Homeschool Chat

[Denine]

It has been a very long time since I have posted on this thread. It just got too long.

Anyway, we are closing in on finishing up Kindergarten with Calvert and Horizons for math. DD loves school! We will continue with Calvert and Horizons for 1st grade.

We are very much looking forward to our trip to WDW in a few days.

It would be nice to go to WDW in September with the free dining and HS stuff, but we are going in October.

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

Hi homeschoolers! I am a former homeschooler who is considering going back to it permanently. Quick question..has anyone used either Abeka DVD or Alpha Omega switched on schoolhouse? I previously used Abeka book and it was so labor intensive! I can't see me doing that with 3 kiddos! Thanks

 

[tnmomof4]

Hi homeschoolers! I am a former homeschooler who is considering going back to it permanently. Quick question..has anyone used either Abeka DVD or Alpha Omega switched on schoolhouse? I previously used Abeka book and it was so labor intensive! I can't see me doing that with 3 kiddos! Thanks

I have that same question. I have been doing all Abeka. I like it, but this coming year I will have to add my twins who will be doing kindergarten. It would be great if my older boys could do the DVDs. I'm really worried I won't have enough time to do all we need to do every day. It can take us all day now. I made one big mistake that I really regret. I should have picked one grade to do for history and science. Like we could have done 4th for both of them this year and then have done the other grade next year. Teaching 2 history lessons and 2 science lessons a day is a lot.

Anyway...I just got the booklet of info in the mail for the DVDs. It was hard to understand how they do it. It seems you can either pick to send in the papers and let them grade them and they keep track of all grades, or you can just send in the grades. The one where they do the grading is more official, like accredited. Also it seemed kind of expensive, but I'm not sure if I was reading it right.

I am calling Abeka Monday to get more info. I can let you know what they say if you want.

 

[Ellester]

For those not at all familiar with them, there is a You Tube video that I found first, don't know the exact link but I did a search on Google for lapbooks video (it was mentioned on another site) and there is a mom explaining some various lapbooks her kids have made. It seems like neat way to capture some of the learning that goes on without having to rely on worksheets which my boys don't do well at all.

There is usually a lot of lapbook discussion on the Five in a Row message boards: www.fiveinarow.com. I found this link over there: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php

I think they sell some lapbook kits at Five in a Row also. We've never done them, but I do find them intriguing.....

 

[Praise2Him]

And lastly, ds12 thinks he might eventually want to go into game design so there's the prospect of going to Gen Con in Indianapolis.

Just to let you know, there's a school for that near Orlando in Winter Park. It's called Full Sail University. My DS is a student there in Film, but they also have: Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Entertainment Business, Game Art, Game Development, Graphic Design, Music Business, Recording Arts, Show Production & Touring, and Web Design & Development. You might want to check it out!

Hi everyone, I'm trying to spread the word about my Disney World trip this coming Labor Day week. Since Disney has finally confirmed they're offering free dining again during the time we'll be there and we can start reserving the free dining packages this week, I'm trying to reach as many homeschoolers as possible so they can take advantage of it before availability runs out.

I saw your post on the Alabama HS board and checked it out. Last year we were there at the same time as a local HS group and attended one of the classes and it was great! But, since we have AP's we were able to just pay $30 for the class only. I didn't see that option on your website. We'd love to join you in one or more of the classes, but don't need the tickets. (We'll already be there with free dining and my DD is 17.) Is that an option with your group?

I am curious. What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)? My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon. Most days I really like it, but then there are days when I think it is very boring. My son likes it fine I guess. He never complains about it, but I think he might enjoy a change for the next school year. I am interested in what others are using and how it compares with the style of Saxon.

We used Teaching Textbooks for Algebra 1 & 2 and love it! I'm not a math person so it's very user friendly for me.

 

[Temair]

Hi I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Joanne and I home educate my DD with a virtual school using K12. We are planning our second trip to disney for sept 19 to 30, 2008. We originally planned on next year, but due to my husband being overworked he agreed to go this year. I'm interested in know about other educational ideas for while we are at Disney.

I'm glad to know we have an active homeschooling group here on disboards.

