Curriculum is boring my daughter to tears! Help!


(usa)

Question
I started homeschooling my daughter this year after pulling her out of a public school mid-year. She is currently in sixth grade. I also am wanting to continue homeschooling in the summer too.

We started out using a pre-packaged curriculum which after about a month started boring her to tears. We have been trying to hurry through it, but I decided to just dump it. I have been looking around online and have found that I can almost homeschool for free(!), but I am having trouble making sure if she would still be learning everything she would in a public school if I don't use any textbooks or workbooks. I am thinking about doing lapbooks, unit studies, and your wonderful ideas on this website.

Would that be enough? How do I know if she is learning? Thank you!


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Answer
Hiya
Yes, a pre packaged curriculum can be stifling - I am sure you will have lots more fun pulling your own curriculum together.

How will you know if she is learning? Because you will see it! Slowly but surely you will see leaps in her knowledge and skills. Not every single day perhaps -but every now and then you will catch yourself saying "Wow! I didn't know you could do that". I am sure that using lapbooks and unit studies and a mix of other ideas will be interesting and exciting to you both. And children learn best when they are interested and excited!

Will it be enough? Yes, almost certainly. How can you make sure she will still be learning everything she would learn at school? Well, I don't think you can really. But as I explained in education in a box you can NEVER be certain that you have covered everything that is needed. I think you just have to accept that a lot of varied learning will take place. And there will be some overlap with a school curriculum. And a lot of other stuff besides.

Why not give it a try? I am sure you will be amazed at how much you get covered.

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Tears
by: LoriD

If either one of you is crying no learning is taking place.

Go with your gut --- always! You know you and your daughter best.

I've used lapbooks, unit studies and this site and they've been the happiest learning experiences my kids have had -- and they remember them and remember what they learned from them!

Show your daughter everything that homeschooling can be (choice is one of the great serendipities of hs) - and encourage her in participating (give her the choice about what she wants to learn), she is old enough to give you valuable input and some ideas about topics - go with her interests.

P.S. good for you for listening to your daughters tears and ditching the curriculum - it usually takes new hs's a lot longer to come to that decision. You are on the right track!!

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