How do you home school without workbooks?

Question

Curious to hear from families who are homeschooling but do not use workbooks as a means of their curriculum. I don't know if this is completely possible, thinking at some point kids would be doing some kind of worksheets. What other methods of curriculum or teaching to you use? Just looking for alternative methods to keep my kids from being bored or feeling like they are back in public school where they have been unchallenged and frustrated. Thanks for the tips in advance.

Answer 1

There are lots of options.



Field trips. Go to museums, zoos, historical sites, and other places. Go on nature walks and explore. Wherever you go, even just on simple errands, point out things of interest and ask questions to get them thinking, answer their questions (or work on researching the answers together). If you can find a local homeschool support group (try on Yahoo! Groups), they'll likely have a variety of field trip options to consider, if you want company on these trips.



Videos. Watch educational videos, DVDs, U-Tube or other online sources. There are lots of great educational programs.



Games. Board games, video games, online games. There are many educational games that you can buy or make.



Hands-on. Build something. Use a science kit. Make a model. Construct something from wood, or fabric, or whatever. Use written directions. Show them how to use the tools and fix errors. Cook something. Learn a hobby. You'd be amazed at how much kids can learn through projects of different sorts.



Library and other books. Why do you need worksheets? Without using a single worksheet the kids can learn a lot. We read through a lot of ordinary books. The nonfiction section of the library has great science and history books that can be read and discussed, or they can draw pictures or write something to explain what was just read to them. Or read literature--either on their own, or read it aloud and talk about it as you go along.



Classes. Try signing up for some classes through a local recreation center, community center, private company, museum, or homeschool support group. We've taken classes on martial arts, knitting and crocheting, swimming, human anatomy building a model of the body with organs from paper, drama, and more. We've used 4-H materials for practically free courses on sewing and bicycle safety. We know other homeschoolers who've taken gardening classes, gymnastics, art, dance, and much more. If you search long enough, you'll likely find options in your community.



Use your kids' interests, too. When my son was really interested in Legos, I found ways to use Legos to teach about physics. I found directions online for building a variety of machines, after I'd read to him about some basic physics concepts. Science was much more interesting when it involved his favorite toy.



Car schooling. We listen to tapes or CDs in the car going places. The kids can use flashcards or quiz each other, and we have some great educational conversations in the car.



Fun. Don't forget that visiting a park, or the beach, or a ball game can be considered PE. Visiting a Renaissance Festival or a battle reenactment can count as history. Look for fun things going on in the community and throw them into your homeschooling somewhere.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

We use workbooks/worksheets at times, but it IS completely possible to homeschool without ever using them. They are NOT a necessity in education and can cause boredom and frustration for children who have a different learning style (which is the case with one of my children).



Workbooks/worksheets are for practice. You can get the same practice by using cheerios or Skittles or toys such as Matchbox Cars or Littlest Pet Shop figurines to count. You can use sidewalk chalk or dry erase boards or sticks to draw in the sand to do practice problems if necessary. It makes it different, more fun and interesting and is not redundant black and white.



We started out using a curriculum that was very workbook based, and one of my children liked that and the other rebelled against it. We do not currently unschool now but use a lot of the practices in our education- real books (not just textbooks), a lot of field trips, magazines, websites, some television programs, etc. Flashcards and workbooks are very minimal in our lives.



You do not mention an age/grade level or I would mention some sources. I will say that for younger children I LOVE Story S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-R-S, which I got from Amazon. There are several versions available for different ages/grade levels. It gives ideas for incorporating math, science, vocabulary, history, arts and crafts, music, games and even snacks into favorite children's story books. For older children (12+, though it would be a good read for you even if your children are younger) I recommend the Teenage Liberation Handbook.

