that fits my personality and
goals in life…
• I can see myself doing this forever, or for as long as I’m interested
and passionate or have something
to offer…
• The money is nice, but it’s not as
important as doing what I want and
need to be doing to feel okay about
myself, or to be helping others…
I enjoy my time off, but look forward to working;
I think I’ve got the balance between work and
leisure just right…
What I do comes naturally; it’s sometimes challenging and hard but I enjoy that too…
I’m not out to impress anyone but myself; I set
my own achievement goals and standards and
schedules…
What I do each day is an expression of who I
am, what I believe…
I feel I have room to grow and develop, both as
a person and in my chosen field of work…
I can’t see myself quitting, though I can see my
direction changing as my needs change…
We’ve brought our
children up to know
the difference between ‘just a job’ and
a ‘vocation’. Two of
our children have
‘jobs’ – they work to
earn money to allow
them to do the things
they want to do on
their days off. What
they do each day
matches their abilities
and talents and chal-
lenges them enough to keep life at work interesting.
Our youngest is waiting to discover his ‘vocation’,
not having a need for money that requires him to do
things he doesn’t want to do or that don’t align with
his personal values. He often struggles with the
prevalent attitudes to young people not ‘employed’;
people ask “What do you do?” and he isn’t sure how
to answer, other than to say “Live.”
It seems to me that our youngest has struck an interesting balance between the ‘doing’ part of life and
the ‘being’ part of life. In essence, he’s living the
way he did as a child, meeting his needs as they
arise, learning and growing in a natural way. His
needs for material possessions are few and he can’t
see the sense in putting money away in superannuation for a retirement that he thinks he won’t need:
when you work at what you love doing why should
you ever stop doing it? In the meantime he is continuing to educate himself in the same way he did as
a teenager, open to any opportunities that offer new
paths in life he can explore.
None of our children have a ‘vocation’ as such. I
found it hard when they were adolescents because
adults seem to expect that children and young people will know what careers they want to pursue. The
truth is, few people stick to one career. Most of us
move from job to job: our vocation is often what we
do on our days off! My vocation has been parenting,
writing and home education. This wasn’t what my
school teachers or my parents had in mind when I
was young! But I’m happy and I can see myself
working in these fields forever. In my time off I garden…
As parents and home educators we can help our
children learn the difference between ‘just a job’ and
‘vocation’. If you are ‘stuck in a job’ let them know
there are good reasons why you put up with it and
that it is okay to have ‘just a job’. If they show an
interest in a vocation early, encourage and support
that, but realise that most of us wander through life
with ‘just jobs’, getting by and doing our life’s work in
ways not related to employment. Value your children for who they are, not what they do.
In this column we invite you to share why
you became a member of HEA and your reflections on being a member.
Beverley Paine
I joined (this is my second time) because I believed
that a national organisation would benefit homeschooling in Australia. Plus I have a lot of energy to give
away and wanted to work with other people. I've given
a lot of time and energy over the years to supporting
and promoting home education but mostly on my own.
I wanted to work with others with the same goals and
interests as myself, particularly so that I could learn
how to work efficiently within a cooperative environment. I'm always learning!
I tend to jump in at the deep end with community involvement and volunteered to be on the committee.
Other members volunteer in other ways, but most
members don't get involved in the running of the organisation. The HEA sends out a bi-monthly (or thereabouts) newsletter, and is about to start producing a
bi-monthly homeschooling magazine in the alternative
months too. That's my main interest, plus as I organise
the odd event I take advantage of the volunteer insurance offered by the policy the HEA has taken out.
I've always found that it is hard to gauge the benefits
of an organisation until one needs information, products or services (benefits) personally. Most of the time
when I've been a member of something I've not had to
use the services and that has led to me questioning
the value of remaining a member. I dropped out of one
organisation a couple of years ago and then, within
months, suddenly needed information from them, so
rejoined.
