Here are some thoughts on the role of educating children from 'The teacher and the child'*. I thought that they gave food for thought and hopefully will give confidence to any doubting their ability to teach their child at home. I think these points made me aware of the great responsibility of teaching children and the quailites needed in a teacher - none of which I can assure you, are beyond a parent! May we not say that teaching is essentially the response of the adult to the moral and intellectual need and readiness of the child? Who knows their child best to respond in such a way? The whole subject of teaching and training is one which cannot be looked upon as a thing by itself apart. Teaching and training are amongst the fundamental, if not absolutely and fundemental processes of world-building. And all that the world is by the inheritances and traditions of the past reacts upon those who are labouring to make it what they think it ought to be. Teaching is not simply imparting knowledge - it is one character mingling with another. Part of the teacher's world-view will rub off on the pupil. Be sure that the teacher that you choose for your child has the same biblical world-view as your family. Similarly: The longer one teaches and observes the teaching of others the more does one become persuaded that there are spiritual forces in education which cannot be tabulated in a text-book. Subtle forces of personality, the direct influence of mind on mind and of character on character are ever at play. Choose carefully to whom you give this great responsibility. The formalities of method are no substitute for a living touch with the truth we teach on the one hand and with the child to whom we teach it on the other. Your choice of curriculum and textbooks, though important are not as important as the 'living touch' - that relationship between teacher and child. The more we know of the nature and the growth of the mind and heart and conscience in the child, the better are we qualified to be his educators. If this is so, how can a non-Christian begin to teach, knowing nothing of the link between head, hand and heart, only concentrating on the head and hand? They may provide some useful resources, but be careful of their limitations. Children are not empty minds into which we pour 'education'. Neither are they only dependent on that which we pour in. Children are always learning - though what they learn may not always be helpful to them. By the use of its natural powers of attention and retention the mind grows, even independently of the teachers efforts. At whatever stage the teacher's work commences there is a considerable amount of already developed mind to be reckoned with. To be a good teacher:
The broader and richer the conscious the larger the mind. The fear of God should be the noblest exercise of the human mind, because the consciousness of God is our highest consciuousness, being that in which all truth, all law, and all beauty center and form a harmony. T Children desire praise: when it is deserved, give it to them; it will go further than sweets, or treats. May we have confidence in our role and ability as home-educators. Study the Bible, know God, understand your task and study your pupil. See also: Providing a good education in lockdown: heads, hearts and minds. *All quotations from: The Teacher and the Child by H. Thiselton Mark: T. Fisher Unwin, London, 1902.
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This blog post is especially for those just starting to home-school. I have written this post mainly for those with a rising 5 year old, but some of the information will be of use to those just beginning to home-school older children. You have made the brave decision to home-school. Now what? How do you practically go about educating your young child? In this post I will round up various articles/sources of information to give you a head-start. On a general note, these two organisations both offer support and advice about home-educating in the UK. |
Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones as preached in 1956, (Taken from: Saved by Grace Alone, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018, p.156)
Should we be concerned - or is this people just being people and never being satisfied?
I would suggest to you that a brief look back at past O level papers and even the education of youngsters back in history will show that our expectations of young people are very low. One hears of young children in days gone by, being fluent in several languages at an early age. Children were taught and expected to learn. Of course, this is a very general summary and you will always find exceptions, but I think it is fair to say that we have lost the rigours of teaching and learning that marked former years. The GCSE English Language exam syllabi are written expecting our young people to have done little other than watch TV, visit the theatre/theme parks, game, go to pop concerts and read low-level trivial books. The exam boards are proud of their courses that prepare youths for the modern world. Need I say any more?
Dr. Robinson
Why do we have low educational standards?
Not least, they have encouraged us to please ourselves. This is endemic throughout all society as we bear the fruit of several decades of such teaching that life centres around 'me'! Sadly the fact that it doesn't and that we all have responsibilities towards God and others has been left unsaid. However, it has left a spiritual vacuum, a devastating trail of low educational standards, low levels of attainment along with low morals. Even more sadly, most parents and teachers these days are products themselves of a humanistic education and do not recognize it in themselves. They seem content with the low standards (which they consider to be high), and may even think that because of society's seeming 'intelligence', with information available so easily on tap through the internet, that there is no problem.
We live in an entertainment driven society
When it comes to education, children's educational materials these days (we are told) must be:
- fun
- not too demanding
- centred around the child's interests
- good-feeling orientated
Correction is seen as damaging
Bad behavior does not need discipline we are told, but rather encouraging and guiding.
