Homeschool Chat

[tzuhouse]

We got to see it one night when the shuttle was docked here in Houston. It was awesome!

Mary

 

[scrapbookingmanda]

Are any of you doing collecting the Sunny D labels for the Sunny D book spree? 20 labels for 20 free books from Scholastic. Here is the link if you haven't checked it out yet. http://www.sunnyd.com/bookspree/why.html The FAQ's say homeschools are eligible. I know the grocery stores in my area have had Sunny D on sale for around $1 each for quite awhile. With all the coupons in the paper for them, you should be able to get these books for pretty cheap, maybe free if you have family members help you collect them.

 

[Temair]

We have been back in school for just 4 weeks and I'm already changing things up. DH finally agreed that the grammar program was jut not working. She could identify parts, but not put it to use in her writing. So I was showing DH that I had not found a curriculum I like better. I showed him the Cathy Duffy site and her recommendations. For the most part what she recommends has worked. DH saw LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) and thought it sounded good. So I pulled up some sample pages and he was sold on it. So I ordered LLATL purple (Gr 5) last night and I should have it within 2 weeks. I really hope it works well for my DD. The Basic Winston Grammar was good in some ways, but not what my DD needs at the moment.

So anyone else use LLATL? What do you like or dislike about it?

 

[Lindabelle]

Hi Mary,
It's nice to hear from another DIS mom who homeschools and is involved in Christian Youth Theater. We have three kids, ages 19, 17 and 13. We have been involved in over 20 CYT productions. It has been such a blessing to be involved in such a great group that involves whole families. My kids loved the fact that we home schooled them so they had time for extra activities such as CYT that many of their schooled friends didn't have time for. We did Aladdin 2 years ago. Congrats to your son, and have fun with the show!

 

[wvdislover]

We have been back in school for just 4 weeks and I'm already changing things up. DH finally agreed that the grammar program was jut not working. She could identify parts, but not put it to use in her writing. So I was showing DH that I had not found a curriculum I like better. I showed him the Cathy Duffy site and her recommendations. For the most part what she recommends has worked. DH saw LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) and thought it sounded good. So I pulled up some sample pages and he was sold on it. So I ordered LLATL purple (Gr 5) last night and I should have it within 2 weeks. I really hope it works well for my DD. The Basic Winston Grammar was good in some ways, but not what my DD needs at the moment.

So anyone else use LLATL? What do you like or dislike about it?

I'm going to be starting the tan book (grade 6) soon. I bought LLATL at a homeschool convention. When I went to start using it, it didn't make any sense to me, and then I figured out I had bought ONLY the teacher book, and didn't realize there was a separate student workbook I ordered the student book from Rainbow and got it last week, so I'm still trying to figure it out. It looks like it has a lot of work in it. I didn't realize it also has book studies in it, along with the LA stuff. I am also using Total Language Plus for reading, which also has a lot of LA stuff, so it may be overkill. I wanted to try out the LLATL, though...I'd heard a lot of good stuff about it. Basically, it looks like there are book studies, and also language arts lessons, divided into 5 parts, so you do a section of a lesson each day. My concern is the dictation part...DD12 has problems writing from dictation, and the passages are kind of long. I may just have her copy some of them from the teacher book, just to change it up a bit. I'm hoping LLATL works for us...it seems to have some really good stuff in it. Good luck with yours, too! Hopefully someone who has actually USED it already can give us some feedback, too!

 

[jacksmomma]

Are any of you doing collecting the Sunny D labels for the Sunny D book spree? 20 labels for 20 free books from Scholastic. Here is the link if you haven't checked it out yet. http://www.sunnyd.com/bookspree/why.html The FAQ's say homeschools are eligible. I know the grocery stores in my area have had Sunny D on sale for around $1 each for quite awhile. With all the coupons in the paper for them, you should be able to get these books for pretty cheap, maybe free if you have family members help you collect them.

I was not aware that homeschoolers were eligible, Thanks!

 

[Denine]

Hello everyone! Been MIA lately. School is going well this year. We are actually getting in 5 days a week, DH does Fridays since I work on Friday. It is much better than 4 sometimes 5 days a week. It felt like we would never finish!

DD will be on lesson 20 in Calver 2nd grade tomorrow.
She will be 1/4 finished with 3rd grade math.

