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The Moore Formula

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I have wanted to give Unit Studies a try for some time now but didn't think I had "what it would take" to actually do one.  I also was put off by the cost of some of the more popular pre-made ones and not really knowing if we would like doing one, the sticker-price was a big factor in our deciding not to try one.

Well, last evening while surfing the Internet for some reading lists for my soon to be 9th grader, I stumbled upon a link to the Moore Foundation and Academy website.  Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore are considered pioneers in the home schooling movement.  Their extensive research into education in the 1960s and 1970s forms the foundation of the "formula."

The Moore Formula (http://www.moorefoundation.com/article.php?id=3) stresses three key concepts:  Study, Work and Service.  Children and adults are encouraged to study every day; to engage in manual work (around the home and later as teens in home-based businesses); and to commit to serving the Lord and others in the church and community.

STUDY (Daily)

Warm responsive parents who know their children's interests. Drill to develop their phonics, writing, and math when the children are ready in senses, brain, and reasoning. More association with you than with peers.

Encourage them to freely explore their ideas with few restrictions by workbooks and school methods, reaching out as interests expand.

WORK (Daily)

Children combine household chores (from the time they learn to walk) with home industries in which they share management. They learn math, etc. by earning money and accounting for it.

They also become well and positively socialized as they buy and sell. And they build character as they work and serve.

SERVICE (On a regular basis at variable times)

Service begins at home and in the neighborhood, with daily or weekly visits to nursing homes, pediatric wards or other ventures in community or personal service.

NOTE: The time you devote to study, work, or service should depend upon children's maturity and interests. Teens are easiest of all with Moores' Formula.

(Copied from the Moore Foundation website)

The Moore's recommend no formal schooling until age 8 or 10.  They are not recommended "no schooling" as some people think but rather a gentle, hands-on type experience based on the child's level of maturity and interest.  Older children are taught using Unit Studies based on interest more than academic scope and sequence.  Teens transition to a more traditional schooling method but still pursue individual interests so that their high school program is tailored to their individual "bent" rather than a college-prep or classical/academic path.

I like this approach a lot and think it has merit.  There is much more to this method than this simple overview.  Parents interested in learning more should visit the website or join the Yahoo Group here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MooreHomeschooling/

 

 

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Getting Started | Getting Organized | Some Schedules and Forms | PDF Files

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