Yes there is room for both of these sometimes, but the biblical pattern is that children do need disciplining:
Entertainment style education does not encourage children to think - to grapple with a subject
The trouble is - if we know nothing, how will we know if what we are being told is true or not? This is not the route for the God-fearing to take. The Christian must know what God's Word says. He must study it diligently. This requires time, commitment and self-denial. Are we training our children towards these things by allowing them to have easy access to computers, mobiles and games?
I strongly advise against the use of television/computers/apps/games, even for educational purposes for as along as you can hold off of them. It needs to be the parents decision as to when they are allowed, if ever, in the home or used by children. Let children see you using technology profitably and not for entertainment, for example for accounts, writing, research, business.
Are our children less intelligent now?
We think it's cute and our children 'bright' when they can do remarkable things on our mobiles at a young age. However, we do not generally expect much of them when it comes to academic ability.
Young children are capable of amazing things. The Robinson Curriculum expects them to learn all of their number bonds, for all four operations to 12x12 by the age of seven - as normal This is more than possible - I proved it - even with a child with a severe language delay. It wasn't easy - it required daily practice and yes, sometimes it was boring. But we seem these days to buy into the thought that all education needs to be entertaining. This is of course - the natural fruit of a child-centred philosophy - which sadly, many Christian parents do not recognise. We are apt to blindly follow the world as long as they don't try and teach our children evolution.
Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones as preached in 1956, (Taken from: Saved by Grace Alone, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018, p.155)
Should I make my child do something boring?
Obviously our teaching must be sensitive to the pupil, that is, appropriate to his/her stage of development. The good teacher will try and make the subject come alive, but this is not always possible: routine drill for reading/spelling/handwriting and maths is hard work, and often boring. Later it's revision for exams. We need to instill good habits from day one.
We must be aware of our child's moods and temperament and seek to train them to do work first time of asking and willingly. It is as much 'education' to address these issues as it is to address academic learning.
Proverbs 1:7
How do we raise educational standards?
Four markers
- A good environment free from distractions and with good role-models.
- The instilling of good habits
- A good course of study
- High quality books
- pleasure
- least effort
- no correction
1. Parents set the home-school 'tone'
How do we spend our time?
The desire for activity is echoed in our home life with constant social engagements and cries of 'I'm too busy', because actually - it makes us feel important to be busy. How the devil deceives! Even as home-educators we can convince ourselves that we need to be taking our children to social engagements frequently, giving them plenty of 'fun'. Or maybe we are tempted to give our children's computer games, thinking they will encourage them to think. Be not deceived - computer games are a snare to the mind and soul and are best avoided by all. They are addictive time and brain wasting activities.
As Christian mothers, we are to be home based. We will want to encourage our daughters to be home-based too - not flitting here, there and everywhere seeking entertainment - or 'out of the home' on social media or anything else. We will want our young men to be responsible men - ready to take on the leadership of a family and to be home to support his wife and take an interest in his children whenever he can. And then to be leadership material for church responsibilities.
2. Character traits to instill if we want high standards
- obedience to parents - first time of asking and cheerfully with no back chat - the pre-cursor to obedience to God and authority in general. Parents we cannot fall short on this one!
- the desire/willingness to grapple with something - even when it's hard going - until you reach the conclusion. This will include both perseverance and diligence.
- a sense of 'seriousness': a sense that learning is serious, leading to a sense of responsibility.
This doesn't mean no fun. It means that hard work is expected, even when it isn't fun. We should not encourage our children to give up when the 'fun' of starting something turns into the inevitable 'hard-work' stage. However 'fun' you dress up learning, it can't go on long before the child ceases to find it fun and wants to give up. This is true of activities such as learning to play an instrument, or any other aspect of life. All too often parents let the child give up. Think hard before you let your child start something, and make it hard for him/her to give up: you decide, not him/her. Obviously there are always going to be times when we make mistakes - we realise our child really does hate piano lessons (and has low talent) and we make them continue a while until we choose for them to stop - not let him/her stop the minute s/he complains. It means having confidence in a maths curriculum and making it work for your child, rather than buying a new one the minute the child says that it is 'boring'.
3. A good course of study
See this post for how to choose a home-school curiculum and this one to see the choice of best curriculums available.
It is best if we use a curriculum that is God-centred. I do not recommend using books written for the National Curriculum as they are based on humanistic ideas - even the methodology of teaching Maths and English.
4 High quality books
Parents - let us not take these things lightly
Let us pray for each other and for Christian families that they may be built up in the faith.
collossians 2:7
In this post we will explore the main change that took place in education in the early 1900's and that is still rampant in schools today. I briefly made mention of this in this post, but will look in further detail here. It has far reaching consequences.
