Homeschool Chat

[teacups]

At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging about my kids, which of course I am, shamelessly, I wanted to share something that happened this morning- My DD, 16 came downstairs all excited and bouncy saying 'we've got to go the Rochester on November something" ok, why? Well, with most kids it would be a teen heart throb or the latest airhead pop star. Erin couldn't care less about those things so I was a little curious. Her favorite author was going to signing books on that day! Somehow, mostly by accident, we did something right.

My wife once read me a quote that went something like "You know you've succeeded when you're kids biggest decorating worry is where to put all the book shelves"

Ok. I LIKE YOU!

 

[bear74]

I am even putting together a Disney book. In it I will have questions to be answered at various parks, about countries, animals, presidents, science etc. I want the kids to ask questions of the CMs and learn by having fun. We are also going to record how long it takes us to drive, how many miles it is and then figure our average speed. We are going to record temperatures as we head farther south.

It's still a work in progress so I am trying to think of new things. I won't make them carry the book around with them, of course, just things we can discuss and record when we're back at the hotel or on our relaxing days. Besides being the greatest, most magical place in the world there is so much to learn about there too! It's the perfect place for a homeschool field trip!

Jennifer,
it looks like we will just miss you we are their Sept. 20 - Sept. 29. We will be homeschooling DD who just turned 5. I am still not sure what way we are going. I am so overwhelmed. I like the idea of unit studies. I am going to make DD a journal with questions about her day to work on writing.

 

[lori1043]

I have 2 DD's we homeschool-10 and 8. Here are some things we have used.

Unit studies:KONOS, American Girl,Amanda Bennett's Ocean, Olympics, and some others, plus we made up an EPCOT unit study before our Feb '08 trip. Some others too.

Non basic curr. we use: Character Sketches(includes science), KONOS, SOTW

This is a Constitution study 2 moms and I are teaching at co-op...

http://www.nccs.net/constitution-week/a-more-perfect-union.html

Check it out!

Lori

 

[DawnM]

Guys, what were the actual dates of HS days last January? Was it the 2nd or 3rd week of January?

I went and can't remember!

Dawn

 

[Ellester]

Is anyone going to do an Olympics unit study? We did a bit for the Winter Olympics in 2006, I guess I should get going if we're doing anything this year! I found this page that seems to have some good links.

http://learning-adventures.blogspot.com/2008/07/2008-summer-olympic-games-unit-study.html

The Olympics are starting on 8/8/08, eight is a lucky number in China.

 

[lori1043]

Is anyone going to do an Olympics unit study? We did a bit for the Winter Olympics in 2006, I guess I should get going if we're doing anything this year! I found this page that seems to have some good links.

http://learning-adventures.blogspot.com/2008/07/2008-summer-olympic-games-unit-study.html

The Olympics are starting on 8/8/08, eight is a lucky number in China.

I used Amanda Bennet's Olympic unit study in 2006- bet she has a new one! I amk not going to add anything to our day at this point-even Olympics. We will watch it though-gymnastics!!! I love the gymnastics of the summer and the winter of ice skating!

Lori

 

[Temair]

So up until now I've been schooling via a charter school and the K12 curriculum. After last years problems and battles I'm really considering jumping ship and heading into the world of homeschooling on my own. Since I never got much support from the school it will probably be not that different except i get to choose what we do and what curriculum to use. So after searching and searching and debating I think I have my list ofwhat I would use. So if I jump ship I'm ready to go.

Math -Math-u-see Gamma and Delta
Grammer - Basic Winston Grammar
Spelling - Seplling Power
Reading - Books from home and library
writing - Journal and book reports
History - Complete book of maps and geogrpahy and library books
Science - Library Books
Art - Drawing with Children
Music - Piano Lesson Book
Typing - Typing with Timon and Pumba

I chose some of the curriculum based on what I already had on hand, and also what is affordable. So let me know what you think.

Joanne Johnson

 

[karynnix]

Okay, after much searching and praying, I FINALLY settled on a curriculum!!

I am going to use Sonlight for both kids. Since my son has Asperger's, it will be so much easier to teach them together. I can use the same books and lessons for both of them.

Has anyone used Sonlight and can give me some feedback? I am so excited to move now and get started homeschooling!!!!

 

[Ellester]

So up until now I've been schooling via a charter school and the K12 curriculum. After last years problems and battles I'm really considering jumping ship and heading into the world of homeschooling on my own. Since I never got much support from the school it will probably be not that different except i get to choose what we do and what curriculum to use. So after searching and searching and debating I think I have my list ofwhat I would use. So if I jump ship I'm ready to go.

Math -Math-u-see Gamma and Delta
Grammer - Basic Winston Grammar
Spelling - Seplling Power
Reading - Books from home and library
writing - Journal and book reports
History - Complete book of maps and geogrpahy and library books
Science - Library Books
Art - Drawing with Children
Music - Piano Lesson Book
Typing - Typing with Timon and Pumba

I chose some of the curriculum based on what I already had on hand, and also what is affordable. So let me know what you think.

