School in a Box

Our homeschooling has grown closer to unschooling over the past two years since taking my daughter out of preschool. This partly has to do with the personalities involved, partly to do with budget, partly to do with the vast number of resources available to us (libraries, programs, field trips, homeschool groups, and cultural opportunities in a large metropolitan area). So homeschooling has not resembled school much at all.

Hence my daughter's comments when I told her school begins next week (she didn't know what I meant):

"I don't want to go to school!"

"We're doing homeschooling."

"I don't want to do homeschooling."
"I don't want to do school at all."

So I told her I have something for her. Then I whipped out my version of "school in a box" ;) . A box of index cards containing 5 brightly colored sets of "subjects". (We are beginning 1st Grade.)

First we read all the cards. Each has a large handwritten subject written on it (in u/l) with Sharpie markers in Montessori style: blue for consonants, red for vowels. Most of the cards have suggested activities to choose from listed on the back (ruled) side.

Then I had her go through and pick one card from each color group. I told her that is what we are going to do for school. She thought this was a fun concept and was quite enthusiastic about it. (We just happened to have these brightly colored cards at hand, but I think they were a big part of the appeal.)

The groups and subjects were not in any particular order. And when I asked her what her favorite subject was after going through them, she told me it was Math.

We will put finished work in binders divided by subject. The index card system is flexible, so it will be easy to add or subtract subjects/activities.

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NEON GREEN:

(We will pick 2 from this group.)

Latin:
Learn chants/responses from Mass
Use Mass programs to learn a few words
Review the spelling/pronunciation compared to English

Math:
Review quantities
Simple addition
Subtraction
Measuring
Sorting
Geometric shapes -- review, draw

Spanish:
Review from materials (books), short session

Handwriting:
Practice one or two letters properly formed [our 1st yr. for formal handwriting]

Poetry:
Read poems
Pick one to memorize
Copy it in notebook

Catechism:
Read aloud
Teach prayers
Discuss theology
Lives of the Saints
Pope, Bishops, Priests, Brothers, Sisters, Missionaries, Lay people

Spelling:
Use of dictionary

Phonics:
Vowel sounds
Vowel blends
Consonant blends
Identify number of syllables in a word (oral)

Grammar: [I had to explain what this one meant]
Parts of Speech
Capitalization
Punctuation
Complete sentence
Paragraphs

Reading:
Assisted reading (of anything)

Bible:
Read from children's or adult Bible
Discuss
Pick a verse to memorize
Write it in notebook

NEON ORANGE:

Read Aloud [ruled back blank for now -- for listing books to choose from]
Read Aloud
Read Aloud

PINK:

Music:
Listen to music
Learn/sing songs
Musical notation
Play instrument

Fine Art:
Books
Pictures
Internet
Museums

Crafts:

Cooking:

Sewing:

Geography:
Maps (including local -- to house, to neighborhood)
Map puzzles
Globe
Books
Map work -- relatives, friends, famous people, stories, Bible stories
Flag and Map sticker books

Community:
Family
Neighbors
Our city
Government
Politics
Our state
United States
World
Missions

History:
Read aloud
Work on History notebook (with timeline)
Talk about lengths of time
Dinosaurs
American History
History of our state
Bible history

Science Nature:
Study snails
Leaves
Nature walk/observe, draw, write
Birds
Rocks
Astronomy
Animals

Creative Writing:
Write a story, song, poem, book

NEON PINK:

Dust
Sort Toys
Vacuum
Dishes
Water Plants
Make Bed
Clear Desk
Call, Write, or Email:
Grandmas and Grandpas
Thank you notes/calls
Cousins

NEON YELLOW:

Tennis
Ballet
Swim
Soccer
Dance
Park