Homeschool Chat

[Denine]

I still need to decide on Williamsburg. Right now it depends on our cat. He has cancer since everything else was ruled out. He is doing fine now so we are continuing with our trip to WDW on Friday, but who knows in another month? We really want to go.

We started 2nd grade math today!

 

[crl]

I'm wondering if any of you could help me with 1st grade curriculum ideas for my ds.
He is 6, soon to be 7 and has high functioning autism. He has trouble with attention span, so we can only work in brief sessions together.
My time is really becoming more and more limited due to nursing school, so I just don't have as much time to create our own plans. I'd appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!

I'm not sure if you are looking for a Christian program or not. If so, Heart of Dakota has some great programs that work great for short attention spans and wiggly boys. They break it down into nice 15 minute segments so you can pick it up and do a little throughout the day or sit down and do it all at once if you want. Their website is heartofdakota.com and they have a placement chart to help you place your child in the correct program. The author also replies to the message board or email if you have further questions.

 

[emh1129]

To both emh1129 and tnmomof4:

I HIGHLY recommend using lapbooks. We get ours from http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/. They offer e-books that I can download and print what I need as I need it. We can do as many or as few of the activities as we like and adjust them to DDs' needs. They also are designed to cover an age span, which is helpful since mine are 5th & 7th grades. We can do a single lesson together and I just make it more challenging for the older one. My oldest has Asperger's and my youngest has ADHD, so the lapbooks have really helped us move forward in ways that traditional curriculum just wasn't cutting for us. The lapbooks cover science, social studies, and language arts (we are currently doing Australia and Animal Classification) and we use Math U See for our math curriculum. Some of the lapbooks include a math element, but most of the ones we've done so far have not, so we do use the MUS for that (which works well, too, as the lessons are short).

To be honest, I think of my husband and how much he hated literature classes. He knew he was never going to use it for anything and grew to detest reading because of it. Had he been encouraged to read books about stone and masonry, however, it might have been a different story altogether. Yes, I know, as a former English teacher, "critical reading" can be an important skill, but not at the loss of the love of reading altogether. Same goes for social studies or science or math. I have found that my girls are much more likely to pursue learning that interests them and their attention spans are much longer that way. Did they need to know about the Constitution in the 4th grade? No, but now that they are hearing about it and how it related to the inauguration, they've had their little Googlers going and have learned more than any textbook could have told them about it and WHY it matters.

Stepping off my soapbox now...I'm not a fan of highly structured curriculum and we {heart} lapbooks!

Thanks so much for the info. We aren't fans of highly structured anything, so this sounds like it might be right up our alley

I'm not sure if you are looking for a Christian program or not. If so, Heart of Dakota has some great programs that work great for short attention spans and wiggly boys. They break it down into nice 15 minute segments so you can pick it up and do a little throughout the day or sit down and do it all at once if you want. Their website is heartofdakota.com and they have a placement chart to help you place your child in the correct program. The author also replies to the message board or email if you have further questions.

I don't mind a Christian program but I want DH to be as involved as possible and I think he would prefer a non-religious curriculum.
I will look into your recommendation, though. 15 minutes sounds doable. Going to look at it now.. thanks!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Well, we did it today. We pulled our DS out of 5th grade. We are now officially a homeschool family! It was quite a process (are we making the right decision? What about x, y, & Z) but now, it's just a huge relief!

Thanks for the support (that you may not have even known you have given).

K

 

[wvdislover]

Congrats, and good luck! I know it can be really scary at first...we pulled DD11 out of 5th grade just last year. Things aren't perfect, but they're a whole lot better than they were when she was in school. Know that you'll always have friends here to offer advice, support, and a listening ear. Welcome to homeschooling!!!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Hello everyone! I'm Tammy. Mother of three. The HS will be directed towards DD 7 (1st grade....in this district they do not get "grades" 'til grade 3) & DS 9 (4th grade) He is in the GT program at his current school and his testing in every area always exceeds grade level. I don't even know how to say this but the teacher he got this year is HORRIBLE! We had P/T conferences and thought everything had been worked out. Not so much. I don't want him bored out of his mind at school and that's all she has to say about him. "The work is done too fast and then he has nothing to do"....yadda yadda yadda. Well his GT teacher is great but he is only there a few hours a week. This is one issue I am debating my decision on.