For me, the main benefit of being a member of the
HEA is that I can be part of an organisation that has
over 800 homeschooling families as members. Being
able to 'talk' to them through the newsletter, and to get
feedback from them, is reassuring. Even after two decades of homeschooling experience I find that I still
have much to learn about home education from these
families. It is the sharing of
information and the sense
of belonging that keeps me
'at the coal face'.
Plus, I like the idea of belonging to something this is
enduring, that won't disappear next week, or when
the homeschooled children
grow up or families move
on.
25
Keep in mind when you join a homeschool group
that networking with others is about being genuine
and authentic, building trust, relationships and seeing how you can help others.
I use mind mapping whenever I’m planning a project, be it a story or a new garden bed! It not only
helps me organise my thoughts but allows me to
see potential problems and begin solving them before I start investing too much time and energy.
Basically, mind maps are a way of organising your
thoughts on paper, but in a way that is much closer
to how we actually think. Our thoughts seldom arise
in an organised manner. Mind mapping helps to
capture the thoughts as they tumble from our brain,
before we self-sensor or determine that the thought
wasn’t important – it could just be in the wrong order
for right now!
Some people might see mind mapping as a fancy
way of taking notes, but it is a lot more than that. As
you arrange and link your thoughts (or notes if researching a topic) on the page, whiteboard or notice-board, you’ll discover a plan of action or insight
emerging.
Joel Falconer wrote an excellent article on Mind
Mapping, including links to mind mapping applications and services that can be found at Lifehack.org
Mind mapping is a brilliant way to help organise
your homeschool learning programs for your children. The children and I used it all the time to create
lesson plans and unit studies, beginning with a
brainstorming mind mapping session. Children
quickly learn how to mind map and prefer it to the
old fashioned way of taking notes, exploring ideas
and breaking down information into more easily understood chunks .
Like Joel, I prefer to use pen and paper – in fact the
more coloured pens I use the more targeted my
thoughts become. It helps when reviewing my mind
maps too as I can easily identify and follow threads
or themes.
I used this approach when writing essays for university courses several years ago, from the initial note
taking process during researching the paper, to collating and organising my thoughts and getting them
down coherently. My first draft was usually a wonderful collection of different coloured paragraphs,
built from my mind mapped notes. I’m happy to report I usually received a distinction for my essays!
Check out Joel’s full list of mind mapping applications at Lifehack.org. If the link no longer works, I’ve
kept a record of them on Australian Homeschool
Curriculum.
by Beverley Paine
26
Ask yourself what you want to get out of belonging
to a group. This will help you find groups aligned to
your needs. Some groups focus more on helping
the children learn different things, some on social
activity and making friends, and others on volunteering to achieve group goals such as organise an
event, provide particular services or resources, or
specific support to meet a community need.
Visit as many groups as possible that spark your
interest. Notice the tone and attitude of the group.
Do the people sound supportive of one another?
Does the leadership appear competent? Many
groups will allow you to visit a couple of times before joining.
Take up volunteer positions or offer to help out
with organising different activities. Ask the leader
or others in the group what you can do to help.
This is a great way to stay visible and is the best
way to build friendships. And it also gives you the
chance to return the help you’ve received.
Remember to ask open-ended questions in conversations. This means questions asking who,
what, where, when and how, as opposed to questions that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or
‘no’. This will help to open up the conversation:
you’ll get to know each other much quicker.
If you don’t easily remember names and faces,
make some kind of physical contact, such as offering to shake hands or offer to hold something for
the person as you say his name. Then repeat the
name in your head – that helps bond the name to
the face. Don’t be embarrassed to jot down a few
details about the person – ask if you can record his
name and contact details in your pocket diary.
Hand him a piece of paper with your details.
Above all else, give settling into a new group
plenty of time. You may need to hover close to
your children until they feel comfortable around
new friends. That’s okay, and is expected in most
homeschooling groups.
by Beverley Paine
By Marianne Vanderkolk
One of the most frequently asked question by
homeschoolers is: "What home school curriculum
should I buy?"