Answer 5

it's probably boring. The neat thing about homeschooling, is it can be so much more interactive. If you're doing a writing assignment, maybe it would help for him to verbalize what he's going to write ahead of time. Discuss the paper, ask questions that lead him to new ideas, but that allow him to think. Interaction during this time is what is going to keep his attention. Make it fun, and he'll enjoy getting his work done. Maybe a reward for his good work is needed? Only when he completes his assignments, he gets a treat, like an extra 30 mins of tv/video games/computer time. Make sure to praise him for the positive work he does do, rather than focusing on his lack of staying on task. Reminding him of the negative (public school and bullies) isn't really positive reinforcement, and as such, isn't motivating in the long term. Children respond so much better to words of praise. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Home School Work Books

Answer 7

We don't use any curricula; we've used worksheets or cheap dollar store workbooks, mainly for when they are first learning to write and do math.



If no worksheets or workbooks are available, we just do what they did in the old days-- pick up some blank paper or get out the dry erase board or the black board, and work on there. Write down examples, or math problems, or have the kids practice writing things.



Most of the time we just do reading, writing, calculating, etc., as we do other things in the day (projects, lap books, field trips, experiments, etc.)



A lot can be just intertwined... when they are writing a story, or an article for their family newsletter, or a song-- whatever-- you help correct grammar and spelling. When they are learning to write, instead of repetitive handwriting sheets, let them make their own comic book. Tracing paper to trace over regular comics is a great way to teach them control with a pencil without having to write the alphabet 1000 times over; then just show them the words or letters they want to write and let them trace or copy on their page.



When they are cooking, you have them re-calculate the measurements to increase or cut a recipe, then you have them actually measure it out. Let them plan a garden on graph paper, calculating the spacing of plants and such... you show them, you do it with them, then you hand over the reins.

Answer 8

There are several computer based curriculum available. We use Switched on Schoolhouse. This really fosters a self disciplined approach to schooling and requires the kids to maintain their own schedules. It also allows you to oversee things instead of do the teaching (very beneficial if you teach more than one student/grade level).

Answer 9

Hi there,

The ability to read is vital for success. It helps your child succeed in school, helps them build self-confidence, and helps to motivate your child. Being able to read will help your child learn more about the world, understand directions on signs and posters, allow them to find reading as an entertainment, and help them gather information.



Here you can find a step-by-step online program that can help your child learn to read: http://readingprogram.toptips.org



Learning to read is very different from learning to speak, and it does not happen all at once. There is a steady progression in the development of reading ability over time. The best time for children to start learning to read is at a very young age - even before they enter pre-school. Once a child is able to speak, they can begin developing basic reading skills. Very young children have a natural curiosity to learn about everything, and they are naturally intrigued by the printed texts they see, and are eager to learn about the sounds made by those letters. You will likely notice that your young child likes to look at books and thoroughly enjoys being read to. They will even pretend to behave like a reader by holding books and pretend to read them.



For more info visit http://readingprogram.toptips.org

Answer 10

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Answer 11

There are many options.

When my children were younger, we used Sonlight a literature based curriculum. http://www.sonlight.com/

Sonlight is just one of the many literature based programs available. Other popular options include Five in a Row, Learning Language Arts through Literature, Robinson Curriculum.

Here are some sites with info on the Literature Based Option:

http://simplycharlottemason.com/

http://www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com/Literature-Based-Curriculum.html

http://www.home-school-curriculum-advisor.com/literature-based-home-school-curriculum.html



Once my children were in grade three I wanted to have documented progress, so we started using Switched-On Schoolhouse, a computer based curriculum. No workbooks, no worksheets, everything is done on the computer. The children receive immediate feedback each time they answer a question. The program maintains all your students records throughout all years and grade levels making preparing a high school transcript easy when your student is ready to graduate and apply for college. We continued to the Sonlight Literature to enhance our studies. You can learn more about Switched-On Schoolhouse by attending a free Webinar where you can view the program and ask questions about it.

http://www.aophomeschooling.com/switched-on-schoolhouse/webinars.php?s=15&target=1



