Homeschool Chat Part III

[StuckInKS]

I do not make decisions for other families but no one is an expert on everything and it is not just the socialization but seeing people from other backgrounds, cultures, religions, financial circumstances, that is part of school. You cannot recreate it other ways. Kids need teachers that are not their parents.

LOTS of public schools are not very diverse. There are schools that are all white, schools that are all black and schools that are all Hispanic. There are schools where all the kids are poor and getting free or subsidized lunches, and others where all the kids are well off and need no assistance. Some schools are diverse, but there are others that are not, so that is not always "part of school."

We have family that is on assistance, family that is wealthy and family that is somewhere in between; my extended family includes 3 different Hispanic surnames; our children have cousins of Asian decent on both sides; our children have two physically disabled cousins; our neighborhood is 50/50 black and white; our children attend extracurricular activities with children of all ethnicities. I wouldn't call that "recreating" anything. I don't even understand what you mean with that statement. How is my child experiencing diversity at school better than them experiencing it at activities and within their own family and neighborhood?

 

[PrinceOfPeace]

I'm a newbie but so happy to see a thread about homeschooling! I'm subscribing!

 

[Mom2DisneyRoyalty]

My daughter really wants to be homeschooled, so we are going to give it a try before public school starts back up. We will probably begin the week of July 8. We are planning to use Sonlight Core D and Singapore Math 3. I have a friend who is selling us the Sonlight core for 1/2 price and I found the Singapore on eBay this weekend. We may do God's Design for Science depending upon what is in the Sonlight core we are buying.

 

[jahber]

My daughter really wants to be homeschooled, so we are going to give it a try before public school starts back up. We will probably begin the week of July 8. We are planning to use Sonlight Core D and Singapore Math 3. I have a friend who is selling us the Sonlight core for 1/2 price and I found the Singapore on eBay this weekend. We may do God's Design for Science depending upon what is in the Sonlight core we are buying.

My only advice would be to take it slow. Only do 3 or 4 hours of "school" a day, and maybe even less as you begin. The transition can be rough for mom and kid, so keep your expectations realistic and try to have FUN!

 

[Mom2DisneyRoyalty]

Thank you for the advice. I'm sure I will have many questions once I get started. I'm glad we attended a homeschool meeting for newbies. It really help with knowing what I have to do in regards to state requirements for the state of Florida. Everything seems easy so far.

Good luck to the fellow newbies also.

 

[jahber]

Thank you for the advice. I'm sure I will have many questions once I get started. I'm glad we attended a homeschool meeting for newbies. It really help with knowing what I have to do in regards to state requirements for the state of Florida. Everything seems easy so far.

Good luck to the fellow newbies also.

We're in Florida too (Orlando). Florida is a very homeschool friendly state and there are tons of homeschoolers here, so you should have plenty of support. I've never had a person so much as look at me weird for home schooling. They may be thinking it's crazy, but they are too nice to say anything

 

[DawnM]

Hey all. It has been a very long time since I have posted in here.

My oldest is now a high schooler, middle son is going in to 8th grade, and I have my 4th grader.

We have a really busy summer coming up with camps and backpacking trips and flying across the country to see Grandparents.

We will still fit some school in in-between as we try to do year round school so that we can take our Disney trips in November and such!

I *think* I have our curriculum set up for next year, but for the summer we are doing a Civil War Unit Study. I have the Civil War DVD set from The Great Courses as well as the Homeschool in the Woods CD for my youngest (on the Civil War.)

Happy Summer everyone!

Dawn

 

[chris31997]

Hey all. It has been a very long time since I have posted in here.

My oldest is now a high schooler, middle son is going in to 8th grade, and I have my 4th grader.

We have a really busy summer coming up with camps and backpacking trips and flying across the country to see Grandparents.

We will still fit some school in in-between as we try to do year round school so that we can take our Disney trips in November and such!

I *think* I have our curriculum set up for next year, but for the summer we are doing a Civil War Unit Study. I have the Civil War DVD set from The Great Courses as well as the Homeschool in the Woods CD for my youngest (on the Civil War.)

Happy Summer everyone!

Dawn

Have fun with the Civil War study. Depending on where Grandparents are you could add a side field trip Being in NC there are lots of places to see or maybe see a re-enactment.

DH was in DC for a year for school and was able to go to Gettysburg(sp). It was a powerful thing for him and his class, they were not studying Civil War.

 

[my4girls10]

Joining in!

I love encouragement from other homeschoolers! I try to encourage when I can, too!

We school year-round, and just got off a week break. It's amazing how rusty they get with just a week off!

We are currently using Life of Fred math, Apologia Science (astronomy), Rod and Staff grammar, The Story of the World for history, and McGuffey for our reading. I'm sure there are some other things thrown in here and there!

Glad to be here!

 

[lovethattink]

Thank you for the advice. I'm sure I will have many questions once I get started. I'm glad we attended a homeschool meeting for newbies. It really help with knowing what I have to do in regards to state requirements for the state of Florida. Everything seems easy so far.

Good luck to the fellow newbies also.