It definitely is a hard question and perhaps you are asking that question right now. However, I will not be giving
you a simple answer so that you can purchase the correct home school curriculum for your family. Instead I will
give you the tools and questions you need
to ask in order to make a good choice.
Firstly, to choose home school curriculum
that will suit your family, you need to work
out what your goals are for your family.
Goals help you to set out the plan for your
family, working within your family's value
system, and take into consideration your
children's needs and special interests.
When you have decided where your family is headed, it will be easier to make a
decision about what sort of home school
curriculum you need and also what you
do not need.
•
Secondly, remember the Curriculum should be
there to serve us, not rule us. Make sure whatever you
buy that you remember who is in control. Often curriculum is written with many learning styles and optional activities included. These do not all need to be done and
home school parents need to be able to pick and choose
what will suit their family and not be driven by the home
school curriculum itself.
•
Cost is a factor which needs considering. How many
children will this curriculum teach and what other alternatives are there
•
Time. How teacher friendly is this curriculum? How
much time will it take for you to prepare before you actually teach the material?
27
•
Is the material consumable or can it be used by a
number of children? Can you make it re-useable by using plastic overlays with whiteboard markers or asking
your child to work in a workbook, rather than in the book
itself?
•
...to choose
homeschool
curriculum that
will suit your
family, you need
to work out what
your goals are for
your family…”
Here are some important things to consider when choosing curriculum:
• Firstly, not every subject needs a curriculum. Often subjects can be taught simply by reading and discussing and writing. Homeschoolers can also be plagued
by the idea that when it comes in a box or is created by
an "educational expert", it will teach the subject better
than themselves. Don't be fooled - things can be taught
far simpler than what you think. We do not need to teach
each subject for 12 or more years - adding snippets of
learning a year at a time. Remember, we are
homeschoolers and have the flexibility of our own
choices - how and when we teach.
•
lum which encourages independent learning is a positive consideration so that other children can be attended
to and so that the skills of independence are taught.
Independent learning. For some families, curricu-
What sort of learning style does
the curriculum use? Is this important to
you?
As you read about different home
school curriculum, it is a good idea to
weigh the curriculum against others
with these factors in mind. One terrific
tool which would help you do this, and
which I have used is called Choose It.
Use this tool and in 5 easy steps you
will be able to choose curriculum according to factors which you consider
important.
In Step One you write the question you
are answering (What history home
school curriculum should I choose?)
In Step Two, you list the names of home school curriculum which you are interested in.
In Step Three, you list factors which need to be considered and how important each factor is to you.
In Step Four, you judge each curriculum according to
your above factors.
In Step Five - you have your answer! The computer
gives each curriculum a percentage which indicates the
best choice which fits the factors you have chosen. Of
course, you may not choose to go along with the decision, but this step by step decision making software
helps you to work out what is really important to you.
Give it a go.
Below are some factors you may wish to consider
when using Choose It:
When choosing History home school curriculum these may be some factors to consider:
• Does the homeschool curriculum cover all ages?
• Do I need to buy extra books? - cost factor
• What perspective is it written from?
(Christian/Evolutionary basis?) Does this fit with
your family's values?
• Is it teacher friendly?
• Does it teach using different learning styles? Projects? Reading? Hands-on?
• Does it use consumable workbooks?
•
•
How involved do you want to be in
teaching history? Does this curriculum suit your teaching style?
Is it an integrated curriculum - covering more subjects? Is this important
to you?
When choosing Math Home school curriculum - these may be some factors to
consider:
• Does the material span across all
ages and levels? Does this matter to
you?
• Re-useable textbooks or consumable?
• Independent learning or teacher intensive? - How much time do you
have as a parent?
• Does it incorporate different learning
styles? Hands-on, pictorial and abstract?
• Does it come with concrete materials
or can you purchase them separately?
• Video or on-line learning? Would this
style suit your child?
• Does this curriculum use enough
review? or too much?
