Has anyone ever combined elements of a curriculum with unschooling?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

I've been using Calvert with my 8 year old since he was in 1st grade. I also used it with my 19 year old, with mixed success.

I like the curriculum for the most part. However, there have been many days this year when it's been difficult to get my son enthused about doing the work. At the same time, when I take him on field trips, he'll absorb info that he would yawn over while doing school. He's also really interested in, and takes the time to research, certain subjects that are not part of the course.

For example, yesterday, I was going to do school with him after I came home from a gig in the afternoon (usually my work is in the evenings); but when I returned, I found that he'd spent several hours doing online research and reading books he had about giant pandas. He visited the National Zoo website, which has a ton of info on them as well as a webcam, and games which reinforce the information. He loves the "Zoo Tycoon" game we bought him for Christmas, and has been telling us all the stuff he's learned about various animals and their biomes.

Tomorrow he might get involved with the same intensity with studies about pirates or human anatomy.

There are certain skills I'd like him to work on...basic mathematics, which he is not at all enthused about, but can manage pretty well when he's in the right frame of mind; and spelling, which he excels at better than some adults I know. I'm reluctant to just let these slide, which I think would happen if I just let him study whatever he chooses.

At the same time, I'd be a fool not to take advantage of the fact that he's intensely interested in these other things. He'd learn self discipline more readily if he was implementing it on tasks that he truly enjoys.

Have any of you had this sort of issue come up with your homeschooler? I'd like to read your thoughts...

Thanks! :hi:

[mzteris]

1. we've never had a

canned curriculum - as much as I think I'd really like to try one. One - they're expensive, two - there's no way my son is on "A" grade level. He's higher, lower, average, advanced, behind - all at the same time, depending on the subject. And so far I've yet to find a program that can adjust to that. :(

We use texts, video lectures, the 'puter, field trips, museums, books, videos, documentaries, tv, and the library a lot! Plus some supplemental classes and/or tutor-types on various subjects.

[fight4my3sons]

2. My son is younger, but

I got the Calvert Pre-K this year for my oldest son who turned 4 in Oct. I am finding that he is not challenged at all by the curriculum and is bored. When he is playing around the house he is coming up to me with his Magna Doodle asking me how to spell words and copying the names of countries off of the map. He wrote a sentence the other day after becoming angry at one of his brothers - "Max is CRRD" meaning Max is crying. He is writing numbers and doing simple addition and subtraction. He navigates websites and can play all kinds of games on the computer. Now I am looking for things to supplement the Calvert curriculum. He is begging me to teach him to read and walks around trying to sound out everything. He loves to go to the Starfall website and read the little books that they have. I am afraid to just give up on the Calvert curriculum, but he seems so bored or maybe I should have gotten the Kindergarten?

I don't know what Calvert is like in the older grades, but now I'm torn about whether I should get it for Kindergarten or not. It is expensive. I like that it is so comprehensive, but it is a little dry. It seems like your son likes to be right in the learning experience and have some control (who wouldn't). Can you incorporate the basics into the things he is interested in?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. That's what I've started to do...

One of the 3rd grade courses is "Gods of Greece". When we start reading, he loses focus...He really is not at all interested. While I think it's good for him to know that ancient Greek society revolved around their gods; I don't see the point in thrusting material at him that will only serve to make him hate school.

So I found a book about pirates, which he IS interested in; and we've begun reading that instead. After we read, I ask him questions about the material. He's got a toy pirate ship, and has begun acting out the chapters we've read. I'm sure I can find a good pirate exhibit in a museum not too far from here.

We didn't do the kindergarten program with him, so I'm not sure what it's like. We taught him to read using the Leap Frog "Leap Top" Computer. Kids can learn letter sounds from it, and start spelling 3 letter words. I made a game of it, using a basic phonetic approach: Dad. Sad dad. Mad dad. Bad dad....stuff like that. He loved it.

We're finding the science curriculum to be beneath his ability. He enjoys doing experiments; but I hate to spend time piddlefarting with stuff he already knows. We bought him an circuitry kit and a simple chemistry set for Christmas. I try to incorporate some of the Calvert vocabulary into what he's doing; but if he doesn't learn all those words, he'll be learning others.

Check out this essay by John Gatto... http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/hp/frames.htm

I'm inspired to read more of his work.

[fight4my3sons]

4. Leapfrog...

is what I think has got him started. He watched "The Letter Factory" when he was 2 and knew his letters and their sounds on about a week. Now his brothers (age 2 1/2) also love that move and the same thing happened. They watch the "Word Factory" and "Math Circus" and that is where his interest in math and making words came from. He plays with the word whammer on the fridge all the time. He loves the Starfall website and I just found the some of the books on Ebay for $.99. I just (finally) got Gatto's book Dumbing Us Down for Christmas, but need to read it now. I'll check out that essay though.

My sons all love pirates too! After all we are in Maine by the ocean and they are a big thing here. We have the Playmobil pirate ship and some accessories. They play for quite a while with them and are quite imaginative.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. I didn't know they had movies...

My youngest has never been particularly interested in math, which makes teaching the subject a challenge. Mr GoG uses flashcards of math facts along with pretend play...each correct answer allows our son to get a homerun, a touchdown, or destroy an Imperial Starfighter, etc.

Is there a pirate museum in Maine? I noticed there's one in Salem, MA, which would be an interesting place to visit.

[fight4my3sons]

6. Not a pirate museum, but

the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine is great for kids. They have and annual Pirate Party that is very popular with the area kids. I haven't taken my kids there yet because I have three young ones and it is just one of the many places I haven't gotten around to yet.

http://www.bathmaine.com/default.asp?programID=50&z1=14&z2=0

There are also the pirate cruises here in the summer that go down the Kennebec and the Sheepscot Rivers. They are fun. We took our older son when he was three and he loved it.

There may be pirate museum that I don't know of. I haven't lived up here long. I know they are having a Pirate Party at the Children's Museum in Portland soon, if it hasn't already passed.