Changing educational aims and objectives
Traditional teaching v. progressive
Progressivism has invaded all government departments and authorities. They give lip-service to ‘traditionalist methods’ to appease public opinion, but however much things seem to be swinging towards a more traditional approach (as they keep saying is so in the UK at present), the truth is the opposite. At its core, education (and society) is still very much progressive.
What is 'traditional' education?
What is 'progressive' education?
Progressive education is based around the perceived needs of the child and individual learning styles. It was brought in gradually as a result of findings by psychologists. For example, Friederich Froebel (1782–1852) believed that the teacher's role was not to indoctrinate but to encourage self-expression through play. It was not so much what a child 'ought' to know, but what would a child like to know. Instruction was seen as interfering with a child's development.
It brought about a new way of teaching. Instead of traditional forms of education which involved a teacher teaching, it introduced (among others) the use of techniques such as problem solving and experiental learning.
Making the world a better place
Educational reformers claimed that a natural educational methodology could free humanity by creating a better world. It was seen as a means by which humans, using reason and science, could shape their environment (Gerald Gutek, A History of the Western Educational Experience, p. 486)
According to John Dewey (1859 -1952) education is the "participation of the individual in the social consciousness of the race" (Dewey, 1897, para. 1). He saw education as being concerned with the psychological and social aspects of a child, with psychology at the base. For him, education was better if it focused on the child's powers and natural interests.
And so we see that the aim of those who shaped progressive education, was the reconstruction of society.
Other names of those who form part of the history of this movement include: Rudolf Steiner and even Baden Powell and Charlotte Mason and Maria Montessori. Maria Montessori is a little of an exception, as although classed by many as being progressive, she was rejected by the progressives who did not agree with some of her more formal methods of teaching.
As far as I can see it is fair to say that progressive educators see the child as innately perfect and see outside influences as damaging. When progressivism took off, of course, Darwin's evolutionary theories were just beginning to gain ground and were having a huge impact on how people thought and acted.
An on going battle
An example - Reading:
For example, the government has introduced phonics as the main means by which reading must be taught in schools. Now phonics is a traditional method; the progressive teachers favour ‘Look and say’ and ‘Whole Word methods’ or better still ‘Natural language’ methods which is a nice way to put the previous two! Phonics works with the brain – we build up skills gradually from the bottom, letters to words to sentences, whereas progressive methods work backwards against the brain. Imagine being given a book and being asked to read it when you couldn’t read a single word: what would do? You would start to look at the pictures for clues. This is what ‘real books’ are like. Children are expected to learnt to read by acting as a reader, using context to guess words and picture cues and these are all labelled legitimate ‘reading strategies’.
Facts v. feelings
The process matters more that the product, assessment replaces testing and group work replaces competition. Entitlement replaces choice.
Teachers or social workers?
Many 'social work' activities in school are justified as being in the children's best interests; to help them cope in the present age. It has always been the way - break it, and then suggest measures to help cope with the damage, but with no intention to 'fix-it'!
Cognitive v. Affective
Psychological techniques and peer pressure
Make parents feel inferior
No absolute values
The value of circle time in modern education
So where does circle time fits into all this? Well, you may have seen for yourself by now! It is merely one of the many techniques used by progressives to imbibe their values in children. It is usually directed at children in preschool and 5 to 11. The teacher should be in the circle too, and in theory, no-one's beliefs or values should be more important than anyone else’s. It sounds nice, doesn’t it? Cosy even – all sitting in a circle. It sounds appealing: to be accepting of all, everyone matters, everyone’s views count. Mrs Mosely (a leading proponent of circle time) admits that it is a form of therapy intended to promote change and make children ‘powerful’. It is often promoted as a way of dealing with deviant behaviour. Circles are powerful! Teachers very often do not know why they do it. It is sold to them as the way to teach and manage children's behaviour. This is not however the same as getting children into a circle to teach them – as a way to make sure each child can see the teacher and has a good space to sit in. Circle Time sessions are planned sessions – the teacher has a focus for the session - so that circle time is not ‘valueless’ despite the claims to be neutral. Nothing is neutral – ever. God did not make our world that way.
The fruit of progressive methods
- They bring about low academic standards.
- There is no rigour, or competition to improve oneself.
- All are brought to the same level. All must have prizes.
- Sadly, despite the appearance of being tolerant, progressives are anything but – they will be very ruthless to any who oppose them. Tolerance is fine until you suggest something they don't agree with. Then they reserve the right to be intolerant. You however have no right to intolerance - only to do as you are told. Rememeber - children are being brought up as progressive - and have been for many years and these methods now permeate our society.
