Home schoolers

[UnReconstructed]

What curriculum are you using?

[pinkmandy]

I've used a few. Calvert is very thorough but also work intensive for both parent and child. It is school at home and takes most of the day. I've also used Robinson- very interesting and costs $200 one time- comes on cds so you can use it over and over. Its focus is on reading, reading, and reading- mostly old books because he believes a child should read books from a time when they were well written. ;) You print off the books and it's combined w/Saxon math. Some of the reading materials have a Christian bent- you may like that, I opted to skip some texts. The math is phenomenal. Saxon, imo, is the best hands down. It is self teaching all the way through the upper levels. By 14 or so a child on schedule in Saxon will be taking physics- great if you have a mathematically inclined child like I do. Saxon doesn't work for my second child, though. You really have to adapt and experiment based on the child.

www.edhelper.com is something I use for the early years. www.starfall.com is cool, too. There are really so many awesome sites w/free curriculum. This is one I just discovered and intend to incorporate next year: http://bringinguplearners.com/

I don't really use a curriculum now, I piece together different things. I use parts of The Well Trained Mind, Saxon Math, a load of reading (science and history), and various other off brands (workbooks and a couple texts) for grammar, writing, etc.

Do you have any specific questions? Are you getting ready to homeschool? If so, what age and what are his/her best abilities, interests, talents, etc.? I can try to help. :D

[noxagol]

I hope that saxon math isn't the same they used in my public school. I though it was too repetitious and boring. But then again, that was probably because it was public school LOL.

[RockEnds]

My daughter is 3, so if I'm not really using curriculum, but she loves LeapFrog toys, and she uses them quite often.

I can't remember everything I used for the boys. So much of it depends on children's learning style.

I do remember we used a book called Spelling Power, and it worked well for us. It's a very large book, but it's designed to cover all grade levels. I also used the Phonics Game with success. My oldest son did not learn to read in school. In fact, that played a very big role in my decision to begin homeschooling. Why send them if they're not learning? What the school had failed to accomplish in 7 years was accomplished over the course of a summer playing the Phonics Game.

[Sally08]

I hope that saxon math isn't the same they used in my public school. I though it was too repetitious and boring. But then again, that was probably because it was public school LOL.

I believe the original Saxon Math was better. The newer version was "modified" to meet the "dumbed down" state standards in hoping to sell its textbooks to school districts.

Saxon Math "spirals" where it reviews material that was covered previously.

With your own child, you could adjust for the amount of the spiraling needed to maintain ownership of the foundational material.

I believe Saxon Math still has online placement tests - have your child(ren) take them. You may be unpleasantly surprised.

Obviously, "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" demonstrates how much content is required learning at some point that is never used again.

Where is the discussion of what things should be learned vs. looked up on the Internet?

I would settle for correct usage of "its" vs. "it's" and "there" vs. "they're" vs. "their"!

I consider 5th Grader to be "Jeopardy for Dummies".

I would also love to know what schools those children attend, since even the "excellent" suburban private/public schools for gifted students that my child experienced (8-10 of them) never even had textbooks that included those topics. And the textbooks that were required weren't even used.

Today, fluency in the "3 R's" is totally lacking, even after 4 years of college.

[pinkmandy]

We use the older Saxon. It's recommended to get the older versions from eBay. I've never looked into the newer stuff...that's sad if newer Saxon has gone downhill.

I remember when I was in college it was astounding to me how many college students could not write a paper without the Prof having a rant about grammar and spelling. That was the time I started realizing just how poorly our schools were performing. There is no excuse for kids being unable to write a 3 page paper that isn't riddled with errors.

[Roxi]

my daughter is starting 1st grade and is currently enrolled in public school.

I would like to start homeschooling her but i don't even have a clue how to start. I understand the commitment it takes and Im ready for that.

but my questions are.. who do i need to notify? am i just supposed to not send her to school when it starts and wait for someone to contact me as to why she isn't in school?

do i need to apply for permission or something... its all pretty confusing. the area i live in seems to have a lot of homeschoolers but how do i contact them? is there a website where you can get in touch with other homeschoolers in your area?

and then if i do all of the above where do i start. is there a specific curriculum she must take? do i have to take her in for testing?

how much time per day is average for me to spend doing schoolwork with her? is there a minimum/maximum requirement?

[newyearsrevolution08]

great thread to keep tabs on.

I am hoping for a patriot to write a k-12 curriculum based on the constitution, actual business and life skills and ACCURATE history.

