How to assemble an awesome craft basket, by MissG

How to assemble an awesome craft basket, 
by MissG

1.  find a basket

2. get crafty stuff that you like  
    examples: glue
                     chop sticks
                     boxes
                     tape
                     elastic bands
                     pens
                     pencils
                     stapler
                     sharpener
                     coloured paper
                     ribbon

3. put crafty stuff in basket

4. tie a bow and streamers on the basket handle

*Simple activities like this are a great alternative to meet outcomes for English, Maths and Technology without doing bookwork. In making these instructions MissG has engaged in both talking and listening, using a form of written communication, using a computer and social media to convey ideas, she has categorised and ordered, revised the way first, second, third and fourth align with the numeral 1, 2, 3 and 4, and it has all been initiated by her. Win for student directed learning! 

Schooling with out bookwork

One of the things that MissG struggles with is writing. She reads OK, although large blocks of text are really overwhelming for her. She does like to read though, and is pretty good at it. 

Writing is another thing. She has a hard time with the fine motor movements involved. She has a hard time learning the rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation. She gets tired pretty quickly when writing. As a result, MissG doesn't like to do much bookwork. 

We do have some work books in the house, and she sometimes chooses to use them, but not every day. Sometimes not every week!! I ask her regularly if she'd like to sit with me and look at the workbooks, but I do not insist she does bookwork if she doesn't want to. There are plenty of other ways to learn that are just as (maybe more) effective, so this isn't a problem. 

So, I thought I'd share some of the things we have done so far this term in our homeschooling. 

It is worth knowing that pretty much all of the activities we did were initiated by MissG. I just support her in her learning and follow her around with a camera so I can record what she does and categorise it for my record keeping later on. This style of home schooling is often called Unschooling. We just call it "what works around here". 

Some of the activities we did for Maths included 

 *working on an Abacus to learn about groups of ten....

*using dominoes to learn about different ways of adding to get to the same number 

*using dominoes with some addition cards to make up a variation on a dominoes game 

*weighing and recording the weights of some of our vegetable garden produce, then talking about how much the things we had grown would cost at the shops

Some of the activities we did for English included

 *reading books while using the foot spa

*making a newsletter called "House Noos" (house news)

Some of the activities we did for Science and HSIE included

*gardening

*learning about the critters that live in our garden

*collecting eggs and preparing them for incubation, then incubating them

 *preparing the brooder for the hatching chicks

 *keeping records go the incubating eggs development (also Maths)

*hatching chicks!!! 

*selling some of the chicks (MissG chose how many to sell and set the price, I helped her find a buyer and supported her interactions with the buyer)

So, we've been busy with lots of learning, and barely a workbook in sight! 

I'll admit, this method of learning is more work for me, in terms of  vigilance on my part in record keeping and monitoring to comply with BOSTES expectations, but it is so worth it! The whole reason MissG is schooled at home is that the school institution doesn't provide a method of learning that she finds accessible and manageable in terms of stress.... so this is better for her, and fun for both of us! 

Registered!

We had our registration application reviewed today with a representative from BOSTES visiting our home to look at my plans and record keeping system. She was very encouraging and helpful. After discussing what I have been working on with MissG and looking at the paperwork I had prepared for her, she advised me she is recommending we be approved for a 12 month period (the maximum allowable for a new registration) and that we will be reviewed again after that. This is pretty standard, I gather.

So, here is a quick summary of what I did to prepare for her visit.

I made a plan for what MissG and I will be doing this year. Simple!

I did it in steps.

1. I wrote a page outlining why I want to homeschool. This helped show that I have clear goals and outcomes in mind. It will also serve as a remind and focus as the year progresses.

image is a screen capture of the BOSTES curriculum page
on their website  http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au 

2. I looked at each Key Learning Area (KLA) on the BOSTES website (it's pretty comprehensive, easy to use and helpful)  and found the curricula I needed to teach: English, Maths, Science, History, Human Society and its Environment (HSIE), Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), Physical Education Health and Personal Development (PDHPE)  { http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au }

3. I made a document and copied and pasted in the outcomes BOSTES wants kids to achieve for the stage MissG is in.

4. I left links to where I got the information, and to the teaching content guidelines suggested by BOSTES in case I need to find them quickly later. I am not required to teach the same content schools do, but it's good to go look at that stuff to give me ideas and help me stay on track to meet outcomes.