 

[Dani4girls]

Hi everyone!! I am a homeschool mom with 4 dds. We have been homeschooling since the beginning - going on 8 years now! We took our first family vacation to WDW in 2005: 14 days, rented house with heated pool, 10 day hopper pass, and only one rainy day It was the best vacation we ever had/ will have. My dh wants to go back in 2009, but I just know it won't be the same. Anyone ever feel that way? Like another trip will somehow lesson the wonderful memories from the first?

Anyways, someone mentioned wanting to know what we use for math. I started with A Beka for my first 4 years. My oldest daughter did great with it, but my second was drowning. So, for 4th grade we switched to Bob Jones; she liked it and did a little better with it, but I didn't like it. Now, they are both in Saxon. They both hate math. So, the question is: Do I keep switching curriculums until I find one they love? Or do I just make them tough it out? Many other hs moms have adviced me to tough it out, because switching math curriculums too many times can be very bad. You end up missing too much. So, I think we are sticking with Saxon.

And the question on lapbooks: we did one on sled dogs that I downloaded for free from Currclick. My girls did enjoy it. They are very creative and love cutting, pasting, coloring, etc. But it was very time-consuming. I don't think I would ever buy one. That's my $.02.

Well, I think I've gone on long enough! I look forward to getting to know everyone and hearing more about WDW and homeschooling!!

Dani

 

[NHWX]

Just to let you know, there's a school for that near Orlando in Winter Park. It's called Full Sail University. My DS is a student there in Film, but they also have: Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Entertainment Business, Game Art, Game Development, Graphic Design, Music Business, Recording Arts, Show Production & Touring, and Web Design & Development. You might want to check it out!

Thanks for the information! Luckily, it's a couple of years away. I've heard of Full Sail before. In a couple of years, I'll be interested in hearing how your son enjoyed his time there.

We live in a tiny New Hampshire town which is pretty much next to nothing.

NHWX

 

[emh1129]

Happy to see the new thread!
We are in our first year of homeschooling and loving it so far.
We're planning to be at WDW Sept.14-27th (tentatively) at ASMo and would love to meet up with other HSers at some point!

 

[DawnM]

I won't know about September homeschooling (at Disney) for a while. My 4 year old may be going to pre-K at the local elem. school for a year to get intensive OT. If he does, we will be more on the school schedule, but DH does have a week of training in Orlando in Dec. so we would plan to take him out then for Disney.

Dawn

 

[Momvic5]

Anyways, someone mentioned wanting to know what we use for math. I started with A Beka for my first 4 years. My oldest daughter did great with it, but my second was drowning. So, for 4th grade we switched to Bob Jones; she liked it and did a little better with it, but I didn't like it. Now, they are both in Saxon. They both hate math. So, the question is: Do I keep switching curriculums until I find one they love? Or do I just make them tough it out? Many other hs moms have adviced me to tough it out, because switching math curriculums too many times can be very bad. You end up missing too much. So, I think we are sticking with Saxon.




Dani

I think your second trip will be great too! We had the same experience. Our first trip was amazing so I was a little nervous too when we went for the second time this past December. We had a wonderful time though. In some ways, it was more magical than the first because we slowed down and just enjoyed everything. Anyways, don't worry ~ your trip will be great and just as magical.

How did your daughter do with the transition from Bob Jones Math to Saxon? My DD8 is currently using Bob Jones 3rd grade, and I am switching her to Saxon next school year. Did she adjust to the style of Saxon with ease? Bob Jones is laid out so different from Saxon that I am a little worried about the transition. My daughter has a tendency to want to be perfect, and it causes her to work very slow sometimes.

Thanks for your $.02.

 

[Dani4girls]

How did your daughter do with the transition from Bob Jones Math to Saxon? My DD8 is currently using Bob Jones 3rd grade, and I am switching her to Saxon next school year. Did she adjust to the style of Saxon with ease? Bob Jones is laid out so different from Saxon that I am a little worried about the transition. My daughter has a tendency to want to be perfect, and it causes her to work very slow sometimes.


Your dd sounds just like mine!! Saxon explains the lesson very well, so she didn't have a hard time learning the new stuff. However, the lessons are very long and it was taking her FOREVER to get one lesson done! So, at first, I let her do every other problem. That still took forever. Then I had her do as much as she could in 45 min. That worked well. Now, she is getting the hang of it and she can do every other problem in 45 minutes!! Overall, I think it is an excellent curriculum; I just hate that they still hate math!!