My son is about to go into kindergarten at a local public school and it freaks me out. I know how amazingly unproductive my schooling was and I doubt it has gotten any better recently.

[LittleLightShining]

From what I gather CFL is supposed to be putting out some sort of material for homeschoolers.

I have used Sonlight Curriculum in the past. It's a great program, but I have my issues with the way the program is set up and the slavery to the teacher's manual. Part of what I like is the literature-based content and the willingness to study different religions and cultures. It's definitely a Christian curriculum but the inclusion of other religions teaches kids to understand others and where they're coming from.

I have put together my own curriculum in the past, which was fantastic, but with 3 kids now I just don't have the energy I did when it was just one. I waver between winging it and using workbooks (my kids like them).

I'm looking into Alpha Omega Lifepacs this year with the exception of Math. I like the Horizons math program a lot. It uses the spiral approach, similar to Saxon, but with less manipulatives.
The Lifepacs seem like a simple approach to getting the basics in and I can always supplement in areas which I think are more important or where the kids want to learn more. For me I like the idea of having bones to start with.


roxic, every state is different so I would suggest anonymously calling your state board of ed and getting the scoop.

[Peace&Freedom]

Here's a site about the old vs. new Saxon issue I found from a quick web search:

http://www.lamppostpublishing.com/saxon_math_previous.htm

[lucius]

Here's a site about the old vs. new Saxon issue I found from a quick web search:

http://www.lamppostpublishing.com/saxon_math_previous.htm

Mind Reader--Thanks!

[UnReconstructed]

Thanks for all the replies.

We will soon have nine children. The next one is due in November. We have home schooled in the past using the Abeka (http://www.abeka.com/) curriculum. It was a lot of work and we got burned out. We found out the local public school was one of the best in the state of Mississippi. Mississippi ranks their schools 1 - 5 with 5 being the best and this school is a level 5 school.

We are going to home school again because we are not going to vaccinate our next child that's starting school or any other children. There are two states in the Union that require vaccinations without any type of exemption and Mississippi is one.

Not only that but also we don't like the indoctrination that's going on. Our two oldest children came home last year talking about "global warming" and "animal rights". I think we should take care of our world as individuals and no one wants to see animals mistreated but it's my responsibility to teach my children values and not the government schools...

We are also concerned about how our children would do compared to children across the country. We would also like to focus more on civics and patriotism. A patriotism that would be different than the subjugation they may learn in the government schools.

We are looking at Accelerated-Achievement (http://www.accelerated-achievement.com/) along with http://www.albensonjr.com (http://www.albensonjr.com/index.shtml#hshs). I would be very interested to see what the CFL will be doing.

[Sally08]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Core Knowledge Curriculum.

You may recognize it as the "What Your ... Grader Should Know" for each grade, PK-8. In the past, I think I've seen them sold at Office Max and/or Office Depot.

http://coreknowledge.org/CK/index.htm

A long-lasting Yahoo group (since 1999!) is ckhomeschoolers:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ckhomeschoolers/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=1

It may require joining, but they have many files uploaded that would be worth skimming for ones of personal relevance.

The Yahoo group page includes a link to this free-hosted page with related links:
http://www.geocities.com/ckhomeschoolers/index.html

E. D. Hirsch, Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Virginia, founded Core Knowledge Foundation in 1986. He is also the author of these two education classics:

1. Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, and
2. The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them.

I believe that it's the "Cultural Literacy" discussion that is totally missing from No Child Left Behind laws and tests.

For instance, if I tell you I just came home from our vacation to see the Pyramids, will you need to use your handheld device to figure out what I'm talking about?

Isn't part of the problem with the multicultural emphasis that there no longer is the "melting pot" of common experiences and knowledge to be able to communicate with others?

[pinkmandy]

Roxic,

www.nhen.org is an excellent resource for getting started. There you will want to find your local groups and your local state group. I recommend NOT calling your dept of ed because they often have their heads up their arses. Seriously. They may ask for things not required, not have the full facts, etc. Your state homeschooling group will probably have step by step instructions for getting started in your state. Yahoo groups are also an excellent resource- there are probably several for your state. I'd turn to experienced local homeschoolers before the state any day.

[LittleLightShining]

Roxic,

www.nhen.org is an excellent resource for getting started. There you will want to find your local groups and your local state group. I recommend NOT calling your dept of ed because they often have their heads up their arses. Seriously. They may ask for things not required, not have the full facts, etc. Your state homeschooling group will probably have step by step instructions for getting started in your state. Yahoo groups are also an excellent resource- there are probably several for your state. I'd turn to experienced local homeschoolers before the state any day.
That's why I said to call anonymously, but you're right.

