1. family and parenting
2. children

2012–2012 page 1
How to Use
Organic Homeschooling
A Guide to Using OH:
Welcome to Organic Homeschooling
Start with the Right Mindset
Books and Resources You Need This Year
A Walk Through Your OH Curriculum
Subject-by-Subject Instructions: Read Aloud
“Drip-method” Subjects
Math and Language
Copying, Guided Dictation, and Dictation
Individualizing Your Child’s Learning
Reading and Reading Lists
A Final Word
2012–2013
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 2
© 2012 Steve and Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted
to original purchaser to make copies for immediate family members only.
For a free sample of the Organic Homeschooling monthly curriculum, go to
www.OrganicHomeschooling.com/samples.
Our livelihood depends on your integrity.
Text that is underlined is hyperlinked within this document or to an Internet
page. Click on the text or hold “Control” and then click.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 3
Welcome to Organic Homeschooling!
We are so glad you invited Organic Homeschooling into your family life. We
believe that Organic Homeschooling is the right blend of structure and flexibility. Home-centered natural methods help you focus on your relationship
with your child while directing his attention to the Lord.
NEW USERS
If you are new to Organic Homeschooling, you will get the most from this
curriculum if you read through this complete document. Plan to do so at
your earliest convenience. However, we understand that we often learn
best by doing so for the generation accustomed to “quick start” guides, we
will distill the getting started basics here. Be sure to read these instructions
carefully so that you get started on the right foot. Then jump in.
START WITH THE BASICS
When you subscribe, in addition to the link to this document, “How to Use
Organic Homeschooling,” there is a link to this month’s curriculum.
Step 1: Purchase the Bookshelf Resources
Used throughout the year, these resources are a vital part of the curriculum:
Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young selected by Jack
Favorite Poems Old and New by Helen Ferris Tibbets
A Treasury of Children’s Literature edited by Armand Eisen
The Everything Kids’ Math Puzzles Book by Meg, Glen, and Sean
Clemens
The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick
A Biblical Home Education by Ruth Beechick
Needed for Children Ages 9 and Older:
What Does the Bible Say About That? by Kevin Swanson
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 4
Step 2: Purchase the Needed Seasonal Resources (found on page 29
of the monthly curriculum, page 17 in December and July)
This year this list usually includes an art portfolio, a nature book, and
possibly another book for older children.
Step 3: Purchase or Arrange to Borrow the Monthly Resources (listed
on page 30 of the monthly curriculum)
This list contains three to four picture books, one to two chapter books,
and art supplies and craft items which are commonly available.
Step 4: Print Your Curriculum or Use It Directly from Your Computer
If you decide to print it, a three-ring binder is a great place to organize
it. Use five tab dividers to separate each week and the resource lists.
Step 5: Check the OH Blog for Supplementary Ideas, Updates, and
Corrections
Now, you are ready to get started! But don’t forget to come back and read
through the complete guide so you get the most from your curriculum.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 5
Start with the Right Mindset
HOMESCHOOLING SHOULD BE SIMPLE
Many home education curriculums and approaches complicate the process
of teaching your child at home. Keep it simple so your focus stays on your
child and you do not become overwhelmed or discouraged. Teaching your
child at home can be as easy as 1, 2, 3.
1. Spend time each day, reading, discussing, and
exploring the world as a family. We call this “All Together Time.” During this read aloud time you
strengthen relationships, practice skills, and learn
content. It is and should be the foundation of your
academic learning.
2. Build strong real-life skills, especially in language
and math. Consider viewing this as a time to move
your child forward in his understanding rather than
a time to fill in blanks or complete pages. Make this
a delight not a time of frustration.
3. Assign independent work for each child. (The
amount of work is determined by the child’s age
and abilities.) This may include drawing or writing,
math practice, and independent reading.
It’s that simple!
ORGANIC HOMESCHOOLING
This simple, organic approach to learning emphasizes real books and real
life. These books nourish, aren’t artificial or unwholesome, and help children learn and develop naturally. A simplified teaching approach keeps you
efficiently organized. This is a whole-life approach to education.
It is a shame that homeschool curriculum providers pack curriculums with
more content than any family could possibly accomplish. It is an easy trap
to fall into but one that should be studiously avoided. This flaw results in
the number one problem among homeschooling parents—false guilt that
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 6
“we aren’t doing enough.” Did you know that including your child intentionally in the day-to-day workings of your household and reading well-written
children’s books on a variety of topics provides your child with all the content presented in institutional schools from kindergarten through fourth
grade? All without comprehension worksheets, grade level placement, quizzes, tests, and even curriculum. Homeschooling is simple.
HOMESCHOOLING IS DISCIPLESHIP
The heart of homeschooling is
the discipleship relationship between parents and children, not
just the facts learned or the
skills acquired. The current shift
toward “academic excellence”
within homeschooling circles
obscures the true purpose of
homeschooling—to rear godly
children (Malachi 2:15). Mothers fret and stew over which
curriculum to choose or whether they are following their given method correctly, rather than praying and working to build godly character and Christlikeness in their children. The goal of this curriculum is to simplify the
academic demands on parents and children so that attention is focused on the heart and soul of the child, not only the intellect. Interestingly though, this focus will not result in children who are less capable of
using their minds or pursuing the goals God puts before them. On the contrary, by seeking the kingdom of God first, all these other things will be
added (Matthew 6:33). We find this to be true in our home, and many other
veteran homeschooling families testify to this truth.
