Homeschool Chat

[Disney_Angel]

I'm a confused. I have started to look into home school for my DD4. If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college? Maybe I just don't understand how it works. I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help. Thanks!!

www.k12.com

This is our THIRD year....it works for us.

 

[AuroraBeauty]

I'm a confused. I have started to look into home school for my DD4. If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college? Maybe I just don't understand how it works. I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help. Thanks!!

Most colleges and universities are familiar with homeschooled applicants and have specific materials just for their applications since they may not have the 'traditional' state high school mandated records. If you choose an 'accredited' program (such as various online schools) then it isn't homeschool in the same sense because there are grades and transcripts available. Some states also have very specific requirement regarding record keeping and as such if you are from one of those states and are applying to a state college/university then the admissions office is familiar with the records you had to keep and may ask for some documentation. Otherwise, there is no 'Graduation' or diploma per se. Some homeschool kids I know end up taking the GED to get to college.

Many of the Ivy League schools have specific admissions officers for homeschoolers and they do not require transcripts from homeschoolers.

I think we, as parents who came from a traditional public/private education system, find it difficult at first to believe that major colleges and universities are welcoming homeschoolers and not making it exceptionally difficult for us and our kids. We have to trust those who have blazed the trail for us!

Hopefully you ladies will be able to help out ... and I apologize, because I haven't read through this whole thread.

I am thinking about "homeschooling" my 3.5 year old. use the word homeschooling very loosely, because I am not looking for a completely structured setting. I want to be able to teach her writing, letter sounds, and all of her numbers to start with. Has anyone ever started this young? And, can you give me any tips on how to start?

Anything a parent actively teaches their under 5/6 year old at home is homeschooling. Homeschooling for the little ones is more hands on, game and fun oriented. I subscribe to the IAHP program and have believe that my DD was capable of learning from birth. So, I embarked on a learning program with her very early. She was able to read at a very early age, she can do math, we've done science projects, we've learned about art and music and so much more. It's not at all 'sit at a desk and listen to me stuff' but rather age-appropriate learning. What little child wouldn't be interested in collecting 10 things and making predictions of what might sink or float in a bucket of water. On a hot day, it is a lot of fun! And the child is learning science but never realizes it.

That's the great thing about being a homeschooler -- learning can become fun!

Enjoy doing fun things with you little one!

 

[NHWX]

Hopefully you ladies will be able to help out ... and I apologize, because I haven't read through this whole thread.

I am thinking about "homeschooling" my 3.5 year old. use the word homeschooling very loosely, because I am not looking for a completely structured setting. I want to be able to teach her writing, letter sounds, and all of her numbers to start with. Has anyone ever started this young? And, can you give me any tips on how to start?

Thanks!

I agree with a previous poster, pretty much anything you do with your child now is learning so I wouldn't really worry about it. If you make cookies together, you're teaching her about measuring units. When you look at a bug together, you're doing science. When you read to her, it's literature.

Depending on your child, she might be ready to learn more formally academic material. You might start with the ever popular preschool letter of the day. "M" is for Maria and macaroni and maps. You can get those interlocking foam squares with a letter in each one; those are fun puzzles and sized appropriately for a three year old. But if your child hides or spaces out, take it as a sign that there's plenty of time for this later. Go back to singing and playing in the sand and all those other great three year old activities.

NHWX

 

[NHWX]

Can any of you share what you use for a math program? We have been using Singapore since the start and my soon to be 3rd grader seems to be getting frustrated with it. I think its a good program although I see some things about it that I don't like ...........so I am thinking of trying something different for this coming year.
thanks!

I'll chime in with a Math-U-See recommendation. When we pulled our younger son out of school, he had some holes in his math education. (Thank you Everyday Math! Learn a little about everything but not enough about one thing.) We really focused on filling in those holes and Math-U-See was perfect. I didn't have him do every problem, just enough to show mastery. Saying something like "Try these 12 circled problems. If you get them right, we're done with this section." was a great motivator to not hurry through the problems.

NHWX

 

[NHWX]

I'm a confused. I have started to look into home school for my DD4. If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college? Maybe I just don't understand how it works. I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help. Thanks!!

It'll be OK. I think previous posters have answered pretty well. There are very active email lists for parents of homeschoolers headed to college; I'm on two. There's a wealth of information out there about high school, credits, dual-enrollment, etc. but you don't really have to think about that until 7th or 8th grade at the earliest.

If you want to put together your own curriculum, there are many resources as to what children learn in each year. I'd look at the highlights personally. I've looked at some of the scope and sequence series and you'd have to be working at it 80 hours/week in order to get it all done. Your state department of ed. might be a good place to look online.

A previous poster suggested looking at K12 and I think it's a great idea. I believe that they intend that 80-90% of the material would be covered in a school year within a virtual school setting. You could look at their scope and sequence pages. (If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me!)

