Homeschooling methods

The school year is winding down, and we're already getting excited about next year's curriculum (we being me and John, not Isaac and Simon), so I thought it was time to brush up on the popular homeschool methods to see which one(s) would work best for us. There are a surprisingly large and diverse number of methods and philosophies out there, from classical to basic to go-with-the-flow. Here's my interpretation of the ones we found:

Back to basics: children study reading, riting, and rithmetic from textbooks and worksheets. The parent assigns and corrects exercises and projects. Very similar to public schools. Example: http://www.abeka.com/.

Charlotte Mason: named after it's creator, this one involves teaching children from good literature and having them narrate back to you what they've learned. It's designed for kids who are "motivated by beauty" and doesn't use grades, homework, or lectures. This strikes me as a tough sell to ex-husbands and other family members who are reluctant to stray too far from the public school method of education. My favorite part is that afternoons are kept free for outdoor play. Example: http://simplycharlottemason.com/.

Classical Education: This sounds to me like the way children were educated in boarding schools in 19th century Europe. Kids are taught using classical literature, Latin as a foundation for critical thinking and vocabulary, and a special teaching pattern called the "trivium." This one is very rigorous and demands some serious higher level thought from the kids. Example: http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/v2/index.php?page=3.

Contests: This one seems silly to me, but I'm sure it works wonders for competitive kids. You basically find academic contests in which to enter your children and focus your studies around the contests. Example: http://www.homeschool.com/Homeschool_Contests_And_Scholorships/default.asp.

Laptop Homeschooling: Your child learns on the computer from software or the internet. Several all-inclusive curriculum packages are available that allow your kids to learn all subjects on the computer, including lectures, practice, exercises, and tests. The cool thing about these is that they allow for mostly independent study, and the grading and tracking is done for you. Example: http://www.aophomeschooling.com/switched-on-schoolhouse/overview.php.

The Principle Approach: This is intriguing to me. Your instruction centers around the following:

• Reading copiously in American source documents and biographies of famous patriots
• Looking up word definitions in Webster's 1828 dictionary
• Learning principles of Christian morality and government
• Learning and using the "notebook method": Research, Reasoning, Relating, and Recording

Example: http://www.principleapproach.org/page/home_page/?.

The Robinson Method: a widower developed this method after his wife died so that he could take over the homeschooling duties with minimal involvement. You order the curriculum as a set of 22 CDs. The method uses independent study, mainly of literature, and is designed to be studied for 5 hours a day, 6 days a week, 12 months a year. It also involves eliminating sugar and TV. Youch. Example: http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/.

The Maloney Method: I honestly don't get this one. All I know is that it's based on tons and tons of research to discover the best instructional methods for children. If you want to do this method, you can use your own texts/lesson plans, or you can use the "Teach Your Children Well" series of manuals and workbooks. Example: http://www.teachyourchildrenwell.ca/.

Unschooling: This one reminds me a little bit of the Charlotte Mason method. You pretty much let your children decide what they want to learn and how they want to learn it - but you supervise them to ensure that they're not just goofing around all day. The philosophy behind this one is that kids do want to learn, and they'll become better learners if you let them do it their way. I think this would have worked for me as a student (because I was nerdy and loved school), and maybe it'll work for my kids when they're older, but I'm not convinced that this is such a great idea for most elementary-age students. Especially my own, highly distractible and unmotivated students. Example: http://www.unschooling.com/.

Unit Studies: This is the one I'm leaning toward. You buy lesson plans (or create your own) that integrate all basic subjects (language, science, bible, history, geography, sometimes even math) using a central topic or theme. The topic or theme is most commonly either a piece of literature or a historical/biblical period or event. For example, you might base a lesson, or a week's worth of lessons, around a piece of literature that takes place in ancient Egypt. So, on day one, you read a couple of chapters of the book and ask comprehension questions (language). Then, you study the flora and fauna of the Nile River valley (science). Next, you learn about the enslavement of Israel in Egypt and read from the book of Exodus (bible) and some of the customs and historical landmarks in Egypt (history/social studies). You might even make a recipe together using ingredients and methods used in ancient Egypt (home ec/social studies/science). Finally, you study a map of ancient Egypt/Africa and compare it to modern-day Egypt/Africa (geography). You continue in this topic as longs as you want to, choosing additional books, bible stories, etc. that involve ancient Egypt. Example: http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/index.html.