MAKE ORGANIC HOMESCHOOLING WORK FOR YOUR FAMILY
As you look through your monthly curriculum, consider your calendar of activities for the month. Mark outside-the-home days. Adjust this schedule to
fit your demands. Look at your day-to-day routines. Is there a natural
break after morning chores are done? Do you prefer working one-on-one
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 7
with the older children in the afternoon while the baby naps? Set aside an
hour or so to gather all your children and read, talk, and explore together.
Spend a few minutes each day with each child helping him practice skills
and learn arithmetic. Provide suggestions for independent work (his age
and ability determines the type and amount) and have a time set to check
his completed work. That’s not too complicated, is it?
In our weekly schedule
Wednesdays and Fridays
are “short days.” It is
not uncommon for families to accomplish their
academic work in four
days, leaving one day
free for appointments,
outside-the-home activities, or housecleaning. If
necessary, combine
short days. Alternately,
spend all Wednesday afternoon in “nature study” outside. Visit a park or
farm, go for a walk on a trail, or hang out in the backyard. On Fridays, if
you desire additional work, add another craft or project or get together with
homeschooling friends to do science experiments—and be encouraged.
(Yes, we all put off planning and gathering materials for experiments unless
we are doing them with someone else!) Alter and rearrange this schedule to
make it work for your family.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 8
Organic Homeschooling Blog: Let’s Talk
OH BLOG
The Organic Homeschooling blog is a great resource that you don’t want to
miss. In addition to corrections and additional explanations for activities in
the monthly curriculum, we regularly post supplementary ideas.
Since OH is a family business, we include a little family news from time to
time as well. The blog is the place to ask questions that you think would
benefit other users. We hope someday to increase our user-to-user communication, but for now, the blog serves as our primary means of interacting
in real time.
You can subscribe to the blog and receive each post in your e-mail Inbox,
or you can follow us on Facebook. All the posts from the website appear on
Facebook.
If you have any ideas for inexpensive ways we can facilitate your interaction and connection with other Organic Homeschoolers, we would love to
hear them! www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 9
Books and Resources You Need This Year
Here it is . . . the list you’ve been waiting for. This is an in-depth look at
the books you will use this year, why they are included, and how to use
them. These books will become family friends over the next twelve months.
Most are perennial favorites among homeschooling families. Make sure to
read the note about books marked with an asterisk (*) at the end of the
list.
Scheduled Resources:
LITERATURE—POETRY
Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young selected by Jack Prelusky is used
again this year as an introduction to short, lively, fun poems. Combined
with the nursery rhymes in A Treasury of Children’s Literature, your
young children will enjoy poetry rather than dread it.
Favorite Poems Old and New by Helen Ferris Tibbets (Doubleday, 1957) is a
perennial favorite. You will use this resource throughout your child’s
homeschooling years.
LITERATURE
A Treasury of Children’s Literature edited by Armand Eisen (Houghton Mifflin, 1992)is a well
written and beautifully illustrated collection of
traditional stories, tales, and poems.
SKILLS
The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick (Mott Media,
2006) The recent classic on teaching a child
reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic from preschool
through third grade. The language section applies through adulthood.
PHILOSOPHY AND METHODS
A Biblical Home Education by Ruth Beechick is a
common-sense approach to educating your child
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 10
that distills the school-centered mindset from your life.
MATH – PROBLEM SOLVING
*The Everything Kids’ Math Puzzles Book by Meg, Glen, and Sean Clemens
Chock full of ideas, explanations, and fun problem solving puzzles, this
resource helps us develop mathematical reasoning in a literary context.
Additional Resources Needed for Children Ages 9 and Older
BIBLE/SOCIAL STUDIES/WORLDVIEW
*What Does the Bible Say About That? by Kevin Swanson (available from
GenerationsWithVision.com)
There are many worldview resources available today, but most focus on
philosophy. Swanson takes a much more practical approach to, applying
biblical reasoning to many areas of life. You have to know the truth before you can discern errors.
*Books marked with an asterisk are useful tools, but do not have as much
literary longevity as the other selections. If finances are particularly tight,
these are the books I would borrow, substitute, or make do without. The
rest of these are the kind of books that you will pass down to your children’s children.
Optional Resources, recommended, but not required:
BIBLE/HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY
A Bible, your family’s preferred
version. We like the King
James (or “Authorized”) Version (KJV) for memorization
(see an explanation for this in
A Biblical Home Education) and
the New King James Version
(NKJV) for family reading. A
good on-line Bible resource is
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 11
BibleGateway.com or download excellent Bible study software to your
computer from e-Sword.net.
The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos (reprinted Eerdmans, 1993). This
beloved story Bible retells the stories our children need to learn in an understandable way often using the very words of the Bible. The gentle explanations often assist children in understanding more difficult concepts
such as why God asked the Israelites to destroy certain nations in Canaan.
BIBLE STUDY/THEOLOGY
Leading Little Ones to God by Miriam Schoolland (reprinted William B. Eerdmans, 1995) is written simply, but down to your children
CATECHISM
Teach Them the Faith by Dan & Karen Vitco
If you want to include the study of the children’s catechism, this resource is excellent. Many families already have their own plan for doctrinal study and/or catechism in place during family worship. If that is
your family, you will not need this resource. It is meant to be a help, not
another thing to add to your day. If you learn one track each week, you
will complete the catechism this year.