Homeschooling is a great option for kids of all ages. My 15 year old said something today about studying epidemiology this year. Maybe in a dedicated science and math large city high school he'd be able to get that but definitely not here.

NHWX

 

[Temair]

With the virtual schools it all varies and depends on your school/state. I was part of the Arkansas Virtual Achool (until this year) and they required 100% completion of the materials. We had to start when the public school started and stop when they did. I prefer a more year round aproach and wanted things that the arkansas virtual academy could not provide. I wanted my DD to advance at her own speed but they would only provide 1 year of curriculum. We have chosen to go antoher route this year. Over all the Virtual school is an excelent curriculum. At times it's too much work, and very heavy on hand writen work. I recomend the virtual school especially if you can not afford to homeschool but really want to.

 

[bumbershoot]

I haven't yet looked at any responses to my questions, but I've looked at the last two pages.

Nik's Mom... to your son!

I'm a confused. I have started to look into home school for my DD4. If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college? Maybe I just don't understand how it works. I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help. Thanks!!

I'm very lucky in that I worked in the Admissions office at my university between my junior and senior years. We sent info out to prospective freshmen, and even got to see some applications, to sort them in some way I've forgotten by now. While doing that, I vividly remember seeing a few homeschool applications, and I thought that was interesting. I only started thinking about homeschooling later in grad school, but I did see the applications.

So just now I went looking.

My university:

5. How are homeschooled students evaluated in the admission process?

Puget Sound is dedicated to working with homeschooled students and giving them every chance of success. Please call the office of admission to speak with an admission counselor about our evaluation of homeschooled student applications.


If anyone wants to just sob with JOY, read Duke's page: http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/apply_homeschooled.asp

That's my brother and SIL's alma mater (twice for SIL b/c she went back for a law degree) so I *have to* like it even though I don't like Gothic architecture, but I think I am a bit in love with them after reading their page.


Stanford's isn't as pretty, but oh well. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/basics/requirements/home_school.html


An article in Yale Daily News from 2004, and it profiles an unschooled Yale student (though she did go to high school)! http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/12169

An article from Harvard's The Crimson: http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512786

In 1989, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 said that around five to 10 homeschooled students applied to Harvard yearly.

Following the rise in the number of homeschoolers nationwide, between 100 and 200 homeschooled students applied to Harvard this year, says Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis ’70-’73. Lewis adds that many other applicants were homeschooled for part of their education.

....

Lewis says she cannot give exact figures because the admissions office does not place homeschooled students’ applications into separate categories.

Love that last part.


OK this took me ages to find, but I did. There's a Common Application for many colleges, including Harvard, Yale, and Brown (the school whose link I finally followed to the application). In the section where you download the application, they have a homeschool supplement file to download and fill out. The list of files is here: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/DownloadForms.aspx

And this is the link to all the schools that use the Common Application: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Members.aspx


Don't tell my brother I wrote about this school, but my uncle works (or worked, not sure) in a grad level science program at UNC Chapel Hill, and he absolutely hated homeschool applications and applications from UC Santa Cruz, back before they went to grades (they used to have an evaluation much like homeschoolers have). It was this crazy irrational thing he had in his head, and my dad (who went to and worked at UCSC) couldn't convince him otherwise. So b/c of him, I went looking, and this is what I found.



I could go on, but I'm tired.

 

[fabumouse]

Temair - I love the year 'round approach.. all summer we have been: where do your clothes come from? why are cars bigger here than in London? and how does the US Mail work? There is no reason to sit around during the summer staring at our belly buttons, just so we can resent the school calendar.

I'm definitely feeling like homeschooling can be addictive, as what I think she needs to learn.. is what she learns.

 

[disneymarie]

I'm a confused. I have started to look into home school for my DD4. If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college? Maybe I just don't understand how it works. I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help. Thanks!!

I have far too much on my plate so I am going with a strong accredited cyber school Connections academy. They supply the computer, text adn instrutors, I am the coach for my child. DD12 middle school had a lot of anxiety issues and bullying.

The program is State certified and the tuition is paid from money that would ahve gone to the school district, now directed to the online school. The same text she has been using are those used in the program. There is live white board lecture, the special needs kids are piorities and even home visits and outside help brought in if needed.

I attended an online informatioal and then a local presentation before I enrolled this year. This program was the best for us.
They are in many states then PA and are part of the Sylvan learning centers.

good luck with schooling
dianne

 

[AuroraBeauty]

I have far too much on my plate so I am going with a strong accredited cyber school Connections academy.

This is why homeschooling is so wonderful -- everyone, individually, gets to choose what is best for their child(ren).

If it works for your kids, then that's all that really matters.

Best Wishes!