There are so many co-ops and homeschool groups here in FL. I'm a member of the FPEA (Florida Parent-Educators Association). They were so helpful in the beginning. They also host the huge homeschool convention at Gaylord Palms in May. Here's their link if you want to check them out
http://www.fpea.com/

Thanks to Tim Tebow and Brenda Bennet and all their work in advocating for homeschooling in Florida, there are so many homeschooling opportunities available to our kids.

All the science centers and most of he museums have special classes for homeschoolers. And membership in one, is usually reciprocal to a free entrance to another! Of course, the classes typically cost something.

We're in Florida too (Orlando). Florida is a very homeschool friendly state and there are tons of homeschoolers here, so you should have plenty of support. I've never had a person so much as look at me weird for home schooling. They may be thinking it's crazy, but they are too nice to say anything

We are in central FL too. It's definitely homeschool friendly with tons of opportunities for our kids. So many that we are very careful what we pick and choose so that ds doesn't get overwhelmed with too many classes or activities.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Happy almost July everyone! How is the Summer treating you all? Who is still in full swing over the Summer? ((Raises hand))

Anyone going to the Illinois Homeschooling Conference in Naperville at the end of July? (Illinois) It's a Catholic conference that I am attending with my co-op and our husbands but curious as to who else may be going.

 

[my4girls10]

Are there any south Mississippi folks here? We moved here in February, and haven't found a group yet. Our girls have just begun 6th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st grade.

TIA!!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[McDuck]

Are there any south Mississippi folks here? We moved here in February, and haven't found a group yet. Our girls have just begun 6th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st grade.

TIA!!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I am. My DD is preK so we haven't joined a group yet, but there are a few. Where in South Miss.? I am on the Coast.

 

[GusGus77]

Happy almost July everyone! How is the Summer treating you all? Who is still in full swing over the Summer? ((Raises hand))

Anyone going to the Illinois Homeschooling Conference in Naperville at the end of July? (Illinois) It's a Catholic conference that I am attending with my co-op and our husbands but curious as to who else may be going.

I'm going! VERY excited about it! This will be my first homeschool conference.

 

[bcbmommy]

Hi all! I posted here this past school year, when I pulled my 16 y.o. dd out of school. She only had about 6ish weeks of school left, but she just couldn't stand one more day of it. So...I had her work on Khan Academy for a few weeks, then we called it good.
For this next school year, I will have her and my soon-to-be 5th grader home, and of course, my 2 y.o. My 9th grader has chosen to go to public school for now. I feel so relieved that my 5th grader won't be going into middle school at such a young age, and I'm elated that I won't have to deal with the middle school junk again! Having 2 children go 4 years each there was enough to send me to the loony bin!
As excited as I am, I'm also scared. I need to make a decision on dd's curriculum. My dh is pressuring me to get something ordered for both of them, and to make a plan. He was not in favor of this to begin with; I prayed & pleaded for a LONG time. So, I feel that I must prove to him that we can make this work. DD says she wants to do her schooling through an accredited program, but I don't know that it really matters. Does it? I need some guidance in this area.

I'm so looking forward to this journey! I just wish my older ds would homeschool with us, as well. I'm going to be praying and planning, though, just in case.

I'd love any ideas or opinions from you all! Thanks!!

 

[chris31997]

Hi all! I posted here this past school year, when I pulled my 16 y.o. dd out of school. She only had about 6ish weeks of school left, but she just couldn't stand one more day of it. So...I had her work on Khan Academy for a few weeks, then we called it good.
For this next school year, I will have her and my soon-to-be 5th grader home, and of course, my 2 y.o. My 9th grader has chosen to go to public school for now. I feel so relieved that my 5th grader won't be going into middle school at such a young age, and I'm elated that I won't have to deal with the middle school junk again! Having 2 children go 4 years each there was enough to send me to the loony bin!
As excited as I am, I'm also scared. I need to make a decision on dd's curriculum. My dh is pressuring me to get something ordered for both of them, and to make a plan. He was not in favor of this to begin with; I prayed & pleaded for a LONG time. So, I feel that I must prove to him that we can make this work. DD says she wants to do her schooling through an accredited program, but I don't know that it really matters. Does it? I need some guidance in this area.

I'm so looking forward to this journey! I just wish my older ds would homeschool with us, as well. I'm going to be praying and planning, though, just in case.

I'd love any ideas or opinions from you all! Thanks!!

An accredited program usually(read IMHO) means something along the lines of Abeka Academey or an Umbrella School. The umbrella school will keep the records and approve what you are teaching. You will need to give/show them how many hours and grades. It sounds hard but it is not. We have a friend who is doing it through Bridgeway. I believe their DD will get her high school diploma from Bridgeway also. It would be a good program for a begining homeschooler who is in high school.

I have DD high school record all in excel. Everything she has done for the last 3yrs. I went back to Abeka for her high school classes because it was written for schools Alittle comfort for Mommy. But we do not do the Academt portion. This year she is doing alittle less from Abeka, but she is doing more from Liberty as a duel enrolled student. Then I added stuff for her to do with her brother. Both kids do Abeka. You don't have to do the same for your kiddos, it can make things easier. Or it can backfire. It depends on how your kids learn.