[nayjevin]

//

[RockEnds]

thanks guys, ive been looking into some of the sites, some of them have some good free stuff but most want 20 dollars or so for membership so im going to research more before i decide on one...

ill also try to find local homeschoolers to get me started,

has anyone here taken a child out of public school and started homeschooling them? if so what process did you take to do so?

Yes. I thought the school might put up a bit of resistance, but they didn't. Instead, they referred me to our local homeschool office. Our public school district has two homeschool assistance teachers. The district actually does not interfere with the homeschool program. They get partial funding for each student. The teachers have all of the students/families come in at least once a quarter, and they provide the annual testing required by the state. It's a fairly big program. Several families open enroll into our district to get into the program. It's big enough that it bumps us up one division in sports.

You may not find every district to be so open to the idea, however.

[porcupine]

I hope that saxon math isn't the same they used in my public school. I though it was too repetitious and boring. But then again, that was probably because it was public school LOL.

It's math. It's going to be repetitious and boring. :D

[123tim]

my daughter is starting 1st grade and is currently enrolled in public school.

I would like to start homeschooling her but i don't even have a clue how to start. I understand the commitment it takes and Im ready for that.

but my questions are.. who do i need to notify? am i just supposed to not send her to school when it starts and wait for someone to contact me as to why she isn't in school?

do i need to apply for permission or something... its all pretty confusing. the area i live in seems to have a lot of homeschoolers but how do i contact them? is there a website where you can get in touch with other homeschoolers in your area?

and then if i do all of the above where do i start. is there a specific curriculum she must take? do i have to take her in for testing?

how much time per day is average for me to spend doing schoolwork with her? is there a minimum/maximum requirement?


We live in Pennsylvania, so my advice might not apply to you. Maybe some of it will.

My daughter is supposed to be in first this fall and we did absolutely nothing. Pennsylvania doesn't require anything until the child is eight years old. Very few Pennsylvanians know this. (I think that if the child is already enrolled different rules apply).

My advice to you? Keep your child away from the T.V. Keep your child away from video games. Keep you child away from dumbed-down games, books, or anything else that seems like it uses dumbed down language. My opinion is that the average American kid drops about 30 I.Q. points just from being exposed to our society. I know that I did. Expect more from your children than our society does. You'll get it.

Read anything that you can to your children - let them read instead of watching T.V. Do simple math with them. Ask them some geography questions.

Remember that a huge chunk of time in a public school time is dedicated to getting students under control as well as shuttling students from class to class. You won't have to worry about any of this.

By the way...Never look for permission. :) Keep looking for the answers that you need until you find them.

[GTMomma]

What curriculum are you using?
I'm pretty eclectic in my sources. We've used Math-U-See for the past 5 years and plan to continue through pre-algebra. For language arts, I use or have used the Spalding method (Writing Road to Reading), a little bit of Charlotte Mason, Sequential Spelling, Handwriting Without Tears and we're just beginning with The Writer's Jungle.

We use a variety of stuff for history; Story of the World, History Pockets, Usborne and The Complete Book of History. We are trying Real Science For Kids to cover chemistry and physics this year. For art and music, my kids take various classes throughout the year, but it's one of the areas I'm neglectful in.

[pinkmandy]

For learning to read or intermediate phonics I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend Scaredy Cat Phonics. (http://www.teach4mastery.com/) It's fun, it's easy, and it's thorough. For young kids you might also want to check out www.starfall.com and www.enchangedlearning.com . www.edhelper.com is good, too.

[micahnelson]

Abeka is a form of child abuse, from experience. Make sure you get involved with a strong home schooling group- otherwise your kids will become LARP'ers or be the type of person who really enjoys fan fiction.

I say that only slightly tongue-in-cheek.

I was homeschooled for a few years, and I think I came out ok. Look into Montessori schools or consider starting your own school if you have a few families around you that Home School. Education doesn't have to be like it is in Public Schools, and as long as you are passionate about learning and thinking- your kids will be. If you are interested in pushing an agenda, even a good one, then your kids will turn out a little warped.

Liberty, classical liberalism, and peace are intellectual mindsets- if your kids learn how to reason they will quickly adopt these as a way of though and of life. Don't feel like you have to push them into it. My 2c