• Does the expectation of time needed
each day for this curriculum suit your
family?
• Does the curriculum have an answer
key? Does it keep records of your
child's progress when considering an
on-line program?
Using the Choose It! tool and factors
which are important to you, you can work
out which home school curriculum would
be best for your family.
Use the Choose It! Tool here:
http://www.design-yourhomeschool.com/Homeschool-CurriculumDecision.html
Or read some more guidelines for choosing home school curriculum here:
http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/Choosinghomeschool-curriculum.html
Every family is different and the exciting
part about homeschooling is that you can
design your own approach to learning by
writing a tailor made program to fit your
children's needs, abilities and personalities. As a family, you can decide what is
important, what educational goals to pursue and how to go about it. Imagine developing your own individual approach
that reflects these goals, complements
your lifestyle and is based on your own
decisions, not someone else's. Let
Marianne help you Design Your
Homeschool.
28
An Unauthorised Guide for
Unschooling Mums dealing
with (still developing)
Unschooling Dads
by Arun of The Parenting Pit
WARNING: I intend to make massive generalisations here… but us
Dads always do that!
So you are keen on homeschooling/
unschooling but your partner/husband
is not? Hopefully this might help…
This is about the bulk of Dads. The
well meaning, the loving, the caring…
well yes… the opinionated, the obstinate, the controlling, the argumentative even authoritarian Dads. So you
want to understand that guy that has
become the father to your children?
Here are some pointers, dare I say, “A
Beginners Guide to Understanding
the Average Dad.” Believe me I know.
I am often extraordinarily average.
PROBLEM: DADS WANT TO KEEP
THINGS SIMPLE
As soon as you talk about
homeschooling let alone unschooling
to your husband, the “dad”, their initial
reaction would be “why”… its a funny
why, it is not really a question at all,
more a cry of pain. Actually if you also
pulled the home birth, cosleeping and/
or attachment parenting thing on them
before you got to unschooling… the
first reaction would be “oh shit… not
again”. Then “why”.
Why the “why”? Well you know how
you can multi task? Talk to a friend on
a phone, change a nappy and keep
an eye on dinner? Well we Dads cant
do that! If we tried something would
have to give… in fact I’ve heard of
reckless Dads that have tried to
change a nappy and talk to a friend
and they have stopped breathing because their brains hit over load… not
pretty!
We Dads love focus. And unfortunately in this society that we have
found ourselves in, most Dads end up
focusing on being the “bread winner”.
So most Dads are already focussed on their jobs, their
career and bringing in the cash. This provides all sorts
of added benefits, there is the ego provided by external
recognition and we can legitimately say that our focus is
“for you and the kids”. How bloody selfless hey?
It comes down to this: being normal requires little attention. The thing about the mainstream is that you can get
carried in the wake of thousands of others going exactly
the same way…
Part of the pressure of being a bread winner is that
Dads feel responsible and there is a certain conservatism that comes with that. It is often “better the devil
you know” and even if Dads can acknowledge problems with schools at least almost everyone deals with
those problems, its fear of the known.
So why would a Dad want to suddenly break rank, flip
around and swim against the current? All that effort and
for what? Yes you have all the supposed benefits but
we can just see the potential pit falls. Meanwhile its
drawing our focus from what is important. Work, recreation and hobbies. Yes kids are important too… but
bringing them up should just be as simple as possible.
So we are scared – what if unschooling does “not
work”? What if we are ridiculed? What if our kids turn
out to be socially ineffective freaks? Often these fears
will be unfounded but the other thing about us Dads is
that we don’t talk about these things to people. So the
fears have a habit of being unconscious, unstated and
silently festering until they explode…
That’s why your work is cut out for you. Not only will
most Dad’s disagree with the idea of homeschooling let
alone unschooling… the very idea of getting them to
read something about it reinforces their (usually unstated) reason for not doing it. Ill put that another way –
something that takes effort and time to research is inherently drawing focus and not worth it. Much better to
be normal. Its simple.
