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Homeschooling in the Core
Phase
For those of you who love and embrace the educational philosophy taught
in Oliver DeMille's A Thomas
Jefferson Education, here are some ideas for homeschooling
children in the "core phase" (up to age 8)--the Satan-free years in
which children are to develop strong family bonds, a willingness to
work, a strength of character, and an allegiance to Christ!
* Read the scriptures out loud as the
children play (for family scripture study or Mom's individual scripture
study). When the children become seriously interested in learning
to read, let them follow along the text as you read. Bear
testimony of what you read. Invite the children to bear testimony
when they are old enough to understand and express a love for the
Savior.
* Memorize scriptures together. (I
find it easier to memorize text if I can create a tune to go with the
words. In the future I hope to post sound clips here of
scripture tunes I've created for me and my kids).
* Have your children (even very young)
work along side you, to learn to work and contribute to the household.
* Get out into nature! Find a quiet
place to stroll with the children. Invite them to pick a solitary
place (close to you, however!) to pray.
* Read classic chapter books together as
a family. (See recommended list in A Thomas Jefferson Education.
I've read Charlotte's Web, Boxcar Children, Little House on the
Prairie, Pollyanna, Black Beauty, Pippi Longstocking, Heidi, Robin
Hood,
and Aesop's Fables to my oldest daughter, starting when she was 4
(she's now 7)). One idea is to have one family member read aloud
while the others weed the garden, fold the laundry, etc.
Multi-tasking!
* Sit and read the illustrated
Children's Bible and other illustrated scripture readers to the
children.
* Read stories from William Bennett's
illustrated The Children's
Treasury of Virtues, fairy tale collections, and Aesop's fables.
* Allow the children to listen to Family
Hour Tapes (true stories with good morals) and classic books on tape
while they play.
* Spend time with your children
reading/doing activities in the church's "The Friend" magazine.
* Sing primary songs together at the
piano, or with tapes/CDs.
* Create family value statements and put
them to song. (We have a small but growing repertoire --with
lines
such as "It's fun to work," "We're very, very careful with our money,"
"We take care of the things we've got," "We've got the pioneer spirit
[the spirit of sacrifice]," "We put things away before starting
something new," "Sunday is a special day for us," and ". . . [W]e
take pride in our quality work."
* Draw pictures and write notes
(assisting the children) to be delivered or mailed to neighborhood
widows/widowers, extended family, people in prison, the elderly in rest
homes, etc.
* Carry out family service projects in
the neighborhood and community.
* Help the children write in their
personal journals regularly.
* Read the life histories of
ancestors. Have pictures of them on the wall of your home and
talk
about their strengths regularly.
* Dress us to dramatize the words and
actions of scripture heroes and other admirable people from history.
* Role-play daily choices.
* Dance together, sing together, play ball or
other sports together. Help your children be each others' best
friends.
* Spend 15 minutes of "special play"
with each child daily, letting them decide how you both will spend that
time--games? reading? physical play? make believe? (During
"special play," do not correct the child. Even if they make
comments that are not correct, respond positiviely--for example: "Oh,
you think it's blue. That's interesting." Comment on what
they're doing without directing the flow of things.)
* Play hymns or other worshipful music for
the children to listen to while they color, draw, work with clay, or
paint.
* Watch general conference
together. (We encourage even the small children to play quietly
in
the room where my husband and I are watching conference, for all four
general sessions. I make it a special time for our oldest
daughter
by putting make-up on her--the only time in the year we do this--as we
watch/listen, and she in turn gets to do my make-up! Pretty
funny.)
* Find substitutes for excessive
television/video watching. (Library, museums, concerts,
volunteering, etc.) Seek out good friends for your children
(especially cousins!) and arrange for frequent multi-family
get-togethers.
* Help your children adopt an "empty
nestor" individual or couple. Encourage the friendships.
See
if the retireees have a talent or hobby that would interest your
children and invite them to be their mentors.
* Take your children to the temple
grounds frequently. Talk of what it means to be an eternal family
and to have celestial relationships. Point out how important each
child is to you and the family!
* Help your children learn to earn money
and save for purchases (even for friends' birthday presents).
* Be very careful about taking your
children away from the family to potentially expensive, time-consuming,
vanity-producing, and competition-creating lessons/diversions.
(Wait till the child expresses a sincere interest in developing a
talent. Make sure it doesn't disrupt precious family
togetherness,
or finances. Remember: "However worthy and appropriate other
demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace
the
divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately
perform" (First Presidency letter, 11 Feb. 1999).)
* Of course, attend church together,
have weekly Family Home Evening, daily family prayer, etc.
* Enjoy your children! Let
them enjoy each other by being daily companions!
Did you notice that "learning to read" isn't the major goal in
these early years? Resist the temptation in this phase to focus
precious time on forcing academics when soul-development is of greatest
importance! Children will naturally grow into reading when it
really interests them.
I love homeschooling my children! If I can be of assistance to
you, please let me know (shaunalei@codepoet.org).
Sincerely,
Shaunalei Andersen
Springville, UT
If you have more suggestions for this list, please e-mail them to me at
shaunalei@codepoet.org.
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