Homeschool Chat

[Denine]

Regarding the real history books. I found some really neat stuff in the Rainbow catalog that I think will be perfect to supplement history next year. The stuff was pretty cheap too. If you have the money, you can get anything you want in that catalog!

I would love to know about more HS'ing programs too if anyone knows about any. I so wanted to go to Williamsburg this year.

 

[dvcbnd]

Hi! We're back from our trip to Williamsburg, VA and we had a blast!!
Thanks to all who recommended the Jamestown Settlement, my kids truly LOVED it!!! They keep talking about it and can't wait to go back. They were thrilled with the fact that there was so many hands-on activities for them. That was their one complaint about Colonial Williamsburg. They weren't allowed to "touch" anything.
As it turned out, with did have to make a choice between visiting Jamestown and Yorktown. We really felt bad that we didn't have time to visit Yorktown, but there's always next year. We did spend an entire day visiting Colonial Williamsburg on Sat. The homeschooling schedule of events seemed to be focused more on the weekdays, so we weren't able to take advantage of those. All in all, we had a great time and the kids learned quite a bit about what life was like during the 17th & 18th centuries. I can't tell you how happy I am that they really enjoyed themselves and the entire experience.
This home schooling event takes place over the next two weeks and they are running it again from Sept 12 - 27th. I highly recommend it and maybe we'll see you there!!

 

[dvcbnd]

When we went, DD was 9 and actually had the Felicity dress and mini doll. She wore the dress at Williamsburg and was so cute! We got lots of great pictures and she got a lot of attention from the workers.

That sounds like so much fun, what a great idea! She must have looked adorable. I know my dd9 always loved to dress like the disney princesses while walking through WDW. I never would have thought about doing that in Colonial Williamsburg. I think that it's a great idea!!

When we were there, I did see a place where you can rent costumes to wear while visiting Colonial Williamsburg. It was located in the Visitor Center. I didn't have a chance to look into it though. Hopefully next time.

 

[dvcbnd]

Hi all! I am a homeschooling mom of a 5 yo, 3 yo, almost 2 yo, and 5 week old. I have noticed that people keep mentioning homeschool programs at different locations, including Disney and Williamsburg. Where have you guys learned about these? Where can I go to find a list and learn more about what is offered? Thank you so much for your help and I look forward to "schooling" with you

Shannon

Hi Shannon!
I came across info about different programs by searching the web and checking out different places that we would like to visit (or have already visited before we began homeschooling).

I just recently discovered that the Crayola Factory in PA dedicates the entire month of February for homeschoolers. I know that Kennedy Space Center offers a program. I am also going to look into Mystic Seaport in Ct and the Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass. I'll post whatever info I find.

If anyone has more info to add, I too would love to know.
Thanks,
Joanne

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Anyone on here close to the Myrtle Beach area?

 

[Praise2Him]

I have noticed that people keep mentioning homeschool programs at different locations, including Disney and Williamsburg. Where have you guys learned about these? Where can I go to find a list and learn more about what is offered?

I've learned about them through my local homeschooling group, a statewide homeschool group on the internet, and here on the DIS!

I'm not sure where you are located, but in the Southeast I know of homeschool days at Dollywood, Chattanooga Aquarium, Six Flags Atlanta, and Stone Mountain. I'm sure there are probably more too. One group in our state is even organizing a homeschool cruise to the Bahamas!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

One group in our state is even organizing a homeschool cruise to the Bahamas!

Wow, I'd love to join THAT group!!!

 

[wvdislover]

Me too! Me too! Me too!

 

[Denine]

Hi! We're back from our trip to Williamsburg, VA and we had a blast!!
Thanks to all who recommended the Jamestown Settlement, my kids truly LOVED it!!! They keep talking about it and can't wait to go back. They were thrilled with the fact that there was so many hands-on activities for them. That was their one complaint about Colonial Williamsburg. They weren't allowed to "touch" anything.
As it turned out, with did have to make a choice between visiting Jamestown and Yorktown. We really felt bad that we didn't have time to visit Yorktown, but there's always next year. We did spend an entire day visiting Colonial Williamsburg on Sat. The homeschooling schedule of events seemed to be focused more on the weekdays, so we weren't able to take advantage of those. All in all, we had a great time and the kids learned quite a bit about what life was like during the 17th & 18th centuries. I can't tell you how happy I am that they really enjoyed themselves and the entire experience.
This home schooling event takes place over the next two weeks and they are running it again from Sept 12 - 27th. I highly recommend it and maybe we'll see you there!!