HYMNS
Great Christian Hymn Writers by
Jane Stuart Smith and Betty
Carlson (Crossway, 1997)
This is a great supplement to
your hymn learning, telling a
little of the story of the composer behind the hymns we
will learn this year. The stories are short and simple, a
great resource for
homeschooling families.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 12
FOLKSONGS
American Folksongs for Children by Mike & Peggy Seeger (1997)
Each chosen folksong is linked to a free on-line resource drawn from this
CD. This CD includes 96 songs (we only learn 12 this year) and is for
those who really enjoy folksongs as we do.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Songs in Spanish for Children by Elena Paz Travesi (1995)
This CD in not required but includes fourteen songs in Spanish, many of
them traditional. This is a great way to expose your children to another language and so they begin to learn vocabulary and pronunciation.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 13
Hi! I’m Kara Murphy, creator of Organic
Homeschooling, and homeschooling mom to ten
wonderful children (and counting), all organically
homeschooled from birth. You are a smart woman
and you can probably figure out how to use the
curriculum as you go along, but I can’t resist the
opportunity to walk you through it step-by-step. I
hope this will avoid any confusion you might have
and that it helps you to get the most from your Organic Homeschooling.
A Walk Through Your Organic Homeschooling Curriculum
When you subscribe, and on the 15th of every month afterward, you receive an e-mail receipt. On your receipt are links to PDFs of this document
and the monthly curriculum. Make sure you save these to your computer
for future reference.
You may read your curriculum directly from your computer or do as we do
and print your curriculum and place it in a three-ring notebook. I like to use
large five-tab dividers because I like to make notes on the pages.
SETTING UP YOUR NOTEBOOK
If you do not read your curriculum directly from your computer print your
lesson plans and place them in a three-ring binder. To save ink and paper,
we print double sided and in gray scale with black ink only. On our printer,
those settings are under “advanced” settings.
I also like to print page 1 in color and slip it into the front plastic overlay of
my notebook. It makes it look prettier! As my mother used to say,
“Presentation is everything.” (This must be pronounced with a southern accent: /PREE zen TAY’ shun/.)
To assemble your notebook, use five tabs. Before the first tab, place the
month’s introductory pages (1–4). Put each week’s lessons behind a tab,
putting Week 1 behind Tab 1 and so on.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 14
MARKING YOUR CURRICULUM
The appearance of your materials matters. If you like it, you will enjoy using it. Here are a few hints I have developed for tracking progress through
the month. I highlight each assignment as I complete it. That way I can see
what I have accomplished without obscuring the print. If I don’t finish an
assignment one day, but I want to do it the next, I draw an arrow to the
left of the item, like this:
  The Wheel on the School chapter 5
If we are not going to do an assignment, I draw a line through it:
READ from individual reading lists
(Yes, we really do cross off assignments, guilt free, and so should you!)
Since I have many children to oversee, I mark the initials of my children
beside each individual assignment (math, reading, other individual assignments) and then circle each as the children show me their work:
INDEPENDENT ASSIGNMENTS Reading List and/or additional Math
L E M H Jo Ja G
I hope these little tips help you to be more organized and to enjoy the process of using your curriculum.
As you work through your plans, never forget: you are the mother in your
home. Pick and choose activities based on the needs of your children and
home. Substitute
books, switch days an
assignment is complete, ignore suggestions. Take our guides
and use them as your
helper, not your master. And don’t forget
that the goal of OH is
to free you to focus on
your children!
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 15
Continuing with your monthly curriculum, page 1, the title page, includes a
Table of Contents of sorts for ease in finding the section you need. The major sections are hyperlinked to the page in the document so you can jump
to the page you need within the PDF. Again, I like to print this page in color
and slip it into the front of the binder.
On the copyright page (page 2) there is a link to a sample on our website.
If you have a friend that would like to look at Organic Homeschooling,
please do not share or e-mail your PDF. Direct your friend to the free sample. It is an accurate representation of Organic Homeschooling. To “share”
your monthly curriculum not only breaks copyright law, it is actually a form
of stealing—taking intellectual property without permission. If your friend is
truly in financial hardship, consider giving her a monthly subscription or
contact us. There may be scholarship funds available for such cases.
On the blog we often include supplementary materials. You can subscribe to
the blog and get the posts in your e-mail Inbox or follow us on FaceBook.
The blog is available to anyone, even non-subscribers.
Pages 3 and 4 introduce the current month and the books and materials we
will use.
Place the first tab, labeled “Week 1,” before page 5, the weekly overview
for Week 1.
Insert tab 5 behind the daily lessons
ending on page 28 (or 22 in December and July). This will be your appendix, the place to find information
throughout the month.
DAILY LESSON PLANS
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
are more academically heavy days,
so we begin with memorization.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 16
MEMORIZATION
Use the whole method of memorization described by Ruth Beechick in A
Biblical Home Education. This method is very simple—read through the passage or poem several times aloud. As your children are able, they join in.
Read and later, as parts are learned, recite the entire passage or poem
aloud together many times. If you can incorporate this daily, so much the
better, but even reading/reciting weekly will go far in stocking your child’s
mind with the Bible and good language.
POETRY
Poetry is the next topic we cover on these days and there are two resources
suggested, one illustrated and chosen for younger children, the other a perennial favorite for all ages.
LITERATURE
On Tuesdays, we include a traditional story from A Treasury of Children’s
Literature. These stories are valuable both for the cultural literacy they engender and for the moral lessons that illustrate biblical principles. Read the
story and ask your child to narrate (see below) back to you.
