So I have been on a quest lately to write down all of the books and movies and things that I want Joslyn to read, watch and do in home school. I have to say that I am felling very inspired about this. I love making list. I enjoy making a grocery list more than going to the grocery store. But when my list is made, and I get everything on that list, and I get home, and put up the groceries, then get to delete the list; Life is grand. My hope is that my list will include everything that she needs to learn and somehow year by year we accomplish and fulfill everything on that list and more, then when she is graduated and is the smartest most brilliant beautifully well-rounded person in the world; I can cross of the list and retire peacefully to blissfuldom. OK! I know WAKE UP Teresa!!!!!
Obviously life doesn't work that way. But a list I am making. And my true goal is that by the time that it is time for her to be home schooled; that I will have come up with a efficient and reasonably fun way for her to learn and enjoy the schooling process. My list is just a jumping off point. I do have some great friends that are home schoolers and I hope to utilize their knowledge. I also want her to learn so much more than she will in school. Yes math, English, history and science are important, but so is sewing, art, cooking, finances, gardening, PE and music. Schools can't do it all and the way that the economy is going, music, home economics, balancing a checkbook, and art are on their way out. Home EC was an important class in our parents generation and in my generation it was an elective. Now most schools don't have it as an option. Money for classes such as music and art are dwindling and the education system is having to decide on whether or not to keep them. Resume writing should be an important class, so should balancing a checkbook; but most students don't know how to do either when they graduate. No wonder our economy is declining, we aren't teaching our children how to get jobs or raise children, two things they might need to know how to do, but by golly they will know geometry and history. Now, please believe me. I don't hate public school. I love it and there are so many things that are advantages of public schools. I am not downing people who use it. I just can't see how it will work for Joslyn. I don't remember half of what I learned in school. I want her to learn so much and retain it. Most of the classes that I went to weren't designed for hands-on learners. I couldn't learn history well, because it was mostly visual learning. memorizing and reciting dates and events. There was one teacher in high school and one teacher in college that taught history fun and in a way that I could learn it. My biggest challenge will be to learn how Joslyn learns and teach her that way. I believe that you can have a good balance.
I am most excited about science. There are so many ways you can learn science by smelling, touching, seeing, hearing and feeling. I plan on taking her to farms and have her learn gardening by people who actually can get more to grow than weeds (me). Learn about the animals from people who are around them. Build rockets and blast off volcanos. Grow crystals and put as much under a microscope as we can. Have a telescope and actually find constellations instead of reading about them.
Music is dear to my heart. I loved choir in school and was good at singing. But I never retained the knowledge of Reading music. So when I got into college, I had trouble keeping up with my talent because I spent hours playing the notes on a piano to practice. I survived mostly by being good at hearing the songs and remembering them. But that wasn't all I needed to know. Learning music and scales will be more important to me at first with Joslyn then we can go on to finding talent.
Cooking, is something that I think that every student should know how to do. Because of my background I was cooking for my family at a young age. But no one taught me about vegetables and fish and how to cook these things. I could make hot dogs and hamburger helper. I want Joslyn to be able to cook for herself and her friends in college and not just rely on fast food, because she doesn't know any better. Teaching kids to cook gives them the chance to be healthy. If they rely on only stuff that others cook for them, they have no choice but to become what they eat. But if they learn which foods are good for them and how to cook them to make them tasty they have the ability to choose healthy vs fattening. Teaching kids the properties of salt and when to add it instead of handing them a plate of salted french fries, gives them the opportunity to choose. It's not wrong to eat these things. I feed Joslyn hot dogs and french fries, but I want her to have the choices I didn't as a kid to pick fresh fruit over ice cream. I want her to love food even healthy food. I am trying to learn this now so that I can teach her.
I could go on and on about the stuff I want her to learn but these are just a few of the things on my list.
Since I plan on home schooling, I am coming up with a list of books that I think Joslyn should read in school. And because I want her to be able to gain knowledge and enjoy reading; she will be required to write a report on most of the required books. Now obviously, there will be books that she will read for fun, but the major classics and some of the most popular books will be on that list. Since I am not a dictator, I will be reading these books first to determine what questions I should ask and if the books are appropriate. A lot of these books I will have her read and then we will watch the movie to determine the differences. I have noticed that many movies that I love are based on books and usually I like the book better. The first book I have chosen is Mary Poppins. 