PROPOSED STRATEGIES:
• listen to and validate the fears, do not jump to your
argument against them. Let them come out and
really help to unravel and understand them.
• acknowledge the pressure that he might be under
to “make things work” and even to counter balance
what he perceives as your “reckless behaviour”.
Try not to put him in a corner where he must react
against you to “protect you and your kids”. Acknowledge some of your own fears so you can “be
on the same side”.
PROPOSED STRATEGIES:
• show how unschooling can fit into your lives without
turning everything upside down. Explain how
homeschooling, especially unschooling is in fact the
more simple, flexible and convenient option compared to school.
• talk about it as something normal, natural. Avoid
being defensive on this point – sending kids to an
institution from the age of 5yrs is the odd practice
while unschooling is an extension of living and being with your children… popular does not make it
any less odd
• give up on them reading whole articles, let alone
books. Do not print out huge stacks of “evidence”
for your argument… strategically print out highlights
once you identify the real blocks (more on this
later). Also where possible expose them to other
supportive peers. As an aside – Im thinking of setting up a side business of “Rent an Unschooling
Dad” for just such an occasion… i just need about
100 guys who can do the male bonding thing
(fishing, football etc) and simultaneously talk about
how unschooling changed their life for the better.
Perhaps don’t wait for my business to take off… it
might be a while coming!
DADS FEEL RESPONSIBLE
Yes we often do not take responsibility for all sorts of
things (dinner, cleaning, thinking, shopping etc) but we
feel responsible about what we consider to be the “big”
stuff.
Another thing this society does is tell males that they
are the ones responsible. From adverts, fairy tales, our
parents, to almost everything in mainstream culture.
Sure you have got it bad with society telling you that
women are helpless and not worthy unless you have a
29
man etc… but hey, this is about Dads, you can deal
with the need for a renewed feminist movement on
your own time!
DADS LOVE DELIVERABLES
Deliverables, outcomes, defined outputs… we love
them. You put something in one end and you get feedback, bits of paper, interim reports before it comes out
the other end. That’s school! Sure most of us know the
report card thing and tests are stupid but its something
we can file away and refer to so we know how things
are going with our kids.
With most Dads are at work all day, they need to know
that things are happening in their absense… productive, useful things. Things that can be quantified, described, measured.
Unschooling does not offer these definable outcomes
in the same way. You put something in one end and if
you are not around to see it grow organically it requires
a massive leap of faith before you see them get a job
or go to college (the big deliverables)… way too big a
leap for most Dads.
PROPOSED STRATEGIES:
• take a holiday together, let him see and revel in
those “unquantifiable but magical moments” with
your kids that you as the primary carer have come
to know and love… but are lost in translation.
• try to record some of your experiences whether it
be through pictures, video or even a blog so he
can see what happens and that those moments
are creating something very special. Keep anything the children and you “make” or “do”, although
you obviously don’t want ‘products’ to be the focus
it might help Dads in their transition to more trust
with process over products.
•
in a moment of connection, try to encourage him to
forget about short term outcomes (learning to multiply, knowing the periodic table etc) and brainstorm
about what sort of person he would like his child to
be (not what they have, or what they do as a job…
but who they would “be”). Then discuss the most
effective way of fostering such a person.
DADS LIKE BOUNDARIES
Boundaries, consistency and rules are important to us.
They give us a sense of control, of living in a knowable
world. Most Dads go to work and know what it is like to
do things they do not want to do. The idea that children
can just do what they want and live passionate lives
grates against the work ethic that has been drummed
into most of us from birth.
It is also a fear of permissiveness, that without rules
children will not learn how to function in a hostile world.
PROPOSED STRATEGIES:
• the holiday point from above applies here also, time
spent with the child in a holiday setting can help
develop the trust required to make unschooling
shifts.