- Despite aiming to improve society, by removing the imparting of knowledge, mankind has been left to work it out for himself, with tragic consequences to our nation. The mess we are currently in stems from the disregard for God's truths. True knowledge imparted from above has gradually been replaced over the years with man's wisdom.
Where does the Christian stand?
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
As followers of Christ, we will want our children to learn facts - first of all facts about God, from His word, then fact about the world He has made - His Word helps us to interpret the world around us, not our ideas shaping the world. Absolute truths that are not dependent upon man's feelings. Things that need learing whether we feel like it or not. Lessons that do not pander to the sinful nature. We know that our children need teaching, and that truth is not in them just needing to be encouraged out. We know that without teaching they will not discover God's ways for themselves. Similarly, left to themselves, they will not learn the essential things that are needed for life.
You musn't say people are sinful
A new gospel
The fruit of God's wisdom
Jeremiah 6:16
In conclusion - do we need to abandon all modern methods?
I think that we need to evaluate the materials and methods that we use to educate our children and make sure that we agree with the philosophy behind them/it - including IGCSE/A level courses. We can no longer say 'This is Christian, it must be OK.' Much of what goes for Christian these days, has been influenced by a progressive mindset. Having said that - most standard Christian homeschool curriculums appear to be based on a traditional style of education -though that per-se does not make them 'good'. They still need evaluating carefully against your family's aims for your child.
IGCSE/GCSE curriculums are the end goal of a mainly progressive education. We may need to use them - but use them with your eyes open wide so that you can make sure that your children learn the truth and much more than is contained in these very narrow curriculums.
Individual Learning styles
I would be wary of overly worrying about my child's learning style - these are linked to a progressive outlook. It is true that how learning is presented to a child can make a great difference to whether the child learns or not, but that is not the same as needing to overly concern ourselves with how the child learns best. What more is needed is intuitive parents, who watch the child's response to each lesson carefully and ask 'How can I help this child learn this?' What is needed will vary from day to day according to what is needed to be learned.
Values Education: a brief guide for Parents, Teachers and Policy Makers, Nick Seaton, 2001
Give children access to a good study environment and the best books in the English language and then  get out of their way!
Academic knowledge is in books. Each child must learn to extract and use that knowledge to the greatest extent that his or her abilities permit. This curriculum enables the student to learn these skills with very little teacher help, and it provides the student with 120,000 pages of knowledge from the greatest science, history, literature, economics, reference, and general education books in the English language.'
​ From the Robinson curriculum website
​​Overview of the Robinson curriculum
Its beauty and its success can be laid at the door of its simplicity. Simple to implement as you haven't got to spend hours preparing lessons. Simple as it doesn't take all day - a morning's work and you are through studies.
​Too simple to be true? Then read on!
What I liked about the Robinson curriculum
- The concept of 'old' books, as I didn't like what I saw in the library. Pre 1950's, books for children (and adults) I knew were not so dumbed down.
- The idea of having a book list up to age 18, on a disc so I could print them out, as I was concerned how I would ever find enough good reading material.
- The idea of not having to spend hours planning. It seemed strange not to have to worry about teaching all the different subjects, and I wondered how that would work in practice, but that all seemed a long way off to me at that time.
- The idea of 'self-teaching'.
- That it was cheap. One set of discs until they were 18, plus Saxon maths once they knew all their flashcards.
- The promise that they would be cleverer than me. Not hard, but I knew I would struggle as they got older and let them down if they had to rely on me.
- The idea of freeing their minds to think by not crowding them with lots of bookwork. Do school, and then the time is their own as it were.
So we started.
No TV - No sugar!!
Dr. Robinson
Is the Robinson Curriculum an easy option?
I soon found that this curriculum was very demanding and expected high things of my children in their few short hours of schooling each day - right from the start. It certainly set the tone for our home-school. Learning was serious business.
Here is an excert, for example, of a page from a book that is for the child who has just started reading for him/herself. In fact it is Number 4 on the Robinson booklist, following 'Nursery Rhymes'. This is high expectations!!!
From the RC website
​Maths and the Robinson Currciulum
We did spend ages 5-7 learning flashcards as the RC curriculum suggests, but I did break the rules of nothing else and used Christian Liberty Press work books K and A, which gave them practice at writing numbers and doing sums in books. It was not entertaining, but gave light relief from the drill. These books also helped them overcome tens and units and other basic skills, before they met them again in Saxon 5/4, which was especially helpful for my eldest who had a speech delay, and although progress in 5/4 was slow, I think it definitely helped them cope better.