READING PICTURE BOOKS
After these readings, we read the week’s picture book. We find this picture
book reading time to be a time of delight . . . once everyone is settled comfortably in a place where he can see.
Take your time reading through the book. Look at who wrote and illustrated
it, when it was published. Let your children look carefully at the pictures before turning the pages. Repeated
readings will expand his observations and vocabulary development. Talk about the things you
learn on the page. You don’t need
a study guide to do this. Simply
comment on interesting facts or
lovely drawings. Make connections
between what you are reading
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 17
and your child’s day-to-day life.
For example, when we look at the copyright date, we relate it to family
birthdays. “Wow, this book was published before Grandpa was born.”
“Mommy was only two years old when this book was written.”
Your commentary is far superior to anything I or another curriculum writer
comes up with. This conversation is teaching!
FOUNDATIONAL TEACHING METHOD
Conversation is teaching. It is the primary method for instructing your children (see Deut. 6). It is easy to overlook or devalue this valuable teaching
tool. Without a completed worksheet or project to demonstrate our child’s
learning, we fear they have not learned. Reading aloud is an extension of
natural conversation. When reading, we relay the conversation of an author
to our children. As such we mediate between the author and our children.
What an opportunity!
If you want to incorporate follow-up ideas after readings, a few simple
choices include drawing a picture of something you read about, telling or
writing a summary (or narration, see below) of the book or chapter that
was read, acting out the story, or researching and writing about a topic
brought up by the reading. You may assign older children additional related
independent reading as well.
Narration Ask your child to
repeat the story in his own
words. Narration is a complex
skill that takes time to develop. The purpose of narration is to reveal what your
child has learned, not point
out what he missed. Narration replaces comprehension
questions and worksheets. It
is, in fact, superior to these
classroom techniques because
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 18
it causes the child to assimilate and articulate what he has learned. When a
parent asks a question, the child tries to figure out how you want him to
answer, rather than putting his new learning into his own mental framework. With narration, the child forms and answers his own questions so he
internalizes the story instead of listening, regurgitating, and forgetting as
happens in most classrooms.
When learning to narrate, a child may need to practice on smaller portions
of text, perhaps a couple of paragraphs, until he can narrate well from
longer pieces.
Rereading books is important.
We schedule some books several times but not because we couldn’t think of
anything else to put in! Rereadings are important, particularly for vocabulary development. They help information become part of your child’s mental
furniture. Writing skills develop as a child listens to good writers tell stories.
Don’t skip this important part of the curriculum.
WORLDVIEW
On Tuesdays and Thursday, after the picture book reading we read from a
worldview book, What Does the Bible Say About That? I hope this book provides lots of conversation starters, especially for your older children.
CHAPTER BOOK READINGS
The chapter book(s) reading comes
next. Like the picture book, the
chapter books are the stars of your
reading aloud time. Read the chapter and ask your child to narrate
back to you. Ask questions. “How
would you react to . . . ?” “What did
you think of . . . ?” These need not
be long discussions, but conversation is the goal.
By the way, while we are doing our
chapter book reading, I allow the
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 19
little ones to pursue quiet activities while listening to the reading. We employ a pack ‘n’ play, blanket time, and chair time if needed. These are great
self-control builders and you would be amazed at what the smallest people
pick up on during these times.
Where’s the Bible Reading?
This year, we decided not to include daily Bible readings in our schedule.
This decision was not because we want to remove “religious” teaching from
the curriculum or because we do not think Bible teaching and reading is not
the most important part of your day. On the contrary, we believe that in
addition to the “through the day, applying Scripture to every area of life”
teaching that goes on, family worship, and Bible reading in particular, are
the most important time of your day. And that is where I struggled.
I feel that by directing moms on what they should be reading to their children I am usurping their husband’s authority. In our home, we find that if
my husband and I don’t coordinate our Bible reading carefully, we end up
duplicating each other, both reading from the Child’s story Bible for example. Sometimes there were things my husband wanted me to focus on with
the children—character qualities, particularly—that I was struggling to incorporate in addition to our scheduled reading. It became a competition between “Mom’s stuff” and “Dad’s stuff” and that should never be.
My suggestion is that you first go to your husband and ask him if he wants
you to lead a daily Bible time with your children in addition to what he does
in your family worship or devotional time. If so, ask him what he would like
to see you do during that time. If he has no preference,
you can take our suggestions to him to see if those are
what he would like you to do. If not, follow his instructions! It would be very easy to pencil in what you did
for Bible reading next to the “Read Aloud” heading if
you want to keep a record of what you do. On a personal note, there are seasons when my husband wants
me to do specific things with the children, other seasons
when he does not. Follow your husband’s lead and you
will be doing exactly what you should be.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 20
THE “DRIP” METHOD FOR EVERYTHING ELSE
After the read aloud time, each day has its own activities. Here we employ
the “drip” method. Have your ever had a leaking sink? Our kitchen sink
drain was dripping, just a slight drip, so we put a bucket beneath it. Little
by little that large bucket filled to overflowing with water. A little drip of
this, a drop of that accumulates over a long time into a large pool of learning.
On Mondays we look at fine art or listen to classic music. On Tuesdays
we sing folk songs, hymns, or Spanish songs. Wednesday is nature
reading and study day. And Friday is a “fun” day when we play a game,
explore art materials, or do a craft. Let’s take each of these in turn and
talk about the methods and procedures we use for them.
