HOMESCHOOLING GRADE 1

Hi Every one,
Yes it is official, we are now homeschooling.

Thomas is 6 and after much consideration I decided to introducing a more structured approach to education. It was a very difficult decision because I do really enjoy an unschooling approach to learning but Thomas had reached a point where he was needing more but had set boundaries. [example- His opinion on numbers - Because he is 6 he only needs to count to six. He can count higher, but if you show him a number over 6 and ask him to name it, he would respond by saying "Oh I know that number, it is more than six." So on the upside he comprehends bigger than/smaller than. But he did this with the number 5 when he was 5yrs old and with 4 and 3 in their respective years.]

Many homeschool parents have similar questions, so here is a brief summary of the approach/decisions we have made. These are relevant for our family now and could change at any point, we are learning and growing and are willing to submit to life's experience as a willow branch does in the wind.

APPROACH

The time frame needed for grade one will depend on Thomas' ability to grasp concepts. He is a young 6 yr old and we feel no need to rush through grade one in a single year. We initially started with 30min and are now up to 60min. I will remain at 60minutes until I start to introduce the recorder and then knitting lessons.

MATHS - Waldorf inspired approach to maths - 3 lesson blocks for grade one.

http://waldorfmaths.blogspot.com/

FORMDRAWING - Yes we will continue doing this while focusing on straight line and curves. Doing these in sand with fingers, air with feet and ribbon sticks, and on paper in the mainlesson block

LANGUAGES
ENGLISH - Waldorf and Charlotte Mason [Footprints]
2ND - AFRIKAANS - Karl will be teaching this cause I speak with a heavy english accent. Janet recommend these books

bought at Bargain Books are called:Superfiks Graad 1 ISBN 978-0-636-04919-2 / 0-636-04919-1 Publisher Maskew Miller Longman

Oxford First Bilingual DictionaryISBN 978 0 19 576802 2

MUSIC - recorder [still need to figure this one out]

KNITTING - Finger knitting, making of knitting needles, knitting in plain

LEGALITIES and ASSOCIATIONS - For now we will not be reistering with the govt [until I have all necessary medical documentation on hand] and will not be joining any trusts. Our family is a member of CHE and will remain so for 2009.