Glad to hear it was such a good experience! I am really looking foward to going next year!

 

[Ellester]

Has anyone used Seton home study for high school? I live in Louisiana and will be homeschooling my daughter for high school. I would like to take advantage of the TOPS college tuition program if possible after graduation. Seton is accredited and give a diploma at the end of the program. They also seem very reasonably priced-about 600 - 700 for the year. Thanks for any information.

I would also love to hear from someone who is or has used Seton's high school program. We're currently using them for the grade school levels (2nd & 4th grds) and are happy with their program so far. Since our ds is currently a freshman in catholic high school, I'm very much interested in hearing about homeschooling at the high school level. TIA

I have a good friend who is using Seton for hs (she's used it from the beginning,I think her ds is in 10th this year). From talking to her it seems to be fairly rigorous. You may want to see what conferences they will be at this year, the reps there are usually long time users. I use some of their stuff, but not the whole curriculum and not high school yet.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Hello again. Sorry to be a pain but we're starting homeschool today and I have some questions. I am trying to find a website that will give me reading comprehension tests/quizzes on various books. I tried to search for Kingdom Keepers and couldn't find a thing. (Just as an example)

And the other thing...is there a place where I can find samples of lesson plans you guys have used at WDW? What kinds of things are you doing to incorporate lesson plans into your vacation? Any help would be appreciated.


Tammy

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Tammy, I am not sure of an exact website, but go to Christianbook.com and then to their homeschool section. They have a # you can call them and speak with a homeschool rep--they are pretty up todate on all the new stuff and can probably point you in the right direction. Some times they even have booklets they sell that you could order! Hope this helps. Did you Google it? Sometimes the site is hit/or/miss for homeschool subjects.

 

[scrapbookingmanda]

Hello again. Sorry to be a pain but we're starting homeschool today and I have some questions. I am trying to find a website that will give me reading comprehension tests/quizzes on various books. I tried to search for Kingdom Keepers and couldn't find a thing. (Just as an example)

Try searching "Literature Unit". These are full units with several different activities across the subjects for each book. Most should include quizzes and vocabulary etc.

This is my first post to this thread, since I recently decided I would be homeschooling my ds next year for kindergarten. I have been researching a lot and have gotten over that initial overwhelmed feeling, but I do still have a few questions. Does anyone make their own curriculum instead of purchasing one? Also, in schools that use Abeka curriculum they have two different phonics programss for Kindergarten, K and AK(advanced). Does anyone know which one of these the homeschool version is? The reg. version spends quite a while on the letter sounds, while the advanced version only reviews them and goes straight into reading within a few weeks if that helps anybody out.

Thanks, Amanda

 

[hsingmomto3]

Try searching "Literature Unit". These are full units with several different activities across the subjects for each book. Most should include quizzes and vocabulary etc.

This is my first post to this thread, since I recently decided I would be homeschooling my ds next year for kindergarten. I have been researching a lot and have gotten over that initial overwhelmed feeling, but I do still have a few questions. Does anyone make their own curriculum instead of purchasing one? Also, in schools that use Abeka curriculum they have two different phonics programss for Kindergarten, K and AK(advanced). Does anyone know which one of these the homeschool version is? The reg. version spends quite a while on the letter sounds, while the advanced version only reviews them and goes straight into reading within a few weeks if that helps anybody out.

Thanks, Amanda

Amanda,
For K and 1st I did mainly my own thing with my son and have so far with my daughter. I have gotten many free worksheets and curricula ideas from just googling the subject that I want to teach about. When my son was in 2nd grade I started to piece together different curricula so that he was well rounded in what he was learning. The only real curriculum that we have followed is he American Story 1 and Animals and their World from Winterpromise. We love those, very little prep time for mom (yay), plus it gives a sheet where the student needs to do a little something on their own, when they are older. I love WP and am looking forward to placing an order for next year curricula for the kids.