​We spent a long time practically learning tens and units: bundling up sticks into tens, or bricks. for example I'd give them 23 bricks. We'd make as many towers of ten as we could and see how many were left over. 2 lots of ten and 3 left over = 23, until they could see what was happening. I also made extensive use of the times test sheets in 5/4 for number bonds and didn't let them start 5/4 until they could do them in 5 minutes or less. We also did a lot of counting (everywhere) and cooking with weighing and measuring, helping to do DIY with more measuring etc.. in those early years.
This was rigorous maths - but they both managed to learn all the bonds by at least age 7, despite my eldest still struggling to speak at that age!
Once they started Saxon, Mr Robinson said they should do their maths by themselves with little help from me. Maybe that worked for his children but we struggled along. I never gave up on the aim, but reality meant that mostly in their Primary years, I would have to help a bit at least and often a lot! I had to be ready to get the practical bits out to help Son 1 especially, but also Son 2, sometimes, when his turn came to grasp the concepts. They would work by themselves, with me in the room and then we would go through it together to mark and correct. I only really let them have some responsibility for marking in the late teens as I found the temptation to cheat too strong, and it was too easy for me to take a back seat and not check! Very often we were only doing a third of a lesson a day, so progress was slow, especially through book 5/4.
​…with some teacher help in learning phonics and understanding arithmetic, the student is ready for self-teaching.
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​I used phonics for both reading and spelling. I could never let them just learn spelling from copy work and reading as suggested. I knew they would need a good phonic programme to thoroughly ground them in both reading and spelling. I used my own reading programme which teaches spelling as well. We did use the Peter and Jane Ladybird reading scheme as I had not yet written my own phonic reading books. My first son finished all 12 levels by age 6 and a half and could read way better than he could speak. The second son by age 4 and three quarters. ​It is not a phonetic scheme, but having ensured they were having a good phonic foundation, we looked at each new word phonetically as we read through. The beauty of this scheme is the constant repetition which builds confidence. Robinson advocates the use of the McGuffey readers for their rich moral and biblical content. I personally had no experience of these when I started Robinson and they didn't fit my way of teaching phonics, but I now see their value for copy work at least.
Reading is the bedrock of all other learning. Reading must become both easy and enjoyable and a phonic system is the only way to achieve both. This curriculum as we have already seen, demands a high level of reading ability.
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​Reading and the Robinson Curriculum
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​Writing - The simplicity of copywork
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​Handwriting
We also used Getty and Dubay, a structured handwriting programme once I'd got them going. We only did a few books in the series and found they were enough. Alongside all of this, we did copy work and I know that it helped to cement what they had learnt in the programmes, so it was certainly valuable and it actually allowed them time and space to concentrate on the spelling and handwriting before having to compose at the same time. ​
​Writing is a complicated business with a lot to think about all at the same time. Spelling, handwriting, grammar and punctuation as well as composing good writing. Many are destroyed along the way, especially in schools, where they are expected to be writers from the word go and not given the tools to do it well. I am very thankful to Robinson that both of my children LOVE writing!
Copywork was good for both of them despite their different styles of learning and abilities. ​
​We didn't just do copy work: they often wrote letters to friends/relatives instead of copywork some days.
We would also add in a little 'project work' on a Friday. We really enjoyed these days! It gave our copy work/writing a purpose and linked it to other subjects, without 'teaching' these other subjects. So a visit to a wildlife sanctuary was a chance for us to take an animal each, research it, and write about it - either through copy work or own writing. Then we made a book of our work, with photos from our visit. Other times it was a special holiday we had been on, other times we pretended we were a character in the swallows and Amazon books and wrote postcards from our destination, planned camping trips with maps etc... At one time we did Geography based projects. Son 1 explored the effects of HS2 on communities in the UK - asking other Home school families to fill in a questionnaire for him to base his study on. Son 2 did a project on a local river. Again, fun days, with excuses for trips out!
Daily essays
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Like most learning, it was often one step forward and then what seemed two back. I was constantly having to say 'What do they need to help them move on?' Which book next to read? How best to approach writing, especially as they came to the essay writing years and I knew I needed help. Now it's 'Should we do GCSE's' and what next, so the questions don't stop, but we press on.
The Robinson Curriculum is a self teaching curriculum. Does this work?
​Do you have to follow the Robinson Curriculum exactly to get good results?
We added in music lessons - at one time a whole day per week was spent with a retired deputy head-teacher who was also a choir master. He lovingly taught them to sing hymns and accompanied them on the piano (which he made into CD's for them to hand out) and then they would listen to classical music together. He has now passed away, but he was a very godly influence on them for which we are very thankful. We now only do piano lessons. Grandpa teaches us Greek. Son 2 adds in Apologia Science, Latin and Welsh - both of which he self-teaches.
