The Dow's Schoolroom

This is one subject I can speak on with some authority. We have been homeschooling for 11 years and have six children. Homeschooling several children is not an easy task, but it can be done with everyone in the family still talking to each other.

The first thing to do is get your house organized. I don't mean by this that everything has to be perfect and magazine gorgeous, but there needs to be order so mom doesn't have as much busy work to do. There needs to be a place for everything so that it can actually be put away. It is not fair to the children to expect them to clean their rooms if they don't know where to put things. I know my house needs a general tossing out session every once in a while. When I do this (yes, I usually do this by myself -- everyone is too emotionally attached to what I am tossing), I tell whoever takes the trash out not to even look inside. They have been known to pull it out of the trash and we have to toss it out the next time. There needs to be a place for school supplies. This doesn't have to be in a separate schoolroom (although that is really nice), it just needs to have enough shelf space to store books, paper, projects and other things that the homeschooler tends to collect.

The next thing to do is to make sure the children are obedient. Here, too, perfection is not the goal. When the children know what is expected of them and the consequences if they don't obey, everything runs smoother. The children need to be given chores that they are expected to do everyday. I know it is usually easier just to go ahead and do most of the chores yourself, but with a little of your oversight and the children's time, they can become quite good at most of the chores around the house. Once they have mastered the chores, mom will not have as much to do and can spend more time educating her brood.

These first two things I've listed are not for homeschoolers alone. Anyone with children will benefit when their home is organized and the children are obedient.

Now it's time to get down to teaching all those kids. Whenever possible, teach the same subject to all the children. When studying Ancient Egypt, teach it to all the children. This will allow the whole family to be thinking on the same thing. If you are teaching Ancient Egypt to one, American History to another and Your State's history to another, you will be overwhelmed really quickly. I think the best type of curriculum to use with several children is Unit Studies. When using Unit Studies, you can cover all subjects (except math) while studying something the whole family enjoys.

For example: Plants

Spend a couple of months in the Spring on this one. Check out and read books from the library on gardening, forestry, famous botanist, etc. Read and memorize passages from the Bible about plants -- The parable of the sower, a time to plant, Gen. 1. Memorize a poem about plants. Do experiments involving plants. Plant a garden. Cook food from the garden. Keep a picture and/or written journal about the garden. Take walks in different areas and observe the plant life. The list of things to do can go on and on. Just from the activities listed above, your family has learned science, history, reading, writing, art, poetry and Bible.

The only subject that is best left out of the Unit Study is Math. Math should be taught individually so the children can move at their own pace. It also needs to be taught regularly and in a systematic order. Most math curriculum will do this if it is used consistently. Choose a math curriculum that will not monopolize either you or your children's time while at the same time is thorough and easy to understand.

Check out Valerie Bendt's Unit Studies Made Easy by Valerie Bendt for help creating your own Unit Study.

The following curriculum has been written with multiple age levels in mind:
Around The World in 180 Days
Great Science Adventures
Drawn Into The Heart of Reading
Creating Books With Children
The Big Book of Books and Activities