Other computer options include Aleks Math, Teaching Textbooks,

Your Teacher.Com for high school math http://tinyurl.com/468frwg

Plato Learning for Sciences http://tinyurl.com/4mcwd9g,



Many choose to enroll their student in an online cyber school. Many of these programs are not true homeschooling. You are enrolling your child in a public or private school and fall under the regulations of their program. Some use a combination of online learning and text/workbooks. Others are done completely on line. If you live in a state with an public online school, the program is subsidized by your taxes and is therefore free, If you live in a state that does not provide the online option the cost can be up to $7000/year. Two of the most popular public online options include K12 http://www.k12.com/ and Connections Academy. http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx

Just be sure it's free in your state before enrolling unless you want to enroll as a private school student and pay the expensive tuition.

You may also want to check out Time4Learning http://www.time4learning.com/index.htm it has online options form Pres-school through 8th grade for about $20/month.

Hope this gives you some ideas for other options.

Answer 12

Ugh! Typed out a huge answer and lost it...



Depends on your subject.



For Science, we have:

* Used celery and food coloring the determine the xylem in plants.

* Planted a terrarium as a "final" on the plant unit, including having the kid find a good place to put it and care for the plants for a few months.

* Built a weather station and recorded the weather for two weeks (rain gauge made of an old soda bottle, anemometer of straws and paper cups, etc.)

* Moved a heavy book across the kitchen floor using pencils as rollers (simple machines)

* Rigged ropes and pulleys to lift a 50-pound bag of salt to the top of the jungle gym

* Taken classes at the local science museum

* Gone to the zoo (animal classification) with things like feathers (challenge the kids to get them wet in the fountain) and empty eggshells (bird vs. reptile eggs)

* Watched a metric ton of Bill Nye videos (Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!)



Older teens might do things like gather data for a grad student a the local university, or spearhead a volunteer effort to restore a wetlands or prairie area.



For Math we have:

* Used dominoes (adding, subtracting, matching, etc.)

* Used a deck of cards (games of "war," including taking two cards at once and adding or multiplying them)

* Used dice (same as the cards)

* Used Khan Academy online videos and exercises (free)

* Used pattern blocks (patterns, tessellations, geometry, etc.)

* Used counting chips, connecting cubes, ones cubes and tens rods, and geometric wooden shapes

* Played games...so many! (Math Marks the Spot, Dinosaur Math Tracks, Auntie Pasta's Fractions, Presto-Change-O, etc.)

* Used iPhone Apps (MathDice, Sodoku, Cute Math, Squeebles, PopMath, Multiples, Math Ninja, Cyberchase, etc.)



For History, we have:

Really, really relied on the K12 program. We usually do the module, the kids narrate what they learned, and I look for video clips that relate to the subject. A lot of History Channel stuff is out there, like for the Battle of Thermopylae or Pompeii / Mt. Vesuvius.



For English / Writing / Reading we have:



* Used a combination of

- Bravewriter.com

- Barton Reading



* Checked out stacks and stacks and stacks of books from the library. The kids get read to daily, and they read their own books daily. Third grade hits: The Hobbit, Redwall, Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson series, Chronicles of Narnia series. Read on his own: The Wimpy Kid series, Encyclopedia Brown series, every Pokemon book and comic in the library system, and at least two non-fiction book each week. First grade hits: The Boxcar Children, The Hundred Dresses, In Grandma's Attic, as well as H.P. and P. Jackson.



We also look for computer games on those topics I think the kids need help with. For instance, for punctuation:

Punctuation Pyramid:

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/flash/Punctuation%20Pyramid.html

Alien punctuation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/literacy/punctuation/fs.shtml

Ship Adventure:

http://www.tvokids.com/games/bigescape3

Comma Chameleon:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammar/punctuation.htm

Dragon game, find the questions:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/adventures/dragon_game.shtml

Answer 13

Take Surveys Get Money - http://OnlineSurveys.uzaev.com/?czgL

Answer 14

May e consider the online campus of your local high school

Answer 15

Virtual School.