ART
Picture Study This year, we use my good friend Emily Cottrill’s Picture
Study Portfolios for our art appreciation. Purchase each portfolio as a hard
copy or download. A wonderful resource at an affordable price, each portfolio contains eight full-sized, full-color reproductions on heavy-weight, glossy
cardstock, of one artist and a booklet with step-by-step instructions, a biography of the artist, suggestions for further reading, and a picture study with
“leading thoughts” for all the included reproductions. This is a fantastic
value!
To complete a picture study, place the painting in front of your child. Instruct him to look carefully at
the painting for five minutes.
Shorten this time for very
young children. Set a timer.
Can he see the painting in his
mind when he closes his
eyes? Remove the painting
from his sight. Ask him to tell
you everything he remembers. Display the painting in a
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 21
prominent place in your home.
MUSIC
Classical Music Choose one work to listen to from the suggested composer. You may wish to ask your child to sit quietly the first time a piece is
heard. On subsequent listening, play the piece during chore time, when the
child works independently, or during dinner. Your goal is recognition and
enjoyment.
Hymn Listen then sing the hymn. Your goal is familiarity, not necessarily
mastery.
Folksong or Spanish Song We schedule these, but in our home the
schedule is a reminder to play the album sometime during the day. Enjoyed
often, your child will learn all the words to the songs while accomplishing
other tasks.
NATURE STUDY
Nature Walks The purpose of nature study is to learn more about the
world God created and to appreciate it through observation. Take a walk or
spend time sitting outside looking at creation. Try to focus on one item in
particular each time you go out. Most importantly, go outside and enjoy. If
desired, you may ask your child to draw a picture of something he observes
to place in a notebook. He may draw while he is outside, or he may take a
specimen or a photograph of a specimen home to draw. Clipboards and
drawing paper with a variety of pencils encourage this practice.
Learn more about the important topic in this article I wrote to encourage
nature study.
ART PRACTICE
Art Exploration Giving your
child different art media and
allowing him time to explore
and experiment encourages
creativity and artistic skill. This
is not meant as a free-for-all
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 22
raid on the art supplies but rather a time to focus on one particular medium
to experiment with ways to use different techniques. From this exploration,
he will be able to better use the materials to express himself in art. A finished product is not the goal, rather it is a time for you to instruct and interact with your child about ways to use common materials. Cleanup is an
important part of this process and something your child should participate
in. If he shows himself faithful in responsibly getting out, using, and putting
away supplies, you can grant him more freedom to use them at other times
of the day.
Arts and Crafts Crafts are fun, they build fine motor skills, and they often
enhance your learning. Older children as well as younger children enjoy
making crafts.
This year we reduced the number of crafts to be more in keeping with the
amount that our family manages well. If you have a preschooler who likes
to do crafts and you want a simple solution for spending more time with
him, look into Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts. Everything arrives to your door
each month. Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts, plus the picture book readings
form our children’s “preschool” education. Here is a review I wrote and my
recommendation.
SKILL BUILDING—MATH
Math Before we work on our language passage on Mondays and Thursdays,
we read from a math book. We think this literary, problem-solving approach
to math provides a rich and interesting context for
learning. For our younger children, this and the game
we play each month is their primary math instruction
time.
Problem solving and mathematical thinking, not fact
recall, are the most important part of early math fluency. The more I read and study about math the
more I wonder at the typical American way of teaching arithmetic and mathematics.
Did you know that if your child did no formal math
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2012–2012 page 23
for his first six years of schooling, around the age of twelve he could learn
everything he would have learned from age six to eleven in just one year?
Think about it: twenty minutes every day for six years (360 hours) versus
thirty minutes for one year (90 hours). Why do we teach math the way we
do?
If you are not using a math curriculum, use problem solving strategies to
address real-life issues. Play games using dice or number cards to practice
the math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) your child is
learning naturally. (See The Three R’s “An Easy Start in Arithmetic” for specific suggestions.)
If your child is learning about measurement, brainstorm with your child a
list of items to measure and give him a ruler or tape measure. The more
your practice is related to real life, the more meaningful it will be and,
therefore, the more quickly your child will learn it. Simple discount store
workbooks provide ideas and age-appropriate topics for your child. Don’t
give your child the book to fill in the blanks. Use it to spur ideas for the
types of problems your child can solve.
However, if you desire to follow a curriculum, we recommend Math-U-See,
the curriculum the Murphy family has used from Primer through PreCalculus
with Trigonometry. Even if you delay formal math
curriculum, Math-U-See is excellent for self-paced
study that begins in later years.
SKILL BUILDING—LANGUAGE
Language Skills The final part of our all together time is working on a language passage. Of
any activity, this is the one our family skips most
often. Copying and writing from dictation are excellent activities that develop skills on a variety of
levels, but do not become a slave to them. I find
copying and dictation particularly helpful during
transition learning times.
When a child is just beginning to learn to read
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2012–2012 page 24
and write, the language passage (word) provides a good model to practice
with. After a child is reading well, but needs help with spelling, dictation
comes to the rescue (passage). If I see a child struggling with mechanics in
his personal writing, I will address the mistakes in the context of the language passages rather than in his stories (simplified sentence). One exception I make to this is that all letters leaving our home must be checked for
correct spelling and punctuation . . . especially when addressed to relatives
who will judge the children’s intellect by them!
