Flora’s Barebones Curriculum List Updated March 2015
I was recently asked what curricula I would use to homeschool my children in an emergency or on the go. I had not previously considered the question enough to compile a list, but was intrigued by the question. What would I want to have? I would want my choices to be simple and space saving. There are so many good resource choices out there, yet such a collection would have fit into a single box. I am also a wana-be minimalist, so such a question also appeals to my personal need of general simplicity. This might also come in handy if we ever did decide to sail around the world.
So this is my list. It is my list, and it will likely evolve. Your list will very likely be different. But I hope to give you some ideas from which to start. In an emergency, I would have to do my best and trust that the Lord would fill in any missing gaps. - and I very much believe He would.
Bare Minimum:
- Gospel, Spiritual, and Moral teachings. For me this is LDS based, for you it will depend on your central or core Cannon:
- The standard works (scriptures). It was good enough for Lehi (a prophet of old) and his family. It should be good enough for me and mine. Yeah, it might not go into calculus, but if one is familiar with the workings of God, the spirit can teach calculus and provide the means (text or mentor) when the necessity arises.
- The Gospel Principles book
- Gospel Art Book (The new spiral bound art book)
- I would love to include the Teachings of the Prophets books if I have room.
- The Hymn Book and the Children’s Songbook (pocket versions?)
- The Three R's by Ruth Beechick. Ruth Beechick does a fabulous job of demystifying the process of teaching children though 3rd grade. She addresses Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Every time I revisit this book, I wonder again why I am trying to complicate things.
Now if I have the time and space...
Phonics, Reading, Spelling, Grammar
The Bible and Book of Mormon. I honestly believe that this is all I would need to teach my children to read. But if I had the room…
Second, I would be sure to grab Uncovering the Logic of English. I did a small post on it here. I have used her curriculum for teaching all of my kids. It really is fabulous and includes phonics, handwriting, phonemic awareness, grammar, comprehension and fluency all in a fun multi-sensory way that appeals to all learning styles. If, however, I was cramped for space I would choose the original book. This has all of the spelling and grammar rules and could be used as a reference book for a do it yourself reading instruction. This book would be a great supplement for any reading program. Besides, it would not take up much space at all.Now, if you have room, add readers and a children's Bible. I would use the Illustrated Scripture Stories (LDS).
Still have room? Bob Books for beginning reading. They progress slowly providing lots of practice. I like the Reading to Learn Series of readers. I purchased mine from Latter-Day Family Resources I believe they are published by a Mennonite company. I have loved the moral values presented. The McGuffey readers would be another good choice. Dollar Homeschool has every McGuffey speller and reader available (1880's version) ready to print on CD. They are also available for free from The Gutenberg Project Gutenberg has the main ones but not the extras that the CD has. Or if you just do not want to print them Rainbow Resource has them in hard copy book form. I do not have a complete collection of any of these; only the first four or so of each collection. Once the child reaches this point (or sooner), we move on to other literature. Though in an emergency situation such literature would be limited (there is always scripture).
EDIT: The original McGuffey's (1830 versions) apparently have more references to God and following Him. They have been reprinted and are available from Mott Media. I have also found them used on Amazon. I have read through a few of both versions and I do prefer the originals. But my first choice would still be the Reading to Learn series.
Writing & Penmanship
The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick has a wonderful dissertation on the value of dictation and copy work. Musicians practice playing the works of others before they begin to compose music. Artists copy the works of masters as they refine their own skills. Why ask children to write creatively before they have the foundation with which to be creative? Not only does the copy work help the child become familiar with the workings of good writing, it also provides practice in handwriting. I read once that in the olden days, children were taught to read manuscript, but to write in cursive.
Manuscript writing didn’t arrive until the compulsory school age became younger. Younger students had difficulty in jumping straight to cursive writing so printing was introduced. Children are taught to print and then are asked to learn a totally different way of writing a short time later. Consequentially legibility has had a steady decline.
My solution is to either teach cursive (The Logic of English also has a simple to use handwriting program called The Rhythm of Handwriting. They advocate cursive first.) or to teach italics writing. I like Italics: Beautiful Handwriting for Children. Or just don't stress penmanship.
When it is time to actually write, have them write. Simple. Done. If you really want some help with this, Fred Lybrand's Writing Course or Joanne Caldwell's Language Alive might help out. But honestly, they are both teach writing by writing programs.
Math
Life of Fred is a different type of math curriculum. I will quote:
No other textbooks are like these. Each text is written in the style of a novel with a humorous story line. Each section tells part of the life of Fred Gauss and how, in the course of his life, he encounters the need for the math and then learns the methods. Tons of solved examples. Each hardcover textbook contains ALL of the material – more than most instructors cover in traditional classroom settings. Includes tons of proofs. Written by Dr. Stanley Schmidt with the intent to make math come alive with lots of humor, clear explanations, and silly illustrations that stick in the mind. The student will learn to think mathematically. Completion of this series prepares student for third year college math.
I must say that in reading the text I am laughing out loud. And a part I love: he is incorporating a whole lot of science topics as well. For any student who likes to read or is remotely right brained, I think LOF is worth a try. Living math the way Ruth Beechick suggests can carry you until LOF starts with fractions. (I suggest that Beechick’s Three R’s math section, mentioned above, be read by everyone who wants to teach math to children under 10. She really explains the developmental milestones children pass through while learning math.) The LOF website has excerpts of the text and sample lessons. Rainbow Resource currently has a better price though.