We leave for WDW in 2 weeks and she will turn 7 the day after we get there.

I am happy that DD's creative writing skills have improved to this point.

 

[littlepeppers]

Hello everyone! Been MIA lately. School is going well this year. We are actually getting in 5 days a week, DH does Fridays since I work on Friday. It is much better than 4 sometimes 5 days a week. It felt like we would never finish!

DD will be on lesson 20 in Calver 2nd grade tomorrow.
She will be 1/4 finished with 3rd grade math.

We leave for WDW in 2 weeks and she will turn 7 the day after we get there.

I am happy that DD's creative writing skills have improved to this point.

We finished Calvert 2nd gd lesson 32 today. Thankgoodnedd for dinosaurs. Are the spelling words too easy for your DD?

 

[fabumouse]

I for one, have to turn down social engagements so that my kids can actually do their schoolwork.

Ugh, amen to that. I was so grateful when all the kids in the neighborhood went back to school because my plan of doing summer school was seriously thwarted by the doorbell ringing each morning.

 

[Tinatoo]

So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing. I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1. My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce. Is there a specific program that you can recommend? How young is too young to begin something structured? Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8? We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county. Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

 

[ann1985]

Florida Beating. How terrible. I dont watch the news too often, so I just saw this.

 

[chicagoshannon]

So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing. I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1. My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce. Is there a specific program that you can recommend? How young is too young to begin something structured? Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8? We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county. Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

I'd look through the thread and check out the many curriculum websites mentioned. Also go to the library and check out some homeschool books. There are a lot of them out there.

I have a 2.5 year old and we're using Hands on Homeschooling this year. If I were to do the lessons as she has them laid out it would be about 30 min. a day of structured work. I combine 2 lessons per day (at least) and end up with about an hour of structured work.

I don't think we'll be doing 4 hours of structured for many years.

 

[LegoMom3]

So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing. I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1. My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce. Is there a specific program that you can recommend? How young is too young to begin something structured? Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8? We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county. Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

Hi and welcome!

One of the first things I would suggest you do is a Google search for homeschooling in your state. That will enable you to see what the rules & regulations actually are. Some states are quite strict and require you to keep a log of attendance, all work done, etc., and have the child tested every year. Others have practically no requirements at all, and most are somewhere in between. One site I can suggest for getting this info is the Home School Legal Defense Association - www.hslda.org You don't have to be a member to look up your state's requirements. It'll just give you a feel for the legal hs'ing requirements for you.

Ok, now on to "structure." I'm not a big fan of pushing too much too early. I think our society likes to push this but I think it's to the detriment of our kids. Yours are still very little. They are learning by playing! Colors, shapes, numbers, letters, etc.. That's all they need this early. If you like to read and want a good overview of why kids often learn better later, I would suggest you pick up a copy of "The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook" by Dr. Raymond & Dorothy Moore.

When you do eventually get into curriculum, that's as personal a choice as what combination of make-up colors look best on you!! It will come down to what works best for you and your kids. But you have time to figure that out. If you can find a local homeschool support group to connect with, talking with others can be invaluable.

I could go on and on for pages but this is just a taste for you. As another poster suggested, go back through this thread and see what others are saying about their curriculums and such. Also, again if you like to read, go to someplace like Amazon.com or the like (or your local library!) and search for homeschooling. There are lots of good books out there on getting started.

Oh, re: your DH. Can't offer any suggestions there, as mine was actually the one who pushed for our kids to be home in the first place, but you seem to be approaching it from the right angle. Show him rather than just try to stuff a bunch of facts into him (even if those facts do strongly support the success of hs'ing!...).

.

 

[Lora]

So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing. I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1. My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce. Is there a specific program that you can recommend? How young is too young to begin something structured? Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8? We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county. Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

My dh was the same way when I first mentioned hsing. It wasn't until he was reassured that our children would not be shut out of colleges, etc. and that they would have the same opportunities as traditionally schooled children. There are a lot of great books out there. I read a couple when I was looking into hsing. I just found a couple at the library and bought a couple. I'm sorry that I don't remember the names, but by this time, there are a gazillion more that are more up-to-date with statistics. If you can find out specifically what bothers your dh about the idea, you can do specific research in that area. Is it academics? Is it socialization? Does he just want them to be "normal"? Is he worried that other areas would suffer (housework, taking "care" of him - if you do that sort of thing). Find some hsing families and have them talk to you and your dh.