Natural Language Learning “Natural methods,” copying and dictation,
address written language skills. The child practices handwriting, spelling,
punctuation, and grammar in context and with materials that peak his interest. By learning in context, he is better able to apply what he is learning
to his own writing. On the following page is a suggestion for one way to
study a passage each week. There are many other ideas given in the resource The Three R’s. Please adapt this method to fit your child and family
situation.
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2012–2012 page 25
Three-Step Natural Language Learning
Copying The first day you introduce the literature passage, determine the
length that is appropriate for your child—a word, a phrase, a sentence, or
more. An older child might copy one, two, or all of the sentences. Ask your
child to copy the passage.
When he is done, instruct him to compare his copy to the original. Find two
things he likes best. Choose two things, letter formation or difficult (for the
child) spelling, you like best to point out to him. Correct any mistakes in
another color of pencil or pen.
Guided Dictation The next day read aloud the passage from the day before to your child phrase by phrase and ask him to write it down. Give him
all the help he needs with punctuation and spelling. Make notes of the areas
he needs help with.
Look for letter formation and word spacing, spelling, capitalization, and
punctuation. Point out areas he had trouble with. If it involved spelling,
have him copy the difficult word(s).
Think of words that have a similar spelling pattern and practice those as well.
Review the correct capitalization and
punctuation for the passage.
Dictation The third day, ask your child
to write the passage as you read it aloud
phrase by phrase, but do not offer him
help. If he balks, remind him to “do his
best.” Ask him to compare his copy to
the original. Point out things you like.
Correct any mistakes.
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2012–2012 page 26
INDIVIDUALIZING AND ROUNDING OUT YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
After we work all together, it is time for each person to work on his own
work. Think of this as your one-on-one tutoring time with each child.
As a family, we simplified this independent learning time by allowing children to choose much of what they will read and to process their reading in
ways that they choose. For example, one child reads everything related to
World War II and writes in his “book” on the computer about what he
learns.
When a child is too young for this kind of learning or lacks interests, we assign a reading list. We vary the list between fiction, historical fiction, and
biographies (see our suggestions beginning on page 30). After working his
way through a list, he can usually initiate his own learning. Like the child
who complains of being “bored” and is given chores to do, the children
quickly learn that self-initiated work is more enjoyable than mom-assigned
work!
Young children often like to make booklets of what they are learning and
this is an excellent activity for increasing all language skills. Simply fold
printer paper in half and secure with staples or yarn. There are many creative ways to create booklets. This is my favorite way to make mini books.
Google and YouTube are full of creative ideas, but a simple folded sheet of
paper works just as well!
My daughter is a prolific letter writer and spends a
great deal of time keeping up with her many pen-pals.
All our children love to write because their writing is
not constantly corrected. These are natural methods
working at their best.
Do not be limited by the ideas shared here. The thing about natural methods is that they should feel natural to you! Look at your child’s interests
and abilities. How can you use those to further his skills? One child drew
castles, another created maps, and a third compiled his own Reptiles and
Amphibians nature guide. Although completely different, the activities targeted the same language skills. They were all child-initiated and grew from
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2012–2012 page 27
their interests. Don’t worry if you do not feel creative. Make a booklet together or create a chart and watch for your child’s interest to blossom.
Our family rule is this: Mom must see some reading and writing every day.
Independent Assignments Your goals for independent assignments is for
them to be profitable work completed by that the child without a lot of
oversight from parents.
Some parents choose to use workbooks for a portion of independent work.
They are completely unnecessary, but sometimes a busy mother with several children (or the mom who does not feel confident or creative enough to
create all the assignments) resorts to this for a season. Do not buy fullyear skill workbooks, rather use a few skill-specific workbooks to give
your child additional practice in areas needed. When you come up with your
own good idea for skill practice, skip the workbooks for the day.
Handwriting Practice My First Book of Uppercase Letters; My First Book
of Lowercase Letters (Kumon, 2006) are two inexpensive, colorful books my
children enjoy. Or try the Italic Handwriting series published by Getty and
Dubay (Continuing Education Press, 1994).
Face it: The handwriting curriculum you use will have little effect on the
style of your child’s handwriting once he reaches maturity. iI you want your
child to have nice writing when he is older the
most important skill your child needs to develop
is to care about his handwriting. Curriculum is
unnecessary, but if you want to use a simple
book, choose one your child enjoys.
Here I must get on a soap box . . . Sometimes I
am asked about expensive, manipulative-based
handwriting curriculums that requires various apparatus. If your child’s fine motor skills are so
undeveloped that he needs to trace wooden letters to practice “handwriting,” for the sake of
your child, back off! Give him lots of time to play
with clay (which is better at strengthening the
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 28
small finger muscles than play dough), hammers and nails, yarn and large
tapestry needles or crochet hooks. Ask him to dust the tops of the books on
the shelf. Let him wash the inside and outside of the cups. Let his fine motor skills develop naturally. Time, not money and pressure, are the solution
to your problem. By the time your child is thirteen, no one will know if he
learned to write at five or seven or nine, but his love of writing will suffer if
he is pushed before he is ready. I will take this one step further. In our
family, the boys who were pushed to write according to the public school
timetable have much poorer handwriting than the boys who were given
time to develop naturally. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
Grammar and Usage Formal grammar is unnecessary until a child is able
to easily analyze language, usually in the junior high years. Until then,
grammar is taught through modeling in conversation and oral reading.
