Homeschooling Advice Needed!

[dana-tenacity]

Older daughter just got end of semester results - 3x A+ and 1xA-.


OK , not really relevant, I just wanted to tell someone.

[Max Nankervis]

Schooling and cruising.

Well, we did have a year when we did more or less the same - but generally on land. And it was all a couple of decades ago. We went around the world (about 20 countries) over a year when they were 6 & y/o. We organised and began to try the government school (free) distance education system.

After a few months we simply gave up and let the experience be the educator. The key problem was that it was very labour intensive - one parent per child for half a day. And there was considerable "client" resistance! Several months of this were in a motorhome in Europe, but keeping a working schedule was difficult. I imagine cruising would create similar issues. So they barely attended school for a whole year. There was a short period in Denmark & UK whre they went to the local government school (in both cases fror free!). But this was mainly for social reasons.

But, based on the educational/academic outcomes for both (degrees, etc), it certainly didn't harm them. The life experience - a variety of people, places, experiences was very educational. Gee, they even began to learn Danish - now there's a feat!

There were "moments", but a couple of funny scenes. In a modern (Dutch) art gallery my 8y/o son commented that "If I painted like that my teacher would just say I'm messy". (2) in Paris he also tried out his French by asking "Une baguette, s'il vous plait" and was rewarded with a sale! Then (3) the same 8y/o set about designing a huge vacuum system which would extract the incredible pollution from an eastern European city. But then there was the time in Prague when they both refused to visit one more cathedral!

While I would try to keep up the reading, and a few basics, I'm not sure I would worry too much if its just for a limited time. Surely there is lots to be learnt in the line of geography, physics, even maths from living on a boat, not to mention self confidence and social skills.

[capcook]

Originally Posted by Max Nankervis

. But then there was the time in Prague when they both refused to visit one more cathedral!.

Ah that would have been a pity, the Cathedral in Prague Castle is one of the most beautiful in all of Europe...

My other half is actually trying to talk me into doing the same thing, but I am holding out for the sailing lifestyle. I just find land travel is too rushed and expensive...

Cheers

[Max Nankervis]

Capcook,

Don't worry. We solved that problem (to everyone's satisfaction). We saw that cathedral (etc) and they had a great day playing. And we've all been back to Prague a few times since and seen more churches and catherdals. And they both seem now to have quite a good appreciation of modern art!

Max.

[wannabesailing]

I am a substitute teacher and I homeschooled my 3 kids....though not afloat YET. You really don't need to spend money on a curriculum. There are free printable worksheets on many different websites. For example if you feel like you need some math worksheets....just search for "free printable math worksheets" and you will get a ton!! There are a lot of preschool and kinder worksheets too. Same goes for science, history, grammer, etc. Most importantly..get them reading! Once they can read, they will be able to "self-teach" pretty well. You can get a book at Barnes and Noble called "What my 1st grader needs to know". You can just go through that book and they will be fine. When and if your kids go back to public school they will just put them in the grade that is age appropriate-- no placement tests.

[mesquaukee]

We have always been amazed at how self reliant, secure and responsible kids are who grew up on a boat. What they gain from exploring the world will far outweigh any possible disadvantage of home schooling. How can a book compare with seeing the reefs, the diversity of fish and seeing first hand the effects of mankind on them. Learning through experience how air moves through the sails, the weather, foreign customs, improperly setting the hook, oil changes, the list is endless. Far better than the shopping mall.

There is a great divide between book learning and gaining knowledge and life skills through experience.

[Goin'Cruising33]

Thanks for all the reply's everyone! We did decide to go with Calvert, however, this is more for me than the kids. I feel like I need a homeschooling for dummies program and Calvert lays everything out nicely. We'll see. I bought it on Ebay and got a good deal, so it is worth a try. As everyone knows who has gone cruising or prepared a boat for a cruise we have 50 million things to do in these last few days--we leave on the Ha-Ha in a week! Having done almost a complete refit on our boat in less than 4 months we feel, well, exhausted. But the light is there at the end of that long tunnel and we are super excited about the upcoming adventure. We're looking forward to meeting all you out there and look forward to welcoming new friends. It should be an adventure....will keep you posted!

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Goin'Cruising33

Thanks for all the reply's everyone! We did decide to go with Calvert, however, this is more for me than the kids. I feel like I need a homeschooling for dummies program and Calvert lays everything out nicely. We'll see. I bought it on Ebay and got a good deal, so it is worth a try. As everyone knows who has gone cruising or prepared a boat for a cruise we have 50 million things to do in these last few days--we leave on the Ha-Ha in a week! Having done almost a complete refit on our boat in less than 4 months we feel, well, exhausted. But the light is there at the end of that long tunnel and we are super excited about the upcoming adventure. We're looking forward to meeting all you out there and look forward to welcoming new friends. It should be an adventure....will keep you posted!

Good luck with the Calvert system. We have several friends who have used Calvert and were very happy with the results. But remember as you go through this with your children to be flexible with their education. Every child learns different than the next. The great thing about home schooling is your ability to tailor their education to the way they learn best. This will be one of the greatest and most rewarding adventures you will undertake in your life by educating your children yourself. You will not only be very proud of the person your child becomes, but have an inner pride in yourself that can never be obtained by sending them to the mass education arenas. What very little they will not get from public education they will gain by incredible leaps from being free from the limits imposed from education aimed at the masses. As radical as that would have sounded to me ten years ago when we started homeschooling, the results speak for themselves.

[Goin'Cruising33]

Thanks Tellie. I can definitely use all the good mojo I can get. I certainly have some trepidation about homeschooling (patience isn't exactly my middle name) but I think the rewards are worth the effort. At least that is what I'm banking on. I think education is really important and I understand that the experience is going to teach them more than I realize now, however, I can't exactly take the approach of "the world will be their teacher" either...there has to be some kind of balance. At least I'm starting with 1st grade!! (I think I can, I think I can ) Thanks again for the encouragement.

[rusky]

In grade 2, we kept our 5 yr old enrolled in the same school. The principal emailed us daily to seekly with worksheets and tasks and we replied with the anwsers.
His class had a 'map' with "where's Tim today Pins'. He emailed to his friends as well and when we flew back for another reason, he just went back to school for a fortnight.

We would get through a weeks work in less than 3 or 4 hours (except for the reading tasks) if rushed. There were enough kids on boats of all and similar ages. Some anchorages, we would lose him for a day or gain a tribe the next day for treasure hunt on the beach. He would keep in radio contact with his cruising friends for years. This has stopped now he is back in mainstream high school. It was brilliant lifestyle for a child.

[rustypirate]

I can honestly say as someone who WAS schooled with the Calvert system, I would not use anything else aside from being in a regular school. I went through K-5 in a regular school, then did the 6th grade on the Calvert system and returned to a "normal" school for the remainder of my education. It really got me organized. I liked the variety of materials that I was exposed to, and I think that the choice of text and other books was geared specifically at keeping the students interested.

I still attribute my appreciation of art, especially sculpture, directly to the curriculum in the Calvert course.