The other...attendance poilicies in SC! The first week of school we went to Disney for X amount of days. All five days missed at school were excused by the Principal. Those did not count against the kids. Work was made up, etc. The week before school let out in December we planned another trip. I went to both teachers and asked if there would be a problem. They said no and that they'd give them work to do. (DD's teacher never makes her do work...she just tells her to have fun and say Hi to Eeyore. We do bring her word wall words and books along though.) We also talked to the Principal to make sure things would be okay. Again...he said, "Write me a letter like you did last time." So we booked our trip. I wrote the letter like I was asked to. He wrote me back and said these absences would be counted as a parent note and to have a great time at Disney. Well a couple of weeks ago I get a summons to appear in court. DH went today and was forced to sign an agreement stating my kids would not be tardy or absent EVER until their 17th birthdays! In SC you can supposedly miss 10 days a year or 5 per semester if you have split courses. Now this was a pre approved trip, granted months before we took it. All work was completed and turned in. My son is on the honor roll!? It's not like his trip to Disney affected his learning in any way. Yeah, they missed out on a class Christmas Party, the Story of Santa Claus, and the making of Christmas Tree Ornaments but work? No. I am very disappointed right now. I think this is completely absurd.

So I considered my options. One ~ pay my lawyer a fortune and see what he can do. Two ~ let them make us feel like **** and fear the alarm clock not going off one morning. (A sub station is being built next to us right now...they turn our power off 2-3 times a week...sometimes as early as 7 in the morning!) Or 3 ~ take them out of school completely. This last option we have considered many times already but I feared going through with it. What if I can't do it? What if I ruin their lives somehow by removing them from school? They want to attend college...maybe even medical school. (DS currently wants to be a plastic surgeon.~ ) Will our HS kids get the same chance at all this? I know you all have the answers and I want to listen to what all of you have to say. Please give me any advice, whether it be good or bad. The district is sending the paper work and I have to meet with the school board on Feb 17th. They tell me to come prepared. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this. I'd love your opinions and advice! Thanks in advance!


Tammy

 

[NHWX]

So I considered my options. One ~ pay my lawyer a fortune and see what he can do. Two ~ let them make us feel like **** and fear the alarm clock not going off one morning. (A sub station is being built next to us right now...they turn our power off 2-3 times a week...sometimes as early as 7 in the morning!) Or 3 ~ take them out of school completely. This last option we have considered many times already but I feared going through with it. What if I can't do it? What if I ruin their lives somehow by removing them from school? They want to attend college...maybe even medical school. (DS currently wants to be a plastic surgeon.~ ) Will our HS kids get the same chance at all this? I know you all have the answers and I want to listen to what all of you have to say. Please give me any advice, whether it be good or bad. The district is sending the paper work and I have to meet with the school board on Feb 17th. They tell me to come prepared. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this. I'd love your opinions and advice! Thanks in advance!

Well, that's quite an experience and not one I'd care to go through. Sorry the school or district was so horrible!

First off, I'd find out what the laws are for homeschooling in your state. I'd start here: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

Secondly, does your never absent or tardy also apply to sick or injured kids? If that's the case, I'd get ready to homeschool now! Kids do get sick and sometimes they also get hurt.

There are homeschoolers who do everything from get a job to attend Caltech after they're done with high school. I'm a member of a homeschool to college yahoo group and there are two students who are now attending Yale and Caltech.

For my family, I think that my kids will probably take the occasional class at our local public high school. Who knows, they might even up there full time for a year or two. Right now, I'm happy to give them the choice.

I wouldn't worry about high school now. Just worry about first and third grades.

NHWX

 

[npmommie]

It is just very overwhelming trying to teach two history classes and two science classes. I think ABeka history and science are great, but it is just getting to be too much for us.

I was thinking that it would be so much easier if I could teach my 5th and
6th grader the same history and the same science.

I also was thinking about how much I want them to learn the basics of history and science.

Right now my 5th grader is trying to learn the state bird and flower for each state. They have to also be able to identify every state bird and flower by sight. Now.... this is okay, but I just feel it's not necessary to learn this. I do think it is necessary to know the different kinds of trees, and how a leaf changes color, etc.... I also think it is good to learn the state bird and flower for your own state. Maybe I am wrong.