Here, as in math, efficiency is our watchword. Should you spend twenty
minutes a day memorizing something over six years or thirty minutes a day
learning it all in one year? I see no sense in elementary grammar curriculum. When your child is ready for grammar, choose a simple-to-use resource. There are many available. Easy Grammar is one appropriate series
among many.
Writing Copying and dictation exercises (see page 24 for an explanation of
one way to include these exercises) provide plenty of writing practice for
younger children. If you would like to include additional work related to
your reading, ask your young child to draw a picture illustrating something
you read and to add a caption. An older child may also write summaries for
part or all of the day’s book
readings or Bible story, if he
does not generate a writing
idea of his own. Alternately,
he may research a topic presented in the reading and
write about his findings. This
activity usually takes several
days.
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2012–2012 page 29
Occasional paragraph writing is a productive activity. Select or have your
child choose a topic of interest. The child writes a paragraph (two to three
sentences for the young writer, four to five for older children) on one day.
The second day, revise the paragraph with your child to correct spelling and
punctuation and clarify ideas. The third day, the child rewrites the paragraph and makes the suggested corrections.
For adult writers, writing is re-writing and this editing process is a good exercise, but not one that should be overdone with budding writers.
Letter writing is another excellent real-life skill builder. Brainstorm a list of
people your child would like to write to including long-distance friends, relatives, and missionary families.
Most of your child’s writing should be child initiated and uncorrected by the
parent. If you see a particular spelling or usage error, address this in the
context of copying and dictation. The “red pencil” treatment given to most
young writers is discouraging and often develops a life-long hatred of writing. Don’t make this mistake! Yes, if the letter is for grandmother who is
cautious about homeschooling, help your child correct his mistakes, but beyond that let your child write unhindered. Work on skill building during the
copying and dictation time.
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2012–2012 page 30
READING
Learn-to-Read Our family’s “phonics curriculum” is a set of homemade
three-by-five inch cards cut in half with the letters of the alphabet written
on them and the first set of the Bob Books. Eventually we add consonant
diagraphs (th, sh, ph, wh) and once the child knows some letter sounds, we
use these cards to make and practice reading words. The Three R’s gives
more instruction on using simple homespun materials to teach reading.
Understanding that many moms feel less than comfortable with this homemade approach, I also recommend Reading Made Easy by Valerie Bendt
which puts many of Ruth Beechick’s ideas into daily scripted lesson plans.
Mrs. Bendt lays out the lessons in the same way we teach our children to
read. You do not need the activity books that may accompany the guide.
If you want to supplement your child’s phonics learning, the Explode the
Code series by Nancy Hall (Educators Publishing Service, 1984) is great for
independent practice and relies of reading to complete the page instead of
the child trying to figure out what the authors want him to do. We rarely
use these books after Book 3. Here are some more thoughts on teaching
reading.
Independent Reading Every day reading children should spend time
reading independently. Don’t
be afraid to allow your child
to read “easy” books. Research shows that when a
child reads slightly below his
reading level, he increases
his knowledge of often occurring words and becomes a
faster reader.
In our home, we allow children to choose many of their
own readers at the library.
This alleviates a burden for
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2012–2012 page 31
mom to sift and choose every book that is read and allows a child to develop his own interests. One of our children read every book on nature
(particularly reptiles and amphibians) that he could find in the children’s
section. Another plowed through books on medieval times. A third read
every sweet, old family-centered fiction our homeschool library carried. Occasionally we require them to choose a book on a new topic to spark other
interests, but ultimately we are concerned that they are reading and enjoying it.
If your child is a beginner or if he is not exploring any particular interests a
the moment, the following list (of primarily fictional reading) is very roughly
in order of difficulty. It is certainly not an all-inclusive list.
BEGINNING READERS
The Bob Books by Bobby Lynn Maselyn (phonics readers) We own and use
Set 1. We own Set 2, and use it with some children.
Pathway Readers (First Steps, Days Go By, More Days Go By, Busy Times,
More Busy Times, and Climbing Higher) by Pathway Publishers (sight word
readers) Amish readers. Usually before they children reach the end of this
list, they are reading well enough to read real books.
*Note: By using both phonic and sight word readers, you give your child
the best of both styles of reading. Phonics helps you figure out new words,
sight words help you analyze complicated word patterns and build your
sight vocabulary making you a faster reader.
If our child needs more reading practice before moving on to easy readers,
we write our own readers, little booklets on interesting topics or summaries of books we are reading that the child illustrates. He uses these to
practice reading. The familiar text helps him increase his word–building and sight word skills.
EASY READERS
A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock (1958; Random
House, 1986)
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2012–2012 page 32
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (1960; Random House, 1988)
Little Bear by Elsa Holmelund Minarik (1957; Harper Trophy, 1985)
One Fish, Two Fish by Dr. Seuss (1960; Random House, 1988)
The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford
(Random House, 1989)
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (1957; Random House, 1997)
Frog and Toad series: Frog and Toad Are Friends, Frog and Toad Together,
Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
Owl At Home by Arnold Lobel (1975; Harper Collins, 2008)
Pompeii . . . Buried Alive by Edith Kunhardt (Random House, 1987)
The Titanic Lost . . . and Found by Judy Donnelly Gross (Random House,
1987)
Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner (1978; HarperCollins, 1993)
The Big Balloon Race by Eleanor Coerr (1981; HarperTrophy, 1984)
Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel (1972; Harper Trophy, 1978)
Daniel’s Duck by Clyde Robert Bulla (1979; Harper Trophy, 1982)
Nate the Great series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (Random House)
The Fire Cat by Esther Averill (1960;
Harper Trophy, 1983)
Greg’s Microscope by Millicent E. Selsam (1963; Harper Trophy, 1990)
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish (1963;
Harper Trophy, 1992)
Many of the picture books we use in
Organic Homeschooling are appropriate for children to read independently.