• discuss how even in his terms that external control
is ineffective because it can not be constantly applied, that the more boundaries you place the more
there is to rebel and fight against
• ask him what principles and values he would like to
impart to your children, what is really important –
acknowledge these and discuss how they can be
communicated through modelling and gentle guidance, rather than boundaries.
DADS DON’T LIKE EMOTIONS
Most Dads would rather live in the perception that everything is all ok rather than digging down beyond the
surface. A family of smiling children who show on the
surface show respect to their father is generally a Dad’s
ultimate dream… and the fact is this can often be
achieved through a mixture of authority, gifts and rules.
Ask yourself whether the Dad in question would prefer a
Brady Bunch look over to perceived turmoil, chaos or
(cringe) regular discussions and expressions of feelings
and emotions.
Try not to judge… after all Dads find it hard enough to
connect with their own feelings and emotions, as if they
could even begin to understand yours… let alone that of
their children.
PROPOSED STRATEGIES:
• be patient and try to read between the lines of his
opposition, imagine what is going on for him emotionally… but what ever you do, do not let him think
you are trying to “get in his head”! That would initiate total “Dad shut down” and we don’t “restart” very
easilly.
• let him get angry, upset and emotional without
jumping to respond, if he does give him space to
express it rather than being angry, uncomfortable of
it or trying to fix it.
• in moments of no conflict and high connection ask
30
him more about his own childhood, his schooling,
his relationships with his parents… try to understand where he is coming from and maybe assist
his understanding of this also
FINAL WORDS
The thing is… if you are considering unschooling, particularly radical unschooling you have probably thought
alot about alternative parenting.
You might have considered parenting issues such as:
• modelling positive behaviour
• trying to understand your child’s behaviour rather
than reacting against it
• letting go of control, of “shoulds”, “musts” etc.
• validating and providing a safe space for your child
to express their feelings
• viewing the world from your child’s point of view
• getting in touch with your own needs and constuctively, lovingly and respectfully communicating that
to your child in ways and times that are appropriate
• being on your “child’s side” rather than arguing
against them
• assuming the best possible motives behind your
child’s behaviour & engaging with them accordingly
• working with your child to develop win- win solutions
for all involved
Perhaps only a few of the points are issues that you are
exploring with your parenting. However if you really
want their Dad to come on board… the ultimate trick is
to apply such principles to him as well as your child.
Imagine it was your child disagreeing with an approach
you wanted to take.
You would not argue, yell and fight (hopefully). At least
your aim would probably be to understand, to allow
them to express all of their ideas without being judged.
Further it would probably involve trying to accommodate
their concerns, in trying to find win win solutions. Ending
the adversarial dynamic and getting back on the same
side is crucial for the typical Dad to come out of the
“trenches” and even consider another way.
With this approach more moments of connection with
him are likely and it is in these moments that you can
begin to explain your thinking and particularly your feelings. Do not be afraid to express your fears as well as
your conviction for these ideas.
It takes time, patience… and even a lot of “tongue biting” because it is not just about what you say, but about
what you actively choose not to say. Im not suggesting
that it will be easy… but it is possible. Dad’s, as stubborn, annoying and opinionated as we are have been
known to shift a long way on all sorts of issues…. just
ask my wife!
Newcastle/Hunter Valley
Regional Social Day
When: Last Tuesday of every month from 12pm
Where: The Foreshore Park & Tramsheds,
Wharf Road, Newcastle
Diana Waring Tour
Diana Waring is well loved for her bright
enthusiastic presentation of history. Extremely
happily married since 1979, Bill and Diana
homeschooled their three children nearly twenty
years. The Waring kids (now all grown) were
the proving grounds for all the concepts and
encouragements Bill and Diana teach in real-life
examples of the wonders of home schooling!
BYO: money for parking ($1.80/hr), picnic
lunch etc, scooters, bikes, kites, balls. There
is a playground, plenty of shade, large concrete area & pathways.
Come along and meet with some other home
educators in the region.
Enquiries: Karen (02) 4969 3550 or
Broni (02) 4977 1836
They will be visiting Australia around
September/October this year. Don’t miss this
wonderful opportunity to hear an inspiring and
experienced home schooler.