I just wish I could do a week of learning about trees, and a week on how a leaf changes colors, and then a week on birds, a week on the sun, etc...

Same thing with history. I just want them to learn the important things. I want to study the Declaration of Independence for a week, the Civil War for a week, etc....

Does any of this make sense?

I just feel like ABeka drags some of these subjects out. Plus if I can teach both of them the same thing, it would help me so much.

If it does, is there any curriculum out there like this. I know when I was little I went to an ACE school for a while, and we did paces. Maybe something like that, or just weekly studies.

Does anyone have any help for me? I hate feeling like I am failing my kids. Their education is my responsibility, and I want to do my best. I want them to learn the things that are important.

I agree you do not have to stick with Abeka, there is no reason not to teach them together, you can adapt each as needed.......why not spend a week on the sun, a week or more on the civil war, etc..........that is the beauty of homeschooling you can do that. You can incorporate activities in with what you are teaching at the moment. field trips etc.
I don't use a set curriculum, I piece things together........we use Story of the World for history social studies, it goes chronologically and to me makes sense.
we use Singapore math and science, and Learning language arts thru literature.
I have changed some things we do, some we have stuck with , such as Singapore.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Well, that's quite an experience and not one I'd care to go through. Sorry the school or district was so horrible!

First off, I'd find out what the laws are for homeschooling in your state. I'd start here: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

Secondly, does your never absent or tardy also apply to sick or injured kids? If that's the case, I'd get ready to homeschool now! Kids do get sick and sometimes they also get hurt.

There are homeschoolers who do everything from get a job to attend Caltech after they're done with high school. I'm a member of a homeschool to college yahoo group and there are two students who are now attending Yale and Caltech.

For my family, I think that my kids will probably take the occasional class at our local public high school. Who knows, they might even up there full time for a year or two. Right now, I'm happy to give them the choice.

I wouldn't worry about high school now. Just worry about first and third grades.

NHWX

It applies to everything! If you go to a funeral you have to bring in PROOF of it??? Pictures of the dead body!? My God? Really. If your kid is sick it counts unless you take them to the DR and bring in a note. You can't even pick them up early! Do they honestly think ANY family at all will never miss a single day, get picked up early, or arrive late? Life happens. I am so fed up.

I have a lot of teachers on my trip reports and many have PM'ed me saying GET OUT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL AS FAST AS YOU CAN! This is scary...it's coming from nice people I've been talking to for months. I think it's best for us to do this now. If things change they do but for now...I have to give HS a shot. I'm new at this and don't even know where to start. I hope to find some answers here. I'm going to search this link now. Thanks for posting it.

 

[emh1129]

Hello everyone! I'm Tammy. Mother of three. The HS will be directed towards DD 7 (1st grade....in this district they do not get "grades" 'til grade 3) & DS 9 (4th grade) He is in the GT program at his current school and his testing in every area always exceeds grade level. I don't even know how to say this but the teacher he got this year is HORRIBLE! We had P/T conferences and thought everything had been worked out. Not so much. I don't want him bored out of his mind at school and that's all she has to say about him. "The work is done too fast and then he has nothing to do"....yadda yadda yadda. Well his GT teacher is great but he is only there a few hours a week. This is one issue I am debating my decision on.

The other...attendance poilicies in SC! The first week of school we went to Disney for X amount of days. All five days missed at school were excused by the Principal. Those did not count against the kids. Work was made up, etc. The week before school let out in December we planned another trip. I went to both teachers and asked if there would be a problem. They said no and that they'd give them work to do. (DD's teacher never makes her do work...she just tells her to have fun and say Hi to Eeyore. We do bring her word wall words and books along though.) We also talked to the Principal to make sure things would be okay. Again...he said, "Write me a letter like you did last time." So we booked our trip. I wrote the letter like I was asked to. He wrote me back and said these absences would be counted as a parent note and to have a great time at Disney. Well a couple of weeks ago I get a summons to appear in court. DH went today and was forced to sign an agreement stating my kids would not be tardy or absent EVER until their 17th birthdays! In SC you can supposedly miss 10 days a year or 5 per semester if you have split courses. Now this was a pre approved trip, granted months before we took it. All work was completed and turned in. My son is on the honor roll!? It's not like his trip to Disney affected his learning in any way. Yeah, they missed out on a class Christmas Party, the Story of Santa Claus, and the making of Christmas Tree Ornaments but work? No. I am very disappointed right now. I think this is completely absurd.