Do you have to do the Robinson Curriculum six days a week as stated?
We always had realistic amounts of work set for each day and they were expected to do it. In that we were firm. I liked the idea of the reading time being 10 minutes for every school grade and so that has increased year on year. Maths was pretty much 2 hours (with breaks) for Son 1 once he started Saxon at age 7, as he takes a while to process information and had a tendency to day dream (which he has grown out of) and needed lots of breaks. Son 2 rarely takes more than an hour if that.
When they were little, we started work at 9am after morning chores. Dad does 'Bible time' before he goes to work at 7 am.
We would start with maths and work through the flashcards and a page of their maths book. Then we would have a break, before doing literacy. When they were 3-4, this was just working on phonics and handwriting practice. As they started to spell, then the spelling took a few minutes each day, then some days it was copy work, others handwriting and we would finish the morning with reading. One would look at books by themselves quietly, while one read to me and then they would swap. This kept a working atmosphere while I was concentrating on them individually.
Our afternoons were free.
Junior days usually took 9am though 12pm, and then as the reading increased, we have gradually worked up to 5 hours.
Son 1 (17) now works 8am through until 1 for lunch, then piano 1.30 to 2pm. Son 2 (14) works 8 am to 1. Then he is finished.
What about other subjects?
The key is to balance the reading list to reflect different subject areas. If I felt an area was lacking I would slip in a book on that subject. When they reached 13, I did buy them the Apologia Science book 'Exploring Creation with Physical Science' which they read independently for reading and we did spend some days doing experiments and wrote them up for writing that day. Again, like the projects, these were relaxed, fun sessions. Son 2 now does the Apologia Biology course as part of his reading.
What about sports?
​Robinson is more than a curriculum. It is a way of life.
However I see now the fruit of the curriculum. They want to work! They don't seek entertainment. They enjoy working!
To that end we encourage them as far as we can in their chosen interests: Son 1 Transport - especially trains; Son 2, birds. We get them a subscription to the best magazines, buy them the best books on the subject and their pleasure time is spent studying, but they think it's play! We never palmed them off to Sunday school either while we stayed in the 'sermon'. They stayed too and were taught to sit quietly and join in singing and Bible reading as soon as they could read. Now they see themselves as part of the church - not just the 'Youth', expecting an entertaining service.
So back to the 'Is it easy?' No! It's self-teaching, but not 'Go get on with it yourself.' It's the parents taking the initiative, quietly encouraging, disciplining where necessary to keep that work ethos through school time. Then organising nice 'school outings' to fun places (not entertaining!) - wildlife walks, train rides to interesting places, friends to visit, us being with them, not casting them off to be entertained while we do the serious stuff.
So far we are very pleased with the results of RC. I didn't see it's full potential when we started out, but now whole heartedly agree with Dr. Robinsons outlook. It is an excellent education. How far it is removed from a State education!
Phillipians 4:8
In an evolutionary age BEAUTY is sadly lacking. Evolutionists cannot explain beauty and therefore they place low emphasis on it and even try and remove it.
We were created beautiful, for a beautiful world, and beauty is what we all long for and yet we no longer know what it looks like. We think beauty is coloured hair and clothes so skimpy they are hardly called clothes. We pride ourselves these days on being free and easy - casual dress, casual language, casual relationships, fast food with no nutritional content, constant music with a beat to try and liven ourselves up out of our dull stupor and dragging ourselves further into the mire the longer we listen to it. We like cartoons to make us laugh and 'easy-reads' which require no thought and a constant barage of noise from the TV/radio to numb our minds. We speak using the barest minimum of words with slang interjected with every other word. Children are fed stories aimed at entertaining rather than aspiring them to greater things. The illustrations in the books we give them are less than beautiful, demeaning the human image. Art itself has become a vehicle of self-expression rather than an appreciation of beauty. We see knowledge as something you acquire in order to pass an exam and no further. We don't expect anything to last, so we rarely value anything - including life which is seen as something that can be easily disposed of if it proves inconvenient to us. We don't stop and think about it anymore, and sadly our churches are joining in in greater numbers: pop music in church, casual dress, lack of reverence, cartoon pictures in children's books and youth work materials. Our children know nothing better than this world stripped of beauty. Such has been the impact of evolutionary thinking on our lives.