5. I added my own plan of what we will be doing this year to work toward meeting the outcomes set by BOSTES. I don't actually have to stick to my plan.... I just have to have one. { I use an eclectic mix of student led and theme based learning, which is a fancy way of saying I watch and see what MissG is interested in, let her initiate the activities then I interact with her guiding and extending her learning. I do make suggestions and offer activities and experiences but if she is not interested, I try something else. More on this in another post later }

6. I made a system for recording what work MissG does and how it relates to the outcomes desired. I keep this system very simple. I take pictures and keep them with dated work samples and my notes in an online diary each dy. Once a week I sit down with the spreadsheet of outcomes I have and add the dates I observed outcomes achieved into he spreadsheet. It takes me a bout 5 mins a day, and then 15-ish mins once a week to collate.

7. I put it all in a folder with nice coloured dividers for each section.

That's it. Not complicated.

Now I just have to wait for the official certificate to arrive in the mail and we are all official!

Paperwork!

As we are registering to homeschool through our state education department, our current adventure into homeschooling begins with paperwork! 

It is boring.

So this post will be boring too. A list of links and resources. 

One day I may look back and be grateful I've recorded these. At the very least it will be a place others can look and find where to start if they want to register in NSW. 

Still boring. 

Anyway, here we go:


General information from NSW Board of Studies (BOS) about home schooling: 
http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au

NSW BOS Registration for Home Schooling in NSW – Information Package http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/parents/pdf_doc/home-edu-info-pack-13.pdf

Application Form for initial registration to Home School: 
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/home-schooling/pdf_doc/form-1-app-for-initial-rego.pdf

Contact details for NSW BOS Home Schooling Unit:

Home Schooling Unit

Phone: 02 9367 8149

homeschooling@bos.nsw.edu.au

PO Box 5300, Sydney, NSW 2001

Information relevant to planning curriculum/learning for your child:

NSW Syllabuses for the Key Learning Areas required to be taught: 
http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au

For each KLA in this document I have taken screen shots of 
1. the objectives, 
2. the outcomes for the appropriate stage
3. the stage statements or foundation statements
and copied and pasted in links to where I can find 
4. content guidelines
5. recommended texts (English only)

It did take a bit of hunting and piecing together, but the aim was to put all the basic information in one document with links to where I could find more specific guidelines if I need them later when doing my weekly planning and evaluating. 

With the above information, I created a document using my basic word processing application on my computer that I can use to show that I am aware of the BOS expectations. 

After the BOS information for each KLA I left a page to write in my general plan for how I will help MissG achieve the outcomes desired for her stage of learning. This includes things like buy a workbook for maths. Provide plenty of story  books to read (from our existing collection and form the library). 

Then I went back to the top of the document (because I like to do things in a round about way) and added a page explaining the reasons why we wish to homeschool MissG. Essentially this is to show why we decided to homeschool, and what we hope to provide for her that school cannot. Because MissG is Autistic and diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder this included things like physical environment requirements, as well as social and emotional requirements. 

At the bottom of the document I outlined what procedures  will be used to evaluate and record MissG's progress. I use a combination of diary keeping, photographs of activities stored in a program called Evernote (google it- it's cool) and dated work samples. I take time once or twice a week to look back at the outcomes for each KLA and identify which ones are being achieved, then I write the date I observed it directly onto the grid I pasted into my planning document. When I have time I may put the outcomes into my own spreadsheet and record dates there so I can have a copy stored safely online. 

All very dry and boring, but necessary to establish a clear line of thought around goals and aims, and how to ensure I have a sound planning system and achievable method of record keeping.