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From The MOORE FOUNDATION dated 1/9/97
The Moore Foundation,
Box 1, Camas, WA 98607
Sample Home School Program For Children Under Eight or Nine Years of Age
by Raymond and Dorothy Moore
Until age 8 or 10 or older, children need no formal education.
For young children at home, your daily example is all the "school" they need and is much
better than most schools.
(See Home Grown Kids for suggestions).
Provide a daily program as follows if school officers insist on seeing a formal curriculum.
Reserve your freedom to make changes as you see learning opportunities arise.
See Adaptation below.
9:00 |
Bible |
Read or tell Bible stories to and with your children;
learn fingerplays and verses together, as in children's Bible School,
using felts or other visual aids.
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9:30 |
Math |
Measure, sort, or count in the kitchen, shop, or garden;
teach them to tell time; learn about money and shopping -- to build concepts basic to formal math.
Much of this can be done while you are busy together in household chores.
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10:00 |
Recess |
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10:10 |
Language
Arts
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Talk while working together, to develop language ability and organize
thinking.
Play word games to sharpen hearing skills (see Home Grown Kids, p. 179).
Let your children tell their story or experience.
Let them dictate stories, letters, or incidents for you to write out.
Keep daily diaries -- you, and your children when they are old enough.
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10:50 |
Science |
Collect and identify natural things: leaves, rocks, shells.
Walk in the woods; experiment with an ant farm; care for an animal,
teach simple physiology and anatomy, keep track of the weather, read nature stories.
Some of this may be done by one or two children without you if you have other pressing duties.
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11:20 |
Recess |
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11:30 |
Creative
Arts
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Sing or march together, have your children listen to records or tapes by
themselves.
We do not recommend formal music lessons, such as piano, until 11 or 12.
Plan coloring, painting, clay, crafts or making cookies.
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12:00 |
Lunch |
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12:30 |
Storytime/
Rest
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2:30 |
Practical
Arts
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Woodworking, gardening, cooking, baking, etc.
(See Home Style Teaching).
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3:30 |
Social Studies |
Make learning experiences out of trips to the market, bakery, fire station,
post office, etc.
Include stories of how people live in other lands, biographies and simple history or
geography stories during any reading time.
Use your library.
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Adaptation.
In actual practice, this schedule is too structured to follow strictly.
Adapt and adjust to your home program and your particular needs in order to satisfy
authorities that you have an educational plan.
We suggest that children not have reading or writing instruction except as they ask for
it or pick it up by themselves.
The basic curriculum should consist of Bible and nature study, useful work, and life experiences.
Educational Aids. List any educational aids you use.
There is no limit to the amount of enrichment you can put into a home program,
but be sure to put it all in the framework of consistent discipline and character
development which is accomplished best in practical work with you in the daily tasks
of the home or your home business.
Socialization. Become acquainted with the basic points on socialization as given
in our publications which show that keeping children home does not deprive them socially.
(See Home Grown Kids, p. 121 and/or synopsis).
Testing. It is better not to permit anyone to test your children academically
until they have one or two years of formal schooling, reach age 10 or later.
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