Joanne Johnson

We love Math-U-See. Gamma (multiplication) and Delta (division) are both one year programs. Your dd should be proficient in adding and subtracting to three place values to start Gamma. It is a different approach in that a new topic is totally mastered before you move on. My dd10 is just starting Delta, it took her a while to master multiplication. DD6 is almost done with Alpha. They both like doing their math, much to my delight! I haven't used any of the other curriculums you have listed. I did look at Spelling Power, but we went with Sequential Spelling instead. I think your list is pretty comprehensive, you should have a good year (with some tweaking as you go on to be expected!) if you decide to jump ship. After the problems you had with the Charter and K12, I would totally expect you to have a much smoother year just doing it on your own.

Okay, after much searching and praying, I FINALLY settled on a curriculum!!

I am going to use Sonlight for both kids. Since my son has Asperger's, it will be so much easier to teach them together. I can use the same books and lessons for both of them.

Has anyone used Sonlight and can give me some feedback? I am so excited to move now and get started homeschooling!!!!

We've used Core K (now C, I think) and are about 2/3 through Core 1+2. I've been very happy with the program. We don't do the Bible portion since we're Catholic, but I do use their LA program with both girls. Since dd6 is finally reading, I guess we will stick with it! Sonlight does have a pretty extensive message board if you have any specific questions or just want to glean lots of info from other users. I do know that I have learned more about ancient history in the past three years than I ever did in my school career!


On another note, I've been following some of the "School Supply" threads and every single one makes me more thankful that we homeschool! After reading some of the posts, I think I get off way cheaper too!

 

[nuzmom]

So up until now I've been schooling via a charter school and the K12 curriculum. After last years problems and battles I'm really considering jumping ship and heading into the world of homeschooling on my own. Since I never got much support from the school it will probably be not that different except i get to choose what we do and what curriculum to use. So after searching and searching and debating I think I have my list ofwhat I would use. So if I jump ship I'm ready to go.

Math -Math-u-see Gamma and Delta
Grammer - Basic Winston Grammar
Spelling - Seplling Power
Reading - Books from home and library
writing - Journal and book reports
History - Complete book of maps and geogrpahy and library books
Science - Library Books
Art - Drawing with Children
Music - Piano Lesson Book
Typing - Typing with Timon and Pumba

I chose some of the curriculum based on what I already had on hand, and also what is affordable. So let me know what you think.

Joanne Johnson

Looks good. All ready to jump ship.
We use Math-U-See and Spelling power. I agree with the other poster that it's a one year program - don't rush it, it's so important to have a SOLID foundation in Math. We also have the typing but haven't used it a whole lot, but it's fun. You may want to take science into a "unit study" direction. Have your DD choose a topic (penguins) and pick out books to read and try to find an experiment or craft to do. We're heavily into doing hands on science stuff with our kids. (I have an engineering degree, so I'm "big" on loving math and science) Have fun and happy jumping!!!!

 

[Momvic5]

Hello Homeschool moms and dads...I haven't posted in a while, but summer is coming to a quick end, and I haven't decided on a foreign language for my 7th grader!

I have been looking at the Rosetta Stone curriculums. They have great reviews but they are so expensive. I would like for my son to take Spanish, but he is not interested in Spanish at all. He is a science guy and wants to take Latin. My problem with Latin is that it appears to only have a Level 1 curriculum so I am not sure what we would do in the years to come. Anyways...I thought I would get your opinions on Rosetta Stone before I handed over my $209.00 (level 1) or my $449.00(levels 1,2,& 3).

Has anyone ever used either the Rosetta Stone Spanish or Latin curriculums? What are your thoughts?

What other Latin curriculums do you recommend for older students?

 

[Ellester]

Has anyone ever used either the Rosetta Stone Spanish or Latin curriculums? What are your thoughts?

What other Latin curriculums do you recommend for older students?

We are going to start Latin this year with Memoria Press's Latina Christiana(www.memoriapress.com). I've heard good things about it and it is not very expensive. Since Latin is no longer regularly spoken I'm less concerned with conversational skills, which I feel is Rosetta Stone's strong point. We will probably spring for RS's Spanish sometime this year as well. DH wants to learn along with the kids (I can already speak it somewhat fluently). I have used RS's Tagalog (Filipino) online free through the library and enjoyed it. My Filipino SIL was quite impressed with my pronunciation, RS is very strong in that. Of course, I can only say boy, girl, man, woman, cat, dog, airplane, and elephant, but it's a start!

 

[Momvic5]

We are going to start Latin this year with Memoria Press's Latina Christiana(www.memoriapress.com). I've heard good things about it and it is not very expensive. Since Latin is no longer regularly spoken I'm less concerned with conversational skills, which I feel is Rosetta Stone's strong point. We will probably spring for RS's Spanish sometime this year as well. DH wants to learn along with the kids (I can already speak it somewhat fluently). I have used RS's Tagalog (Filipino) online free through the library and enjoyed it. My Filipino SIL was quite impressed with my pronunciation, RS is very strong in that. Of course, I can only say boy, girl, man, woman, cat, dog, airplane, and elephant, but it's a start!

