Curriculum Choices and Our Ideas for this Year

You may wonder what curriculum we are currently using or if we use one at all. There are so many choices and so many blogs and so many websites to choose from that it could be a little bit overwhelming to know what to do. So I came out with our plan for this year. I mainly let him lead but sometimes I add things to the mix that I know he may like. So our plan is not strict and it may eve change and take its own course.

 Umi is almost 3 and 1/2 and he is currently in Pre-K. This year  (2012-2013) we will use:

- Math: Math -U-See (Primer) and Montessori

- Science: Mudpies and Magnets and other ideas from other blogs

- Arts and Crafts: Ideas from other blogs and pinterest

- The rest of the subjects I use Montessori.

- Unit Studies and Lapbooks for anything that  he is interested in learning about. So he chooses what he wants to learn about. We make a lapbook and we decorate the cork board.

Currently he is interested in the solar system. So we are working on a lapbook and we have a cork board that we are going to display the solar system that we are making. I will hopefully write a post about this activity it is fun and he is enjoying it.

One thing it helps to choose curriculum or a path in homeschooling your child is to write your goals and desires in a sheet of paper.  Then once you read  them out loud and crossed out the ones you realized are not so important you can find the way to achieve them. And remember it is not the quantity that matters but the quality. Therefore I think it is better to accomplish 2 goals and done well than cram your child's year with TONS of activities that gets him stressed and force him to live up to your expectations.   So remember to follow your child! You can plan all you want but if your child is not enjoying your choices of activities then you need to reevaluate what you guys are doing and come up with something your child enjoys. The goal of homeschooling is not to do what schools do. It is not to follow a strict curriculum made for a large group but rather to follow your child so he can keep the love of learning and learn at his or her pace. It is just like music you need to find the beat and follow it!

 

The BEST parenting book you could ever buy!!

I am not much of a reader...I like books but sometimes I get bored or they don't catch my attention. There is one book that I believe it will turn your life and your family's life around. This book will enhance your life and give you the tools you need to heal yourself and to raise a happy and peaceful child. The author of this book is Naomi Aldort. You can find some of her  videos here. So if you don't know it by now you may be wondering what is the book's title.  Raising Our Children Raising Ourselves is about "transforming parent-child's relationships from reaction and struggle to freedom, power and joy" as it is written on the cover page.


While reading this book you may want to have pencil ready to highlight all the important things that are written in this book and believe me there are TONS of things that may leave you thinking and you may want to revisit the pages again later to get a refresh on the subject.

I don't want to spoil the book by giving too much information but there is one thing I can say if there is anything you should do for you and your child is to read this book. I am not religious but to me is like the bible of parenting. When you read this book you may discover things we innocently do wrong and we don't even know it. Like, telling your crying child "it is ok, don't cry, you are not a baby."

I love this book and I will be reading it over and over again for as long I am a mother. I hope you find it as helpful as I do.