 

[NHWX]

With the virtual schools it all varies and depends on your school/state. I was part of the Arkansas Virtual Achool (until this year) and they required 100% completion of the materials. We had to start when the public school started and stop when they did. I prefer a more year round aproach and wanted things that the arkansas virtual academy could not provide. I wanted my DD to advance at her own speed but they would only provide 1 year of curriculum. We have chosen to go antoher route this year. Over all the Virtual school is an excelent curriculum. At times it's too much work, and very heavy on hand writen work. I recomend the virtual school especially if you can not afford to homeschool but really want to.

I do appreciate knowing how it really works. I'd heard (though who knows how truthful it is) that the virtual school in Georgia had so much PE that no one could do it. We use some K12 as independent homeschoolers for my soon to be eighth grader. And, no we don't do all the written work. Some but not all.

Always happy to learn something!

NHWX

 

[sha_lyn]

I do appreciate knowing how it really works. I'd heard (though who knows how truthful it is) that the virtual school in Georgia had so much PE that no one could do it. We use some K12 as independent homeschoolers for my soon to be eighth grader. And, no we don't do all the written work. Some but not all.

Always happy to learn something!

NHWX

I have a friend who's children are both very active athletes (as in they each compete in more than one sport at any given time)and she said it was going to be hard for them to log enough time.

 

[Disney_Angel]

I have far too much on my plate so I am going with a strong accredited cyber school Connections academy. They supply the computer, text adn instrutors, I am the coach for my child. DD12 middle school had a lot of anxiety issues and bullying.

The program is State certified and the tuition is paid from money that would ahve gone to the school district, now directed to the online school. The same text she has been using are those used in the program. There is live white board lecture, the special needs kids are piorities and even home visits and outside help brought in if needed.

I attended an online informatioal and then a local presentation before I enrolled this year. This program was the best for us.
They are in many states then PA and are part of the Sylvan learning centers.

good luck with schooling
dianne

Wow small world! We use k12 curriculum with Agora Cyber Charter here in South Eastern, PA
Let's just HOPE Rep. Beyers isn't sucessful in taking away the cyber education option in Pennsylvania this year.
One would think that is her ONLY platform.

 

[TLHB70]

02AggieGirl,
A Beka's video academy is accredited. I have taught with A Beka material since my oldest DD was in K4 (though she did go to public school kindergarten.....that one year in public school was enough). She is now in 8th grade. I knew that I wanted to do an accredited program for her high school so I chose to do the video academy this year to get practice before the high school year. It is like having private school experience at home. Her classes are with teachers in the A Beka school. There are students in the classroom so DD feels like she is part of the class. Most of the teachers have their master's degree. It is fully accredited so they will provide transcripts for college. I like it because I can watch the videos with her when necessary. I can also help when she needs it.

 

[Laura.bora]

Temair - I love the year 'round approach.. all summer we have been: where do your clothes come from? why are cars bigger here than in London? and how does the US Mail work? There is no reason to sit around during the summer staring at our belly buttons, just so we can resent the school calendar.

I'm definitely feeling like homeschooling can be addictive, as what I think she needs to learn.. is what she learns.

I couldn't agree more! I love homeschooling year round! I can't imagine not!

 

[disneymom3]

I'm a confused. I have started to look into home school for my DD4. If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college? Maybe I just don't understand how it works. I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help. Thanks!!

I just wanted to add. DD goes now to a very untraditional public school. As the teacher says it is much more like one really big homeschooled class. They assume that most of their kids are college bound as it is for highly gifted kids. With this in mind the director and creator of the program went and visited as well as spoke to many many colleges before implementing his plan. These kids will also have a portfolio much like a homeschooled child. The director found that many of the admissions counselors that he spoke with said that more and more they are beginning to prefer a homeschool type portfolio--with proof of work, writing samples and educational "resume" if you will, etc--than the traditional flat application. He was told by quite a few of the Ivy League and similar class colleges that they feel a portfolio of work gives them a much better idea of the student's potential than traditional transcripts ever could.

So, who knows? Maybe those public school kids will have to start coming up with applications to match us in the next several years.

 

[02AggieGirl]

Thanks to everyone who responded. My daughter will turn 5 in December and I am due with DD#3 in about 3 weeks, so I'm sure it will be awhile before I will start her in K (probably the end of next summer). There is just so much information to sort through, I figured I would start going through it now to figure out what I want to do. I've looked at Abeka and sonlight that others have mentioned on this thread (i've been reading all the way thru it, but not done yet). I've written down the websites and programs people have mentioned so I can look at all of them. So thanks to all who have listed those.

Something like Abeka or Sonlight is appealing to me b/c everything is included for you, but I think right now at DD age, I would like something less structured. Maybe when she is older we would switch to one of these programs.

As far as a schedule would go for teaching K, would something like teaching reading and math daily
science, social studies, art, etc. two times a week be a good way to start?
Is there a subject I have missed?
As far as PE, I was thinking of enrolling her in gymnastics, ballet or some swimming classes (Since we live in TX, you can swim throughout a lot of the year---the heat is about to kill me right now ).

