Little Bears Family Homeschool
Long-term Homeschooling Objectives by Subject
Although the following is broken down into subject areas, we will be endeavouring to take an holistic approach, emphasising the "inter-connectedness" of all things, and obviously, there will be some degree of overlap...
* Arts & Crafts * Citizenship * Design &
Technology * Drama * English * Foreign Languages *
* Geography *History * Information & Communication Technology * Life Skills *Maths *
* Physical Education * * Religious Education *Science * Social Studies *
Our children should hopefully be confident in using all manner of materials creatively and artistically and for practical purposes, making things for themselves and for others.
Hopefully they will develop an appreciation of great art, having exposure to a wide variety of original paintings, prints, sculptures and so on, in museums and galleries.
Our children will be encouraged to learn
what citizenship entails: the rights and responsibilities that go
hand in hand, but may also have the opportunity to learn about
people on the edges of society: those who reject their
responsibilities and those who are denied their rights.
They will be encouraged to be ‘good’ citizens, partly
through engaging in voluntary and community work.
c.f. also Social Studies.
Our children should hopefully learn to
think creatively and to be able to make things for themselves.
They will hopefully learn about great designs, inventions,
architecture, etc., and have a chance to make his own designs and
put them into practice.
c.f. also Art and crafts
They will also be encouraged to gain an appreciation for great acting and drama, having the opportunity to watch a variety of classical and modern plays and so on, as well as reading and taking part in drama.
c.f. also English, Design and Technology
Our children should hopefully learn first
to speak and then to read fluently, to enjoy reading and to
become discerning readers, able to think about and to remember
what they read.
Hopefully, they will enjoy writing, clearly for communication,
creatively for pleasure, hopefully attaining a level of literacy
required for any academic or professional path or career of their
choosing.
They will hopefully be able to speak clearly and confidently,
able to communicate, to share ideas, to relate to people.
Hopefully, they will be careful listeners, able to discern the
important from the irrelevant, hopefully able to think carefully
and clearly about what they hear, and to remember what is said.
c.f. also Life Skills
Our children should hopefully be able to get a good grasp of at least one foreign language and will hopefully be exposed to a variety of languages (ideally both European and non-European).
They will hopefully gain an interest in language and an ability to ‘pick up’ languages for the purpose of better communication and enjoyment and for a better understanding of modern cultures.
If they enjoy the study of languages, they may be encouraged to study one or more classical languages, in order to better understand classical civilisations.
c.f. also History
Our children should hopefully gain a good understanding of how the world is divided into continents and countries, regions, provinces, counties, towns and villages, etc. They will be given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the main geographical features, how the earth works and how it fits in with the galaxy through being encouraged to study Astronomy.
They will be encouraged to see the way in which geographical location affects the way of life of the people and wildlife that inhabit the earth.
c.f. also Science
Our children should hopefully gain a sound understanding of the history of the world and its civilisations, how peoples and cultures are connected, how great civilisations have risen up and fallen.
They will hopefully gain a good understanding of the flow of history and the way in which actions are followed by consequences which affect the lives of the people in the future.
Our children should hopefully be confident
in using IT, able to obtain information they require, recognising
the importance of information filtering (obtaining quality
information rather than masses of useless data), and to
communicate successfully.
They will hopefully be able to use IT as a tool but also to enjoy
experimenting creatively, confident to try new things, being
given the opportunity to write programmes and to tailor
applications to their needs.
Life-skills and Survival Skills
Our children will be encouraged to learn a
number of ‘life skills’ such as survival skills, to be
able to feed and clothe themselves, money and time management,
childcare and cookery, handicrafts, house and car maintenance,
gardening, bicycle repair and suchlike.
We will also encourage character traits which are valued for work
and in society: an ability to relate to people and communicate
effectively with them, diplomacy, punctuality, honesty, respect
for authority, conscientiousness and so on.
Life Skills
* Character Building * Cookery & Home
Economics * Childcare * Gardening * Handicrafts *
* House, Car & Bicycle Maintenance or DIY * Money & Time
Management *
Survival Skills
* Fishing * Hunting/ Tracking * Camping * Swimming * Knowledge of wild plants *
c.f. also Design and Technology, R.E., Citizenship
Our children should hopefully learn the
necessary mathematical skills they will need in life, and those
necessary to succeed academically and/ or professionally in their
chosen field if required.
Hopefully they will enjoy working with numbers and mathematics,
being allowed to take it at their own pace and applying it to
real life where possible so that they aren’t put off the
subject unnecessarily.
c.f. also Life skills
Our children should hopefully develop an interest in and their own tastes in music, being exposed to a wide variety of classical and modern music.
They will hopefully be able to gain a deeper understanding of the lives and times of the composers and the societies from which they came, including, for example, the great men and women of jazz, rock and so on!
They will be encouraged to take up the study of a particular instrument of their choosing and to take part in making music, being exposed to a variety of instruments and styles.
Hopefully, they will be confident in dance and movement, having a chance to study various types of dance from different cultures and having the opportunity to learn the dances first hand.
c.f. also Social studies
Our children will be encouraged to be
active and keep healthy, drawing on and applying knowledge of
nutrition and how the body works.
They will be encouraged to play a variety of games with rules,
but will also be allowed to spend a lot of time out of doors
playing: getting plenty of fresh air (not being intimidated by
‘bad’ weather or getting mucky!), learning through
child-centred play.
c.f. also Science, Music and Dance.
Our children should hopefully gain a good understanding of the philosophy of religion (theology?) as well as an understanding of the particular belief systems of the different religions, including traditions, customs and festivals etc. To understand the history and basis of Christianity in particular.
They will be encouraged through the study of religion to understand people more deeply with particular reference to the concept of a spiritual dimension to humanity.
c.f. also Social Studies
Our children should hopefully learn how his body works, the way the world works and how everything is related and fits together.
They will be encouraged to complete the programme of sciences (including Biology, Physics and Chemistry) required for academics and/ or a profession of their choosing, if required, but hopefully to enjoy science and to see the point in his study.
Hopefully they will develop an affinity with and respect for nature (creation) and see their part in it.
c.f. also R.E.
Our children should hopefully gain a good understanding of how people live around the world and throughout our society, how our society in particular functions, how we are governed and how power is distributed.
They will be encouraged to explore what the problems, particularly of our society are, to discuss the reasons for the problems, and possible solutions.
They will be encouraged to see where we fit into society and to explore its culture, to see how culture is produced and to take an active part in it