So I considered my options. One ~ pay my lawyer a fortune and see what he can do. Two ~ let them make us feel like **** and fear the alarm clock not going off one morning. (A sub station is being built next to us right now...they turn our power off 2-3 times a week...sometimes as early as 7 in the morning!) Or 3 ~ take them out of school completely. This last option we have considered many times already but I feared going through with it. What if I can't do it? What if I ruin their lives somehow by removing them from school? They want to attend college...maybe even medical school. (DS currently wants to be a plastic surgeon.~ ) Will our HS kids get the same chance at all this? I know you all have the answers and I want to listen to what all of you have to say. Please give me any advice, whether it be good or bad. The district is sending the paper work and I have to meet with the school board on Feb 17th. They tell me to come prepared. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this. I'd love your opinions and advice! Thanks in advance!


Tammy

Tammy- wow. That is so ridiculous! I can't believe they would waste so much time and money to give parents like you guys a hard time. I mean, I believe it- I've heard stories like this before- but it makes no sense! I think absurd is right. And I'm sure incredibly frustrating on your part.
As for your ds- I think that's too bad that he's not being challenged. I think children have an innate desire to learn and to understand how the world around them works and it's so important to nurture that.
As for college- I know that homeschooled children have attended excellent universities across the U.S. but I don't have first hand experience with the process, so hopefully someone else will come along with more information about that.

 

[Praise2Him]

Sadly, many homeschoolers are former teachers who know firsthand how bad the schools are becoming (including me) - even the supposedly "good" schools.

The schools receive money from the government based on attendance, so that's why they don't want kids to be absent.

I would definitely not worry about college - there are many homeschoolers who've gone to first class colleges with no trouble. Once your children are in high school they can even do dual enrollment at your local college.

 

[NHWX]

Well, OneTree, I'll toss in a couple of suggestions.

If you think your school board might give you a hard time about curriculum "Certified teachers develop curriculum, not parents", I'd pick an accepted curriculum for the remainder of this year. And I'm not sure how the virtual schools work in South Carolina, but that might be a possibility for next year.

I know that many people are great at putting together a curriculum, and I've seen some wonderful examples here. I tried doing that and I wasn't satisfied with my results. So I ended up buying curriculum.

If you have to account for the number of days taught, I'd recommend software called Homeschool Tracker. I'm still using the free version but plan to convert to the paid one for better reports come the spring time.

www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org frequently has great group buys on all kinds of homeschool material. I've used them several times and been very happy.

www.rainbowresource.com is a huge catalog of homeschooling material. And www.christianbook.com has a decent selection too. I've bought math software there, for instance, that didn't have anything to do with any religion!

There's probably a yahoo or google group out there for homeschooling groups in your region/town. The people on those lists might be able to give you first hand knowledge about local resources.

And remember, like anything, there are good days and bad days.

NHWX

 

[Denine]

Tammy: Good luck and pull them out now or you will get nothing but grief from them until they graduate from high school.

I agree with checking out the home school laws in your state.
It may be easier to get a boxed curriculum to start since everything you need is in there.

I still use a boxed curriculum cause I just don't have the time or energy to come up with my own, but that may change.

 

[wheelerkidz3]

hi all! i've been lurking here on this thread for quite a while now...a few months i think! i've been considering hs'ing my oldest ds who is in 5th grade. he really struggles with school, and we feel he has been passed along from one grade to the next. he is required (due to poor test scores) to have extra help, but the school says that due to budget cuts, he gets what he gets. his 5th grade teacher is trying really hard to bring him up to date, but he just continues to struggle and get further behind. we find that when he comes home from a full day of school, he's doing homework here for a few hours too, and he is just a plain grump! he's got no time to be a kid, and it's making him and us miserable!!
it seems lots of people hs their kids because the child is not being challenged enough at school. can it work if it's the opposite? will it be bad for my ds because he is already behind? i'm afraid of him falling even further behind. he has a pretty good attention span, i think he just doesn't do well, cuz he needs a little more one on one. (at least i'm hoping this is the case! he does ok when i try to help him with homework and stuff.)
i've checked out the link to that was provided above.
is there anyone else on this board that homeschools and is from NY? i don't remember seeing anyone else from ny, and i just wondered if there was any from here.
i'm sure i'll have tons of questions too!! you all seem so friendly to each other and so helpful....thanks!

