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Homeschool Curriculum - Six Year Old © Beverley Paine, 1997 This is the very first homeschool curriculum we wrote in 1986 for our eldest daughter who had just turned six. It should be read in conjunction with our statement of philosophy, goals and aims. This list of subjects was supplemented with a statement on educational beliefs and elaboration on the methods of instruction to be used. The period of the When I wrote this curriculum I was a complete novice with very little knowledge of how to help children learn. We were both involved as much as we could in April's preschool experiences, and had been family-day-care providers for other people's children for a number of years. We knew of no other home educating at this time. Knowing what I do know I am sure the curriculum would look completely different, but this is what we did and it worked very well. 1986 Learning Program - April ARTS Drama We will follow the format April was accustomed to in Kindergarten, with role-playing in fantasy games and acting out rhymes, stories and songs. We have an extensive box of dress ups and props, toys and ordinary household objects to stimulate her imagination. It is anticipated April will continue to have access to her friends to develop social skills in playing. Music We have an extensive collection of music for listening to, and April has several percussion instruments (with more to be made in craft sessions). April will be encouraged to make use of these at all times. In addition, we will be introducing her to the recorder and teaching her to play, with an emphasis on enjoyment. Arts and Craft For the most part activities will be spontaneous, generated by April’s interest (or her brother, aged three). We will continue to improve our collection of art and craft materials, and make use of the natural environment for ideas and materials. Projects and ideas will also be generated from our excursions, and activities in other subjects. We will be focussing on fun and experimentation, with mastery of dexterity and aesthetic skills also important. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Reading April is already a proficient and independent reader of picture books. She will continue to be read to on request and daily, and will be required to read aloud to us regularly. She has her own collection of books, and will visit the library often. Quiet times, where April can look and read a variety of types of books alone, will be provided. Phonics/Spelling/Word Knowledge This will proceed as in the past. As April comes across words she does not understand they will be explained. We are making use of various educational aids such as ‘Royal Road Reading Kit’, letter shapes, alphabet dice and games, flash cards, etc. April has her own personal dictionary she records new words in. Spelling is corrected as necessary Poetry We have tapes and records of nursery rhymes which April enjoys listening to, as well as reading from children’s poetry books. Rhyming games are played, and April is encouraged to make up rhymes, songs and poems and to record them on tape or paper. Grammar As April increases her vocabulary of written words, sentence structure and punctuation will be introduced, beginning with capitals, full stops, simple sentences, conjunctions and commas for phrases and lists. Attention will be given to correct tense when speaking, and correction of incorrectly pronounced words. Talking and Written Language Conversation is encouraged, with emphasis on being able to express herself and her needs clearly. We will continue to scribe for her when requested, but will encourage her to record for herself. Opportunities for writing and talking will generally arise out of general daily activities and work in other subjects. April will be involved in making books, labels for pictures, letter writing and writing in a daily diary. GENERAL STUDIES Social Studies April has access to the television (although this is regulated by us) and is able to watch a variety of programs on subjects related to history, geography, other cultures, as well as children’s educational programs. On these occasions we will generally watch with her, and answer questions and discuss the content and her reactions. We intend to visit the Birdwood Mill and historical places in the Barossa Valley to give April information about European settlement of South Australia and how people lived in the early days of the colony. Science Practical science will be concentrated on - as part of everyday life. As April observes the world about her and how it functions we will endeavour to answer her questions and initiate discussions. April is a very curious child with an inquiring and mind and interested attitude. We will focus on the natural environment, particularly on living things, and begin a natural history collection. April is already interested in rocks and shells and her interest will be fostered. Health Basic understanding of diet and nutrition, personal hygiene and exercise is a natural part of her life. We will look at the role of health professionals in our lives, with visits to hospitals, doctors, and dentists. April will be encouraged to be involved in the preparation of simple meals and celebrations. Physical education will be a feature with attention to physical co-ordination and ball games to improve hand-eye co-ordination. Walking will continue to be our main form of exercise. MATHEMATICS Numbers As April already knows her numbers and understands what they represent we will continue with expanding on number sentences - addition, subtraction, division and multiplication with the numbers 1 - 10, and to be able to calculate in simple sums. We will be teaching April to count to 100 with practical activities drawn from daily life, the abacus, counters, games, M.A.B. blocks, etc. Measurement This will include learning to tell the time (to the hour and half hour and understand minutes), understanding scales and weights, and volumes (mostly by practical activities in the kitchen and playing in the sand pit!). April will also be introduced to distance, with measuring activities using the ruler and tape measures. Through shop games and pocket money we will introduce April to handling money, and teach her to recognise all of the denominations. Shape Focus will be on shape recognition in both two and three dimensions, colour and size differentiation. An ability to understand and use words relating to space will be fostered. Recognising and creating patterns, both inside and outside, will be important.
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education in Australia. State and Territory governments are responsible for regulating home education and have different requirements, however home educating families are able to develop curriculum and learning programs to suit the individual needs of their children.
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Pioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network.
Beverley wrote Getting Started with Homeschooling in 1995-97 and since then continues to write books and booklets on home education. She balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of writing on a variety of homeschooling subjects. Beverley maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home.
In 2007 Beverley joined the HEA and was a committee member for three years during which time she edited and produced the HEA Newsletter, Stepping Stones for Home Educators magazine, annual Resource Directory and other HEA publications.
If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for the Homeschool Australia Newsletter or visit her Homeschool Australia Facebook page.nor do they endorse or recommend products (other than their own) listed in contributed articles, pages, or advertisements.