Homeschooling is a Piece of Cake VII

The 4 R's

Once you have found the philosophy that works best for your family it’s time to start laying the foundation of their education. This is our first layer of cake. If this layer is not strong then the rest of the cake will crumble. The first lay of cake are what I call the four Rs. I am not going to tell you how to teach them because the philosophy your family embraces will ultimately determine your expectations and methods. But I am going to go over why they are the foundation.

The first R is Reading. I do want you to understand why reading is important. Reading is the fundamental method by which we access information. If you are able to read you are able to educate yourself about anything. The term literate is almost synonymous with educated. When your children can read you will find that your role becomes more of a facilitator then a teacher. Besides, it makes traveling much easier.

The second R is writing. Writing is the output of reading. If you are able to write you are able to express your thoughts and ideas with others. Writing allows you to communicate not only with those alive here and now but also with those yet to come.

The third R is arithmetic. Math is how we quantify the universe. It is how we balance a checkbook, figure out a mortgage, determine if we have enough paint, average runs, measure time, and double or triple a recipe, and make sure we didn’t lose a kid.

The final R is religion. There is a saying that you save the best for last. What you teach your child about the spiritual realm will affect them not just now but forever. This is the ONLY subject you will teach that has eternal consequences. That makes it the most foundational subject of all.

If the four R’s are the only subjects you ever teach you children they will have the foundation necessary live as productive members of society. They will have the core knowledge they need to be considered educated adults.

You now have a quality cake to serve to your family. But because we're homeschoolers and we're overachievers we are going to add a second layer to this cake. These are the subjects that make learning interesting. I admit it; this is where the real fun begins!