Does it matter? I believe it does. I believe that when the Scriptures exhort us to think on 'Whatsoever things are lovely' etc.. it does so for a reason. Our Creator God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that it is for our greater good to fill our minds with beautiful things. The beauty of the world around us brings honour and glory to Him. Our faith in Him should make us more and more beautiful. Let us flee the things of this world and teach our children to do the same, if they will listen.
This website exists to try and help parents to re-navigate education - to find beautiful resources with which to teach their children and to encourage our children to create beautiful things themselves. To recognise the need for beautiful books, language, art, music; and to aspire them to greater knowledge, not merely to jump a hoop and pass an examination. To aspire them to reach for better than they see around them - not for self-gratification, but to bring honour and glory to God - the creator of all things good.
There are 'beautiful' resources available to us: the Authorised Version being an example of excellent language - simple, with a rhythm that makes it esily memorised and written by scholars who paid great attention to detail, resulting in it becoming the most accurate translation available to us in English; books with God-honouring illustrations by artists who seek to do justice to the beauty of the world around them; music that is written carefully according to the rules of good harmony, without a back beat distorting the tune with its message of rebellion; people taking care with their dress and spoken language; relationships that are not treated lightly - but rather seen as something beautiful; beautiful behaviour which is taught and encouraged; food, lovingly created with lovely ingredients, rather than foods which are no more than a bunch of chemicals mixed together and packaged 'attractively'; good quality, beautifully hand-crafted products that will last for a long time; the acquisition of real knowledge; the sanctity of life.
I aim to help you seek out these better things for your children. To that end, many of the resources will appear 'old-fashioned' as there are few being produced these days. Please do not despise them for this. To find beautiful resources we will need to be discerning and to know what we are looking for. We need to reawaken our sense of beauty, teach it to our children and step forwards together armed with beautiful tools to live and work with.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Mathew Henry commenting on Ecclesiastes 3:11
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However, do not despair. It is not hard to educate a young child aged 4 to 8 at home and it does not need to cost lots of money or even time.
At this age the only real 'school' work that needs to be done is the 3 R's: reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic. Yes, school children must be in school from 9 until 3, but they will not be sitting at a desk for all those hours. In the early years, much of their time will be spent engaging in play. I hasten to add, that much of their time will also be wasted. Early Years settings seek to replicate the home-life - baking/shopping/travelling etc..! This seems bizarre when their main aim is to get the children away from home. Think of the old fashioned 'home-corner', or playing shop, dressing up - all valuable parts of childhood, but which are no less educational for being done at home as part of a child's normal life.
So English and Maths are essential. Other subjects are not essential at this age, as little children learn holistically. That is, all subjects merge into just one - life. They learn best through exploration, reading and playing (inside and out) and plenty of time in a child’s day needs to be given to these latter three.
Although as home-educators we do not need to follow a timetable as such, it is equally true that young children thrive best when there is a consistent routine. If the children know that they will be sitting down to do school work in the the morning, then you can cut the battles in half at least! Try and make sure that some maths and Language work is done every day and that most days it is quality work. Of course there are always going to be those times when unexpected things happen that throw the routine out - but get back to it as soon as possible. Children are usually more alert and receptive in the morning. It is good to do the work, and then have free time. Work then play.
My suggested plan of a day:
9 - 10am English work: reading, writing, spelling
For young children these three will best be taught through a good synthetic, systematic phonic programme. Aim for your child to be the best reader s/he can be as this will form the basis for all future learning.
The main aim of these lessons will be to give your child the tools s/he will need in order to become a good reader and writer. Reading is best taught alongside spelling. Writing is best learnt by separating the skills of handwriting and composition. At this age, composition is best done verbally. Copy work (copying from suitable books/poems etc...) should play a large part.
10 -10.30 a break - play in the garden in summer, a walk round the block in winter - or play indoors if mum is tired or the weather is bad. Some days I used to put some classical music on and let them run and jump to let off some energy. Endeavour to factor in some exercise each day, even in winter as you will all feel better for it and hopefully be healthier. It doesn't have to be at this time, but a regular time helps everybody to know what to expect. Young children thrive on routine.
10.30 - 11.30 Maths work
When the children are very young (4-5) the maths and English may not take so long.
Do be prepared before each days lessons: have the work ready, know what equipment will be needed. Have the children set up the school room if need be after breakfast. Train them to know that after breakfast, they should be ready to come to the table when called to work. There should be no arguments about this. Good training spares a lot of frayed tempers!