If you would like to receive a list of workshop
descriptions, suggest a workshop topic or find
out further information about meetings, or other
ways to be involved, please contact Bernie
Meyers at meyersdb@tpg.com.au
Diana and Bill have worked in speaking and writing
for the Christian home school and private school
community for 18 years. Through their business/
ministry Diana Waring Presents (formerly, Diana
Waring—History Alive!), they have met and talked
with home schoolers in 46 states, half of Canada,
and three other continents.
The curriculum for world history study Diana wrote,
beginning in 1994, has been growing and expanding.
She is in the midst of a five year effort to update and
expand the research and presentation of the
material. She is well known for her rapid-fire history
recordings and workshops, but is also appreciated
for her workshops and books of home school
encouragement, like Beyond Survival and Reaping
the Harvest.
The Waring's mission:
"To serve families by encouraging, equipping,
and educating in an entertaining way."
Visit www.dianawaring.com.
For a sneak preview of Diana’s speaking, download
this inspiring, free interview about homeschooling,
the arts, history and more.
www.blogtalkradio.com/theendinmind
Proposed Itinerary
(Yet to be confirmed)
Sept 22 Inverell
Sept 25-26 Sydney
Sept 28 Maitland
Oct 9-10 Brisbane
31
Oct 16-17 Melbourne
Oct 19-20 Adelaide
Oct 20-21 Adelaide
Oct 23-24 Canberra
Diana & Bill might use a modern form of transport to travel here!
Diana’s History Curriculum is Bible based as
are most of her workshops, however she
caters to all listeners with general topics.
History Via the Scenic Route
Are you tired of force feeding history to your
children? Does history make them yawn? Or, do
you have one of those hungry-for-history type
students that would devour far more than you could
ever dream up to provide? Diana Waring will take
you on an extraordinary learning adventure as she
shares with you how to make the facts come alive
and the learning go deeper! Join Diana for her "siton-the-edge-of-your-chair-in-suspense" history
approach, using literature, music, art, science,
cooking, and more, that has captivated home
schoolers across five nations.
Here are some more tantalising workshop titles:
The Well-Kept Secret of a Biblical Education ,
Actively ENGAGE Learning & Actually ENJOY
Learning! (suitable for general audiences), Not
Just Your Average Genius (general audiences),
Raising World Changers, Beyond Survival, Box
Free Living, Got Teens? The Indispensable
Ingredient, Exposing the Wizard of Oz: A
Christian's Guide to Teaching History, Ancient
Civilizations & the Bible, Whatever Happened to
Church History? Unlocking the Mysteries of the
Middle Ages (suitable for general audiences)
By Marg (NSW)
Whilst names of resources are great, it can be difficult to decide without seeing the resources or without feedback
from those who have used them. It's almost a shame we couldn't have a homeschool library where we could borrow
these resources - I realise this is, in most instances, not practical. What would be useful for the HEA is a survey of
homeschoolers about the resources they have used, perhaps with standardised questions; for example, easy to
use/understand, lesson preparation time consuming yes/no, lots of handwriting yes/no, age/year used for, etc.
There are so many resources available from America based on American standards, but we Australians lack something that relates to what happens here. The standards, especially once we get into high school curricula, are different between our countries.
At this time of year many homeschoolers experience confusion and uncertainty surrounding what resources to use, I
have and I hope the following list, whilst not exhaustive, may provide some suggestions for others.
Maths: Math-U-See, Abeka, Saxon, Haese & Harris, Horizon Mathematics, Bob Jones.