I heard that Teaching Textbooks is a great math curriculum for kids who hate math. But as I said, I hate to keep switching them.

Hope all this helps.

 

[Octoberbabiesrus]

another homeschooling family just checking in!

 

[cajunrose]

Hi! I'm a possible future homeschooler to my soon to be 5 year old. I still have a few things to work out in my head...but I'm about 99% certain. I've even been researching curriculums. I think we are going with Sonlight (using Secularly...is that a word? ROFL) and Saxon for math. Still looking into that though.

Just wanted to wave and say hi!

Stephenie

 

[disneymom0104]

Hi! I'm a possible future homeschooler to my soon to be 5 year old. I still have a few things to work out in my head...but I'm about 99% certain. I've even been researching curriculums. I think we are going with Sonlight (using Secularly...is that a word? ROFL) and Saxon for math. Still looking into that though.

Just wanted to wave and say hi!

Stephenie

We use Sonlight in a pretty secular way as well! I don't toss all of the religious stuff out, but it is definitely not the main reason we use it. We LOVE the books! This is our first year with Sonlight and we LOVE it so far

 

[cajunrose]

We use Sonlight in a pretty secular way as well! I don't toss all of the religious stuff out, but it is definitely not the main reason we use it. We LOVE the books! This is our first year with Sonlight and we LOVE it so far

I want her to learn about religion and christianity..so I think this'll be good exposure for her..she certainly doesn't get it from us.

I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure. A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring. Any experience with it? Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?

 

[DawnM]

We used Sonlight for the first few years. We still read many of the books on the lists.

Dawn

Hi! I'm a possible future homeschooler to my soon to be 5 year old. I still have a few things to work out in my head...but I'm about 99% certain. I've even been researching curriculums. I think we are going with Sonlight (using Secularly...is that a word? ROFL) and Saxon for math. Still looking into that though.

Just wanted to wave and say hi!

Stephenie

 

[mommyof2princesses]

I want her to learn about religion and christianity..so I think this'll be good exposure for her..she certainly doesn't get it from us.

I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure. A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring. Any experience with it? Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?

We used Saxon for kindy and now for 1st grade and my dd loves it. She likes the calendar and te hands on activities with lots of different manipulatives. She also likes the little worksheets. I happened to have all the manipulatives needed since I was a teacher, so this was a cheaper curriculum for us. My older dd is going to use saxon for algebra next year. We used Thinkwell math last year. Also on the computer and kind of neat, but I don't think it went into enough depth. I compared it to teaching textbooks, and after previewing a few lessons, we felt it didn't fully cover all the topics correctly. JMHO!

We will also use Sonlight for my older dd next year. I have heard such great reviews!

 

[Ellester]

I want her to learn about religion and christianity..so I think this'll be good exposure for her..she certainly doesn't get it from us.

I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure. A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring. Any experience with it? Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?

Love Sonlight and Math U See. MUS does include time, money, tally marks, Roman numerals and measurement. I don't think they do anything with the calendar though (at least not that we've seen in Primer, Alpha, Beta, or Gamma). We've done that separately (Sonlight covers it in their "Language and Thinking for Young Children" in the K Core.) The MUS workpages are not colorful or exciting at all, but my kids don't seem to mind. We had started our oldest on Horizons, which is VERY colorful, but the spiral approach wasn't working for her. She didn't mind the change to plain pages, although some kids might. My youngest draws a picture on the facing blank page every time she does math, I guess that's her way of spicing it up!

 

[Merriwind]

Hi all-

Former HS family here. I HSed DD in first grade and followed WTM's recommendations. While DD now attends a magnet school that we are very happy with, I've stuck with WTM materials/books/workbooks, etc. for summer work, as reading recomendations to get good exposure to lit and history, workbooks for travel, and just to check general progress.

Next year, DD will be in fifth grade, which is the first year in the logic stage, so I'm looking at picking up some new items. I have the 1999 edition of WTM, but am curious about the 2004 edition. If anyone here has looked at both, can you weigh in on the differences? I'm particularly interested to know if the recommended resources have changed much. No libraries in the county have the new edition. I'd really like to know if the update is different enough to be worth purchasing.

Many thanks to anyone who can help!