Or if you would prefer something more simple or more traditional, Ray's Arithmetic is an old text used at the turn of the 20th century. It is now in the public domain and can be purchased ready to print for $59 from Dollar Homeschool or from Rainbow Resource in book form. Ray’s uses real life problems requiring the student to compose the problem. Instead of a bunch of 2+4 problems, it has more of, “If I picked two baskets of apples and my brother picked 4 how many baskets of apples do we have. (This way the student needs to know when to add, subtract, multiply or divide.) Instead of just telling the student what to do, Ray’s attempts to explain the why and allow the student to test the principles. It is a graded curriculum but you can proceed through it at a child's pace. I personally like this because I do not generally begin academics at age 5 or 6. I like to wait until the child is ready and then allow him/her to progress at his/her own pace. The same website has sample pages online to give a better example.
EDIT:
Another book you may like is Caldwell's Arithmetic. It is a one volume math text published in the 1880's. I didn't include it earlier because it was hard to find, but it is now available online by google books. I first heard about this book from Donna Goff. Caldwell's Arithmetic was taught to students between the ages of 10-12 years during the weeks between the fall harvest and spring planting. This came to be about 12 weeks. That is 12 weeks to teach all the math required through 8th grade.
Donna explained it this way, "I realized that the Ray's Arithmetic was designed for and used in city schools and Caldwell's were used in country schools. So, why did city schools take 6-8 years to teach basic math and country schools took only one school year? I believe it is because city kids were not working with their parents, were sent to school earlier, and therefore had far less context than country kids. Country kids tended to work in the fields, barn and the farm house with their parents. They "lived" the math everyday, much as they had lived their native tongue. So, when they were finally taught how to do symbolic mathematical notation and equations, they had a great advantage over city children. Country children had used weights and measures. They had counted eggs, filled bushels, bottled produce, planted rows. The girls had cooked, baked, bottled foods, and learned to sew. Many were also raised on Bible reading, as well. They were already familiar with some symbolic notation as all the chapters and verses are numbered."
So, Caldwell's Arithmetic will work if you are also doing living math. "Living Math goes far beyond just reading stories and appreciating great mathematicians and scientists. Living Math explores, experiments, and uses math as an everyday tool.
Science
In the early years, Charlotte Mason’s nature study and Sofa Science appeals to me and may be all that is really needed at this age. As the child ages, life experiences really seems to be the best teacher. The principles of physics, for example is often learned through experiencing life around you. True physics cannot be learned until the math is learned. (Newton invented calculus in order to discover physics.) There may come a time when a child may need more direct instruction. I believe that in this case a way would be provided, perhaps through a text resource, but likely in the form of a mentor.
Real Science-4-Kids' Focus on Middle School series. These fabulous books present great, simple, clear science concepts on the topics of Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geology, and Astronomy. If you need space, just get the Student Text. The information is fabulous even without the accompanying experiments books. The elementary counterparts are very good too, but if space is an issue, skip them.
o The Boy Scout Handbook contains many aspects of science
o Life of Fred Pre-Algebra books are also science books. This may be sufficient for the majority of students.
o Or if you choose to purchase Ray’s Arithmetic on CD from Dollar Homeschool you will also receive some science texts. Included on the Ray’s CD is Ray’s Elements of Astronomy, Schuylers Logic, Schuylers Surveying and Navigation, and Norton’s Elements of Physics.
History
Thus far, I have not chosen a favorite history curriculum. I have relied on the library, living books, and public domain texts. Stories are just a fun way to learn history. But a history backbone is also advantageous. I like the Abeka history books, but they could become cumbersome. The Story of the World series might be the easiest and probably be the most space saving option. Check them out from the library and see if you like them. I still would like to give the Kimber curriculum histories a try as well as Dan Hunter’s History from the LDS Perspective I have not yet done so though; I will let you know.
Other
The LDS Church has Duty to God and Scouts for boys, and Personal Progress for girls. In my home, to fill the missing Scouts gap for girls, we do Frontier Girls.
Conclusion
Well, that is my list as of today. If you have other suggestions or comments I would love to hear them. Just remember that the Lord knows what you and your family need in order to fulfill your missions. As long as you are prayerful you will be lead and guided in the right direction. Trust in your own personal revelation and totally ignore this list if needed.
With Love,
Flora
What are you saying? You just wanted a bulleted list without all the blither-blather?
Fine.
Bare Minimum:
• The Standard Works (canonized scripture)
• Gospel Principles book
• Gospel Art Book
• Teachings of the Prophets series
• Boy Scout Handbook
• Hymn Book
• Children’s Songbook
• The Three R's
Reading, Spelling & Grammar
• Uncovering the Logic of English
• The Book of Mormon and The Bible (already in the box, yay!)
• Bible or Illustrated Scripture Stories (LDS),
• Other Readers as you have room: Bob Books, Reading to Learn Series of readers, The McGuffey Primer and Readers, etc.
Writing & Penmanship
• Copywork and dictation. (scripture and good literature)
• The Rhythm of Handwriting or Italics: Beautiful Handwriting for Children
• Write
Math and Science
• The 3R's, And Life of Fred OR Living Math/Caldwell's Arithmetic, OR Ray’s Arithmetic
• Real Science 4 Kids: Focus on Middle School
History
• The Story of the World
Let me know if you found this helpful.