 

[KibbyCat]

Tammy,

Let me reassure you. I was homeschooled, but I went to college, finished my degree in 3-and-half-years, graduated with honors, and made the Dean's List or President's List every semester. I don't think being homeschooled is a handicap. If you ever get to a point where you think that you're not doing enough for your kids, you can seek help through a homeschool support group. There are also curriculum programs that are university-based or online, so that you can get your son what he needs for giftedness, and have professional help.
Homeschooling is no longer limited to mom and kids poring over boring texts and workbooks at the kitchen table. You can make what you want of the whole experience.

Now, for a bit of encouragement. I love this article, and it really speaks for homeschoolers and the opportunities now afforded to them.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=382004

Hope that helps!

 

[wvdislover]

hi all! i've been lurking here on this thread for quite a while now...a few months i think! i've been considering hs'ing my oldest ds who is in 5th grade. he really struggles with school, and we feel he has been passed along from one grade to the next. he is required (due to poor test scores) to have extra help, but the school says that due to budget cuts, he gets what he gets. his 5th grade teacher is trying really hard to bring him up to date, but he just continues to struggle and get further behind. we find that when he comes home from a full day of school, he's doing homework here for a few hours too, and he is just a plain grump! he's got no time to be a kid, and it's making him and us miserable!!
it seems lots of people hs their kids because the child is not being challenged enough at school. can it work if it's the opposite? will it be bad for my ds because he is already behind? i'm afraid of him falling even further behind. he has a pretty good attention span, i think he just doesn't do well, cuz he needs a little more one on one. (at least i'm hoping this is the case! he does ok when i try to help him with homework and stuff.)
i've checked out the link to that was provided above.
is there anyone else on this board that homeschools and is from NY? i don't remember seeing anyone else from ny, and i just wondered if there was any from here.
i'm sure i'll have tons of questions too!! you all seem so friendly to each other and so helpful....thanks!

Hi Shannon--welcome! I am homeschooling my DD11 now, b/c she was struggling in school. I pulled her out near the end of 3rd quarter in 5th grade. Your DS is only getting more frustrated while you leave him in school. If you bring him home, it may be much easier to get him caught up, since he'll be getting the one-on-one help he so needs. He may be a much happier kid, since he won't feel the pressure he's under at school, and you can work more at his pace. Good luck!

 

[wheelerkidz3]

Hi Shannon--welcome! I am homeschooling my DD11 now, b/c she was struggling in school. I pulled her out near the end of 3rd quarter in 5th grade. Your DS is only getting more frustrated while you leave him in school. If you bring him home, it may be much easier to get him caught up, since he'll be getting the one-on-one help he so needs. He may be a much happier kid, since he won't feel the pressure he's under at school, and you can work more at his pace. Good luck!

that is reassuring! thanks!! i get so nervous making this move...but i think it's the only way. i thought about pulling him back at the end of the first marking period, but then i figured i'd wait...i don't know what for though! ugh! he's only doing worse since then...

 

[Denine]

Shannon: That is the beauty of homeschooling. You can teach them at their level and work up as they are ready. You spend more time on things they don't understand and can challenge them when they do understand. Good luck!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

i thought about pulling him back at the end of the first marking period, but then i figured i'd wait...i don't know what for though! ...

Shannon, I'm in that club too! The "don't know what I waited for..." I think we only do things like that because we're trying to make sure it's the "right" answer.

Good luck,

Karen

 

[wheelerkidz3]

Shannon, I'm in that club too! The "don't know what I waited for..." I think we only do things like that because we're trying to make sure it's the "right" answer.

Good luck,

Karen

how is it going? you just pulled your ds on monday right? are you de-schooling now? i'm so nervous to make the move!! i need to get looking into curriculum to get this started.