 

[Ellester]

My daughter really wants to be homeschooled, so we are going to give it a try before public school starts back up. We will probably begin the week of July 8. We are planning to use Sonlight Core D and Singapore Math 3. I have a friend who is selling us the Sonlight core for 1/2 price and I found the Singapore on eBay this weekend. We may do God's Design for Science depending upon what is in the Sonlight core we are buying.

My biggest suggestion is to give her time to "decompress" from public school. I think a good rule of thumb is one to two weeks adjustment for each year that she has been in school. So up to 8 weeks for a 4th grader for example. They need time to adjust, it is not the same as learning at school. Especially if you are using something like Sonlight that involves so much reading together. We love Sonlight by the way, we have used it throughout our 8 years of homeschooling. We are finishing up Core E this summer. We've enjoyed A, B+C, and D (back when they were still K, 1+2, and 3!). I've learned so much about history that I never knew, and I was a straight A student!! Have fun enjoying the time with your daughter. I would be surprised if you were wanting to send her back to public school after a few weeks of learning together!

DD says she wants to do her schooling through an accredited program, but I don't know that it really matters. Does it? I need some guidance in this area.

I'm so looking forward to this journey! I just wish my older ds would homeschool with us, as well. I'm going to be praying and planning, though, just in case.

I'd love any ideas or opinions from you all! Thanks!!

The whole accreditation thing can be a sticky wicket. I would take your dd's wishes into account at her age, it's important that she have buy in. That said, keep in mind that many public schools are no longer "accredited". Here in Georgia there are several entire school systems that have lost their accreditation but are still churning out graduates that go on to attend college. I would highly suggest that she investigate the admission requirements for any colleges she is considering. What they require of homeschoolers differs dramatically and some of the "better" schools can be easier for a homeschool graduate to get into than some of the more mediocre ones. For example, here in Georgia the requirements for admission to Georgia Tech for a homeschool graduate are much more reasonable than the hoops the local 2 year technical college requires.

You can google "accredited homeschool programs" and get a ton of hits. If your dd is the one wanting the accreditation, I would let her look around and come to you with some suggestions and the reasoning behind them. My 15yo dd couldn't care less about accreditation, but she has her eye on Georgia Tech and knows exactly what she needs to do to increase her chances of admission. She has an instrumental part in planning her curriculum at this stage and that is a big part of keeping her motivated.

Glad I refound this thread! I don't think I've probably posted on it for several years and I am glad to see that it is still active!!!!

 

[chris31997]

The whole accreditation thing can be a sticky wicket. I would take your dd's wishes into account at her age, it's important that she have buy in. That said, keep in mind that many public schools are no longer "accredited". Here in Georgia there are several entire school systems that have lost their accreditation but are still churning out graduates that go on to attend college. I would highly suggest that she investigate the admission requirements for any colleges she is considering. What they require of homeschoolers differs dramatically and some of the "better" schools can be easier for a homeschool graduate to get into than some of the more mediocre ones. For example, here in Georgia the requirements for admission to Georgia Tech for a homeschool graduate are much more reasonable than the hoops the local 2 year technical college requires.

You can google "accredited homeschool programs" and get a ton of hits. If your dd is the one wanting the accreditation, I would let her look around and come to you with some suggestions and the reasoning behind them. My 15yo dd couldn't care less about accreditation, but she has her eye on Georgia Tech and knows exactly what she needs to do to increase her chances of admission. She has an instrumental part in planning her curriculum at this stage and that is a big part of keeping her motivated.

Glad I refound this thread! I don't think I've probably posted on it for several years and I am glad to see that it is still active!!!!

Thank you, you made a good point about checking into the colleges. That is what we did for DD. I did not even think to mention that.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I'm going! VERY excited about it! This will be my first homeschool conference.

YAY!!! We are going too and it's our first conference as well!!! We cannot wait!!

 

[bcbmommy]

An accredited program usually(read IMHO) means something along the lines of Abeka Academey or an Umbrella School. The umbrella school will keep the records and approve what you are teaching. You will need to give/show them how many hours and grades. It sounds hard but it is not. We have a friend who is doing it through Bridgeway. I believe their DD will get her high school diploma from Bridgeway also. It would be a good program for a begining homeschooler who is in high school.

I have DD high school record all in excel. Everything she has done for the last 3yrs. I went back to Abeka for her high school classes because it was written for schools Alittle comfort for Mommy. But we do not do the Academt portion. This year she is doing alittle less from Abeka, but she is doing more from Liberty as a duel enrolled student. Then I added stuff for her to do with her brother. Both kids do Abeka. You don't have to do the same for your kiddos, it can make things easier. Or it can backfire. It depends on how your kids learn.

Thank you for your response. I think one of the reasons DD wants accredited is because she feels like that is more of a "real" school. I don't necessarily share that opinion, but I get what she's saying. I think it's normal for those of us who are used to the public school way of doing things. Thankfully, we're gettin' off that boat, though!
From just looking at a few of the online academies, goodness, they are expensive!
I've got another browser open right now, though, and am looking at Abeka. It looks a little more reasonable if we just order books and do it ourselves. Hopefully I'm reading that right. Again, thank you!!