I like the idea of unit theme also, but I wouldn't want to overkill a topic, so still unsure about that.

 

[NiniMorris]

Add me to the list of year round homeschooling! I have a 6 year old with learning disabilities and he really needs the full time refreshing.

We use Switched on Schoolhouse for my 8 year old daughter, and use Hooked on Phonics and Handwriting without Tears for my son's Kinder. Daughter has skipped to the 4th grade and son is repeating Kinder due to his learning problems. We hope to be able to start 1st grade in January with him.

I love the flexibility that homeshooling gives us. We only have school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This gives us a long weekend to be together with 'family' stuff, as well as Mondays are heavily filled with doctor and therapy appointments. We also watch our almost year old grand daughter during the week, so we are starting her on some 'learning' games.

This past January we went to Disney for a Field Trip. Now tell me, where in public school can you have such great field trips?

sorry for being so long...

Nini

 

[DisneyWalle]

Hello to all!

I am so excited! We are already in our 3rd month of school (started in June). This means that our DW vacation is just around the corner. Are there any other homeschooling families that plan on staying at POP around September 5th-12th?

Also wanted to say, that this is our last year using boxed curriculum. Therefore, my plan is to use the following next year:

Kay Arthur's Bible Studies for Kids (currently using)
BJU English (currently using)
Abeka Health (currently using)
Sequential Spelling
Apologia Science
BJU Math (currently using)
Mystery of History
A Child's Geography
Rosetta Stone -Spanish & BJU Spanish (currently using)
Classic Books for Reading

If anyone has used, "A Child's Geography" could you give me your opinion of the material? Also, I have already been made aware by some other homeschooling families that Sequential Spelling is either a hit or miss with some children. But I have to try something different than BJU spelling, my son's spelling is atrocious. If someone is having or had similiar difficulty with spelling, I'm open to ideas.

In addition, what kinds of extracurricular activities are your children involved in, if any? My son, Isaiah, is in his 2nd year of piano and 3rd year of soccer. He is also involved in Contenders of Faith, AWANA, soccer training, our local homeschool co-op classes and after our DW trip will also be taking swimming lessons. We have school five days a week in the morning and are gone for some kind of activity 3 to 4 of those afternoons. And I'm still amazed at the people who say my son is not socialized enough!

(Tell you the truth, I think they are jealous that they can't homeschool their children.)

 

[TLHB70]

Hello to all!

I am so excited! We are already in our 3rd month of school (started in June). This means that our DW vacation is just around the corner. Are there any other homeschooling families that plan on staying at POP around September 5th-12th?

Also wanted to say, that this is our last year using boxed curriculum. Therefore, my plan is to use the following next year:

Kay Arthur's Bible Studies for Kids (currently using)
BJU English (currently using)
Abeka Health (currently using)
Sequential Spelling
Apologia Science
BJU Math (currently using)
Mystery of History
A Child's Geography
Rosetta Stone -Spanish & BJU Spanish (currently using)
Classic Books for Reading

If anyone has used, "A Child's Geography" could you give me your opinion of the material? Also, I have already been made aware by some other homeschooling families that Sequential Spelling is either a hit or miss with some children. But I have to try something different than BJU spelling, my son's spelling is atrocious. If someone is having or had similiar difficulty with spelling, I'm open to ideas.

In addition, what kinds of extracurricular activities are your children involved in, if any? My son, Isaiah, is in his 2nd year of piano and 3rd year of soccer. He is also involved in Contenders of Faith, AWANA, soccer training, our local homeschool co-op classes and after our DW trip will also be taking swimming lessons. We have school five days a week in the morning and are gone for some kind of activity 3 to 4 of those afternoons. And I'm still amazed at the people who say my son is not socialized enough!

(Tell you the truth, I think they are jealous that they can't homeschool their children.)

OOHHH, Kay Arthur Bible studies for kids.......tell me more!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know that she had kid studies. I have done quite a few of her studies. I liked them. I would love to learn more about her kid studies. Which ones have you done? Tell me more about them, please.
My youngest DD is weak in spelling. DH is also; I believe that she gets that from him. I have no suggestions for you. We just drill, drill, drill everyday. I go over spelling rules. However, honestly, in the English language there are so many exceptions to the rules. A friend suggested putting my DD in Latin class to help. I am not ready for that, though.
As far as extracurricular activities, we do a few. Tuesdays my oldest DD has piano and my youngest DD has soccer. Wednesday we do AWANA. (I am AWANA secretary, too.) Thursday we have tennis. (I take tennis lessons with them, too.) I feel like that is plenty of activity. Soccer games are Saturday mornings. Of course, Sunday is church day too. It is a full week for us.