Language Arts: Abeka Language series, Rod & Staff, English for the Thoughful Child, First Language Lessons, Structure and
Style in Writing Seminar, Learning Language Arts through Literature (LLATL), Winston Grammar, Wordsmith, Building Spelling
Skills (Christian Liberty Press), English from the Roots up (Literacy Unlimited), Spelling Workout (Modern Curriculum Press), Vocabulary from Classical Roots & Wordly Wise(Educators Publishing Service), Progeny Press Study Guides for Literature, Bob
Jones University Prss Literature series (grades 7-12), English for the thoughtful child (Greenleaf Press), LEM Phonics, McGuffey
Readers, The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, The Three R's by Ruth Beechick, Winston Grammar, Shurley English, McCall Crabbs
History, Geography & Cultural Studies: Unit studies, Real books, Lessons from History, All through the Ages: History through
Literature Guide, A child's History of the World, Genevieve Foster Books (Beautiful Feet Books), Greenleaf Press, Guerber History
Series, The Mystery of History (Bright Ideas Press), The Old World's Gifts to the New (Neumann Press), Story of the World, TruthQuest History, The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide (Bright Ideas Press), Abeka, Rod & Staff, Bob Jones.
Health: Abeka Foreign Language: Rosetta Stone, Latina Prima & Christiana I & II. All-In-One: Sonlight
Science: Apologia Science, some of the Magic School Bus books, The Visual Dictionary of the Human Body (DK), See How
They Grow series (very young), Let's Explore Science series (ages 4-7), Look CLoser nature series (ages 7-10), The Way Things
Work (DK Publishing), Science for Christian Schools (Bob Jones University Press), Christian Kids Explore Biology (Bright Ideas
Press), Considering God's Creation (Eagle's Wings Educational Materials), Great Science Adventures (Common Sense Press), A
History of Science )Beautiful Feet Books)
Handwriting: LEM, Abeka, Spencerian Penmanship (Mott MEdia), Christian Liberty Handwriting Series, Bob Jones, texts available from stores incl Angus & Robertson on Foundation Style
Critical Thinking & Logic: Buildling Thinking SKills (Critical Thinking Co), Mind Benders, Critical Thinking: Problem solving,
Reasoning, Logic & Arguments, The Fallacy Detective, Itroductory and Intermediate Logic
Art: Mark Kistler's Draw Squad (he has a website with a few free instructional videos, however the others require an annual fee),
Feed my Sheep (10+ by How Great Thou ART), Sister Wendy book, Art with a Purpose, Drawing with children by Mona Brookes,
Drawing on the right side of the brain by Betty Edwards
Music: Mr Bach comes to call, Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery, Beethoven Lives Upstairs and others in the same series. Beethoven's
Wig CD's (for young ones or students who have a sense of humour)
If you are looking for curriculum resources don’t forget to check out those suppliers that
supported our 2009 Resource Directory. There is also a comprehensive list of educational
suppliers on the HEA Service Provider pages: http://hea.asn.au/resources/default.asp?type=2.
HEA member Marianne Vandervolk has a comprehensive and informative web site called ‘Design Your Homeschool’ and sells
Homeschooling Resource through her online bookshop: http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/index.html
I know of five ‘forums’ for swapping, buying and selling used and new curriculum materials – if you know of more please let us
know by emailing editor@hea.asn.au:
Interested in recycling curriculum and used goods among homeschoolers?
You might like to check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OZHSRecycle/
The Classified Ads Trading Forum (now in its tenth year!)
http://aussiehomeschool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=124&Itemid=333
Australian Used Homeschool Books: http://www.auhb.net/Misc%20Pages/Entry%20Page.htm
Australian Secondhand Homeschooling Curriculum and Books: http://homeschoolads2.proboards.com/index.cgi?
Rockpool Homeschool Classifieds: http://www.rockpoolhomeschool.org/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&Itemid=91
32
Design Your
Homeschool
Free “Keep On Track” e-zine
will provide you with practical
advice and food for thought.
Helps you focus, keep motivated and strive towards your
homeschooling goals.
Subscribe:
http://www.design-yourhomeschool.com/Homeschooling-E-zine.html
We are a cooperative group of home-ed
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Australian Secondhand
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There is an area for prayer and
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Australian Secondhand
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