We've used Sonlight since (almost) the beginning. At first I pieced together this and that. I had a Master's in Elem. Ed, so I figured I didn't need a curriculum. We did fine, but using Sonlight has been amazing for our family. We only use their Core and Science. I already had Language Arts covered before I purchased my first Core, so I just stayed with it.

I would recommend that you do just normal mommy/child things right now. Play, sing, move, explore, talk, read, listen....I'm sure this list could go on.

I do hope you're able to show your dh that hsing can be an amazing experience for you and your children. It's a difficult path, and I was determined that I would not be able to hs without dh's support. We did the "trial run" for semester before my first dd would have entered Kindergarten. I showed him what our day would look like and I think that helped.

 

[figment3258]

Hi all Just thought I would introduce myself. i am a home schooling mom of 2 girls ages almost 7 and 3. this is our 2nd official year and we love it. We leave for the world in just over 2 week. Take care

Jessica

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hi all Just thought I would introduce myself. i am a home schooling mom of 2 girls ages almost 7 and 3. this is our 2nd official year and we love it. We leave for the world in just over 2 week. Take care

Jessica

Welcome! Congrats on your upcoming trip!!! It should be cooled down a bit by then and all the fall decor!!!!! How wonderful!!! i love seeing all the fall stuff out there!! Are you doing MNSSHP? I wish we were going to that too!!!Have fun!!!

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing. I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1. My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce. Is there a specific program that you can recommend? How young is too young to begin something structured? Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8? We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county. Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

When we first started my DH had some concerns about making sure everything was covered. So we started off DD with Calvert School Curriculum. Calvert is a very respected school where we live and the homeschool curriculum has been around for about a hundred years. (Not to mention it is the exact curriculum they use in their private school- but you save a TON teaching it yourself) So he felt comfortable with us using that. We gradually replaced parts with other things that fit us better. But by then he was comfortable with where we are. We save quite a bit of money as well. There are as many options for curriculum as there are families. But sometimes starting with a something like Calvert gives some comfort that it all is taken care of. Then as confidence grows, if it doesn't fit you, you can start changing until you find the right fit.

 

[littlepeppers]

So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing. I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1. My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce. Is there a specific program that you can recommend? How young is too young to begin something structured? Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8? We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county. Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

We are in year one HS. We selected Calvert (2nd gd) b/c it had everything. We aren't using the ATS (teacher grades your stuff for you). I don't think that it test often enough, so I make a lot of test for him. It is very complete & covers a lot. I like how the lessons are planned out for you & I just change them as we need.

One day I will break free of the boxed set, but since we are new at this I'm enjoying knowing that we will keep up w/ the public schools. We are required to meet or exceed the public schools in our state.

 

[FINFAN]

Hi everyone, I found this thread through a search for homeschooling and high school. I have not read the whole thread, just skimmed looking for any info on High School age kids,trying to see if I have what it takes to do it. DS just started his Sophomore year on 8/20 and it is not going well academically already. Socially, fine, but slowly sinking in any other areas. I have never been a strong student, am not an organized person myself, so the thought of HS is daunting, but need to get DS as far as a HS diploma. Our HS does offer virtual on line classes,( but not full line) not sure if it will be any better other than he can work at his own pace kind of thing. DS centers his life arouind his circle of friends right now, and is convinced he will be looked down upon. We have tried general accomodations within the school district but they have been counter-productive...belittling him, and questioning his intelligence ( even though they are aware of his IQ) I must have him entered into the Special Ed/504 plan before they or are even willing to discusss that he that he can learn differently than their curriculm teaches.
Without going on and on,( as I know my story is not a new one) can anyone who is HS the high school years please PM me or post? I am in the very beginning stages of researching options so please bear with me. We are in Illinois if that makes any difference. Again, I have no idea if HS is an avenue we will take, but need to be as informed as I can be.
Thanks!

 

[figment3258]

Welcome! Congrats on your upcoming trip!!! It should be cooled down a bit by then and all the fall decor!!!!! How wonderful!!! i love seeing all the fall stuff out there!! Are you doing MNSSHP? I wish we were going to that too!!!Have fun!!!

Thanks Yes we are going to MNSSHP on September 29th Can't wait!