For those with a mix of ages: train older children to work as independently as possible. Obviously you will need to listen to them reading and check work, but they should be moving towards being able to get on with an exercise by themselves for a few minutes while you work with a younger child. Train babies from the start to play quietly in the school room - provide quiet toys, such as bricks, puzzles etc...Have them ready so that as one activity flags, you can provide another. Do factor in time to spend with baby - maybe doing a shape sorter or a puzzle together. Move from child to child as needed making sure that all have done what is necessary each day. Again, a routine helps to give structure and order to your 'school' and helps young children feel confident and secure.
11.30 -12.30 On some days art work or project activities, though on some days it may be appropriate to do this in the afternoon. I always planned on one art activity a week at least and I set a regular day for it to ensure that it happened. This should not be seen by the children as 'school' work - this should be general homelife - all of you learning together. All chidlren (except tiny bables) can join in the art work, doing so at his/her own level).
12.30: Lunch
Afternoons Free
Now is the time for free exploration/play, outings or for doing activities together.
Many families like to have a time of family rest at some point when younger ones sleep and older ones read/colour/play quietly. It is good if at the start of the week you can make a plan of what you intend to do when. This means that activities are more likely to happen. Do not feel that you have to wear yourself out taking the children out every day to socialise. I used to try and plan for one major 'out of home' activity a week, then other afternoons being quieter at home. Do not feel guilty if some days the afternoons are free play. The children do not need structure all day and actually it is better for them if they don’t have it as it makes them find their own ‘fun’ and develop self-motivation. Later this may lead to hobbies and interests.
If you have the energy and children are flagging in ideas, sometimes you could play together - set up a shop, or imagine a cardboard box is a boat. Usually that would be enough to set them going for a while.
If a bit of peace and quiet is needed as the children are getting fractious, then a cuddle with mum with a good story often resettles everybody.
Bed Time
A good bed-time routine is esential for an orderly home, which a home-school home needs to be. Aim to have tea at about the same time each day, followed by family prayers and bath, then a bedtime story and individual prayer time before lights out. A regular routine each night helps to settle children to rest, ready for learning the next day. Four year olds need 11.5 hours sleep, five year olds need 11 hours and 6 to 8 year olds need approx. 10-11 hours (source NHS). To find bedtime work backwards from the time you need the child to get up.
Tired children are more likely to be awkward, fretful and make life generally more difficult for everyone in the home.
Other considerations:
Technology is not essential in the early years. Young children do not need access to a computer for learning or for pleasure. They do not need entertaining with a screen - it doesn't engage the brain in the same way that learning from books does, due to its fast moving images. A few carefully chosen DVD's are a resources to be used wisely on occasion, not something that should be a matter of course everyday. Try not to use the TV as a baby sitter regularly, tempting though it is!
You would do well if you can do without a TV in the home. Children will soon find sources of amusement that are better for them. Instead, provide good quality toys: toys that meet the need for construction and role -play (bricks, dolls, garages, trains, Play-Mobil etc..). Avoid violent toys and toys linked with children's TV programmes.
Spend time with your children. Don't let them see project/art work as 'school'. Plan family outings to stimulate discussion, widen horizons and hopefully pave the way for future interests. Excursions are a great opportunity for family bonding and having time to relate with our chidlren away from school time.
Listen to good music - classical music, folk music, hymns. Avoid pop music as it is rebellious by nature - rebellious ultimately agaisnt God, being symoblic of promisuity, drugs and rebellion.
- Keep school simple
- Be organised
- Have good discipline - have rules for the family - keep them simple
- Have a regular routine which includes plenty of fresh air and exercise
- Ensure the whole family has the required amount of sleep (including 8 hours for adults)
- Either don't have a TV, or keep it off for the most part of each day.
- Observe the Sabbath day - it brings blessing and rest!
To help keep the cost down for you, I provide FREE and low priced resources for KS1 on this website (see side-bar for examples) and on my main website, Lilibette's Resources. My project packs are being added to all the time and provide plenty of 'dip - in' activities to help give your explorations a focus. If you have any questions, please ask!
You may also like to look at the Mothers Companion Curriculum - low priced and all conveniently on a USB stick. All of these are compatible with a classical style curriculum.
Welcome!
After studying for an Early Years Specialism degree (B.Ed. Hons), and teaching in mainstream education, I home-educated my own children, after my husband and I were persuaded of the need to take responsibility for bringing up our children 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.' (Ephesians 6:4)
Our children are now grown and I help home-educating parents teach reading and writing, especially to those with special needs. Please contact me if you think I might be able to help you.
In addition I help my son to write the Nature Observations magazines and helping Chris Eastwood with her FREE Christian Home Education daily lessons.
This costs the purchaser nothing extra.
In this way I can continue to provide free resources.
Thank you for your support.
Here's one I heartlily reccomend for ages 10 +.
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