His familiarity with the text from your
reading aloud helps him develop his
reading vocabulary.
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2012–2012 page 33
TRANSITIONING TO CHAPTER BOOKS “Transitional” books move the child from
readers to “real” chapter books:
The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla (1965; Harper Trophy, 2000)
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh (1954; Aladdin, 2000)
The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds (1941; Penguin Putnam,1998)
Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol (1985; Puffin, 2007)
The White Stallion by Elizabeth Shub (1982; Yearling, 1996)
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (1980; Harper Trophy, 2003)
Childhood of Famous Americans series (Benjamin Franklin, Wilbur and Orville Wright: Young Fliers, etc.)
CHAPTER BOOKS Once your child reaches this stage, a good book anthology
is a helpful resource. We have used both The Book Tree and Honey for a
Child’s Heart to find fictional and biographical books for reading. We also
use our local homeschool library as resource for non-fiction on topics of interest to the children.
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (1948; Random House, 1987)
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLaughlan (1985; Harper Trophy, 2004)
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (1942; Albert Whitman
and Co., 1989)
Charlotte’s Web by E. B.
White (1952; Harper
Collins, 2001)
Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat (1961; Yearling, 1996)
The Littles by John Peterson (Scholastic, 1967)
The Cricket in Times
Square by George Selden
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2012–2012 page 34
Thompson (1960; Square Fish, 2008)
Grandma’s Attic series by Arleta Richardson (1974; David C. Cook, 2011)
Little House on the Prairie series (Little House in the Big Woods, etc.) by
Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Chronicles of Narnia series (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,
etc.) by C. S. Lewis
The Junior Church History series by Emma Leslie
The Louis A. Vernon Historical Fiction Series
*Note: Every child goes through a phase when series are very important.
The repetition text, author style, and common settings allow a child to build
reading fluency. Allow your child to immerse himself in series for a time.
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (1983; Sandpiper,
2011)
Big Red: The Story of a Champion Irish Setter and a Trapper's Son Who
Grew Up Together, Roaming the Wilderness by Jim Kjelgaard (1945; Yearling, 1992)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1964; Puffin, 2011)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli (1949; Yearling, 1990)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (1955; Sandpiper, 2003)
Redwall series by Brian
Jacques (1986; Puffin,
2002)
Swiss Family Robinson by
Johann Wyss
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2012–2012 page 35
LAST PAGES OF THE MONTHLY CURRICULUM
On page 29 (page 23 in December and July) you find a list of the topics and
materials that will be used for three months. Each quarter correlates with a
season—Fall (September, October, November), Winter (December, January, February), Spring (March, April, May), and Summer (June, July, August). This year, we decided to rotate our study of an artist, composer,
hymn, and nature topic each season.
The month’s resources are listed on page 30 (or 24). If you are familiar
with Organic Homeschooling, this is likely the first page you jump to. Here
you find a list you need to purchase books from Amazon.com or to reserve
at your local library. The books are listed in the order they will be needed.
There is also a list of art and craft supplies and a game. Most are common.
We are an Amazon.com affiliate which means that any resources you purchase using the links on our site or in the curriculum will provide a slight income for OH. We use this money to maintain our website and purchase
books to review for upcoming curriculum so we appreciate it when you support this work by using those links.
This year we decided to include all the links, words for songs, and Bible and
poetry memorization passages at the end of the curriculum. I like to make
additional copies of these pages for each reading child. You have permission
to make as many copies as you want of any page of your curriculum for
your own immediate family. I hope
that flipping back and forth between the pages will not become
too cumbersome. This is an area
where I’d really like your feedback
and suggestions.
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com
2012–2012 page 36
FINISHING THE MONTH
At the end of the month, transfer your printed pages to a large (3”) notebook to keep for long-term records. We created a Table of Contents page
for you to use in the front of your large notebook.
A FINAL WORD
Before we conclude, I have one caution. Despite our best efforts as
homeschooling mothers, sometimes we simply cannot accomplish all we
planned. One advantage of OH is that every month we start new with fresh
plans and books. If you want to finish the last few chapters of a wonderful
chapter book, you can carry it over to next month, but generally, don’t try
to catch up on assignments that you missed the month before or you will
heap up too much work and become discouraged.
Can I tell you how many books we started and abandoned when life got in
the way? Do you know what happens? Interested children pick up good
books and finish them. The unfinished weren’t the best books for us at that
time anyway.
Don’t take an all-or-nothing approach, or you may end up with
nothing. Do what you can with the time you have. Strive for faithful consistency, but be ready to move on when the time comes. And remember:
academics are only one facet of life.
WE’RE HERE FOR YOU!
If Organic Homeschooling wasn’t a labor of love, we would not spend the
time and effort it takes to keep going with it.
Helping homeschoolers is our passion. If you
have questions or concerns, we are happy to help
you. You can contact us via e-mail at
[email protected]. We are
happy to answer your questions and encourage
you along the way.
God bless!
© 2012 Steve & Kara Murphy. All Rights Reserved. www.OrganicHomeschooling.com