I have heard good things about Latina Christiana as well, and you are right about the Rosetta Stone Latin curriculum. I have tried to have this conversation about Latin with my DS12 too, but he is dead set against Spanish and thinks Latin as a foreign language would be "cool." My Dh isn't helping. He isn't excited about Spanish either. Dh suggested Mandarin Chinese! Our very kind neighbors are Chinese and speak Mandarin Chinese so DH thinks they would be very helpful. Oh....how I hope Rosetta Stone is good because just the thought of having to teach my children a foreign language makes me nervous.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

Hey, I have been MIA for a while, but as I was gearing up to figure out what school stuff I needed, I decided to say HI!

Any high schooling moms? I have dd13 who will be 9th and dd4 3/4 who will be first. We are using the notgrass history for american history, english and religion. Anyone use that? Care to share how you did it?

We did take the plunge and buy 2 years of Rosetta Stone. We used a 10% coupon for ebay and got a good deal. We used it for most of last year for free until the library got rid of it. So, we bought the hs one. Figure I will use it for both kids and maybe dh and I will try it out! I did buy a supplemental book that wsa suggestion by some for doing grammar and written work. I am told with the review and the 2 years it will be a good sound 2 year high school course. I hope so!

 

[Momvic5]

Hey, I have been MIA for a while, but as I was gearing up to figure out what school stuff I needed, I decided to say HI!

Any high schooling moms? I have dd13 who will be 9th and dd4 3/4 who will be first. We are using the notgrass history for american history, english and religion. Anyone use that? Care to share how you did it?

We did take the plunge and buy 2 years of Rosetta Stone. We used a 10% coupon for ebay and got a good deal. We used it for most of last year for free until the library got rid of it. So, we bought the hs one. Figure I will use it for both kids and maybe dh and I will try it out! I did buy a supplemental book that wsa suggestion by some for doing grammar and written work. I am told with the review and the 2 years it will be a good sound 2 year high school course. I hope so!

We haven't reached the high school years just yet, but we are just around the corner. My oldest DS is going into the 7th grade. Today, I actually did a little research on the notgrass american history curriculum. I have heard nothing but praise about notgrass. After looking at it, I think I am going to start it with my son when he goes into the eighth grade. I thought I would take it at a slower pace and do it over the course of two years. A friend of mine emailed the notgrass company, and they were very helpful and willing to answer any questions. They are a homeschooling family too.

I have a 10% coupon for ebay too! I will have to check that out.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

We haven't reached the high school years just yet, but we are just around the corner. My oldest DS is going into the 7th grade. Today, I actually did a little research on the notgrass american history curriculum. I have heard nothing but praise about notgrass. After looking at it, I think I am going to start it with my son when he goes into the eighth grade. I thought I would take it at a slower pace and do it over the course of two years. A friend of mine emailed the notgrass company, and they were very helpful and willing to answer any questions. They are a homeschooling family too.

I have a 10% coupon for ebay too! I will have to check that out.

We already have the notgrass books and they look awesome. I am just trying to decide if I need dd to use a binder with dividers to organize, or just some noteboooks! I want to get items while they are on sale and I am not going during tax free weekend! We start school onaugust 12 or 13...whichever works out!

 

[TLHB70]

Mommyof2princesses, I have a DD that just turned 13; she will be in 8th grade this upcoming school year. We are starting school August 11. I have all of our new books in boxes in our school room. I said that I wouldn't do anything with them until August. I, too, live in NC (Union County), and I do plan to go shopping for our notebooks, pencils, pens, and all other supplies this tax free weekend. I think we will go to Office Depot or Staples. I have tried Walmart and Target in past years, but it is too crazy! I thought Office Depot or Staples might be calmer. We will see. Then, next week, I plan to work on our school room. I need to box up last year's books and clean out cabinets for this year's materials.
BTW, we use A Beka. I have used it with both of my DDs since K4. My oldest is now 8th grade and my youngest is now 5th grade.

 

[karynnix]

BTW, we use A Beka. I have used it with both of my DDs since K4. My oldest is now 8th grade and my youngest is now 5th grade.

I have floundered between Sonlight and A Beka. When I think I have made a decision, I change my mind. I have almost decided to try A Beka first. Do you use the Bible curriculum? How is the math? I have heard that it moves quickly. Thanks!!!

 

[TLHB70]

I have floundered between Sonlight and A Beka. When I think I have made a decision, I change my mind. I have almost decided to try A Beka first. Do you use the Bible curriculum? How is the math? I have heard that it moves quickly. Thanks!!!

I have not used the Bible curriculum in a few years. I did use it for about two years, but honestly, I found it a bit boring. I switched and started doing different family Bible studies that I picked up at Lifeway. I have also done a couple of the Beth Moore studies with my girls (Daniel -first part only - and Jesus the One and Only).
Since I am switching oldest DD to the video academy this upcoming year, she will be using their Bible curriculum again. She will be on Program I so she will be graded on the course.

 

[Denine]

We are starting school on Tuesday. Unfortunately, DD is sick today.

She is really looking forward to 1st grade though. She can't wait to start.