 

[hsingmomto3]

Hi everyone I'm Courtney. I am a homeschooling mom to 3 (hence the screen name lol). My son (8) is doing 3rd this year with Winterpromise American Story 1, Easy Grammar with the Daily Grams, and Wordly Wise for vocabulary and spelling. I do my own thing with him with math right now but have had good success with Math U See. My daughter (6) is doing K basically just learning the letters and numbers and phonics and then what ever else I toss in there. With all 3 of them we are doing the Animals and their Worlds curriculum from Winterpromise as well.

I've been homeschooling my kids since my son was in K, I pulled him out of K when we moved here and was having a really hard time with the teacher and with many different conferences with the teacher it didn't make it any better. Brought him home, gave him a small amount of time to adjust and have been going strong ever since....of course with some bumps because who doesn't have bumps? It is a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to our trip next week as our "spring break". Looking forward to having other homeschooling moms to talk with!

 

[avic77]

Anyone got a suggestion for a Science and History that I can do for both a 4th grader and 1st grader (next year)
We tried Story of the World and it's ok I guess but I feel like there isn't enough and I hate looking for the suppliment material that is suggested.
Science we have been doing the animal kingdom own our own with Lapbooks. We have enjoyed it but again I want something that is all put together and doesnt have me searching for supplimental material. I guess I need Science in a box

 

[desparatelydisney]

Anyone got a suggestion for a Science and History that I can do for both a 4th grader and 1st grader (next year)
We tried Story of the World and it's ok I guess but I feel like there isn't enough and I hate looking for the suppliment material that is suggested.
Science we have been doing the animal kingdom own our own with Lapbooks. We have enjoyed it but again I want something that is all put together and doesnt have me searching for supplimental material. I guess I need Science in a box

I am looking at using Noeo or RealScience4Kids for K and 3 next year. It wil be my first year HSing, but I have done A TON of research so far.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Day two and things are good so far. I'm still a little overwhelmed but I expect it to be this way for a little while. I bought some books last night from Sam's club. I bought the 5th grade for my son who is in 4th grade and 2nd grade for my daughter who is in 1st. He was in GT at his old school so they did mostly 5th grade work anyway. DD is very advanced in Math so I bought the extra books for her to use for that. The school "supposedly" gave me all of the books the kids need along with the workbooks. I realized today there was an actual Math book to go along with the workbooks so I called and asked for it. (And got it along with some other stuff they'd "forgotten" to give me) I asked about Reading, Spelling, or Language Arts books and they said they didn't have them!? Does this sound right to you guys?

I still fear I'm forgetting something or not doing things the right way. I wanted to ask those of you who have been doing this for a while for your opinions on the supplement books I purchased. One set is called BrainQuest. Another is The HomeBase Big Book of Second/Fifth Grade Skill Practice. It includes Language Arts, SS, Science, & Math. The last set is COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM of Basic Skills which includes Reading and RCom, English, Spelling, and Math.

I enjoy working with the county school books. It's a lot of work for me since I have to make up my own tests and quizzes. I'm not sure if the teachers would appreciate me asking for that kind of thing.

I'd love to hear about or see some of the homeschool activities other moms have used for WDW. Thanks!

 

[mommyof2princesses]

Hi! We're back from our trip to Williamsburg, VA and we had a blast!!
Thanks to all who recommended the Jamestown Settlement, my kids truly LOVED it!!! They keep talking about it and can't wait to go back. They were thrilled with the fact that there was so many hands-on activities for them. That was their one complaint about Colonial Williamsburg. They weren't allowed to "touch" anything.
As it turned out, with did have to make a choice between visiting Jamestown and Yorktown. We really felt bad that we didn't have time to visit Yorktown, but there's always next year. We did spend an entire day visiting Colonial Williamsburg on Sat. The homeschooling schedule of events seemed to be focused more on the weekdays, so we weren't able to take advantage of those. All in all, we had a great time and the kids learned quite a bit about what life was like during the 17th & 18th centuries. I can't tell you how happy I am that they really enjoyed themselves and the entire experience.
This home schooling event takes place over the next two weeks and they are running it again from Sept 12 - 27th. I highly recommend it and maybe we'll see you there!!

Glad you and the kdis enjoyed it! We leave Monday to go to VA and we will be in CW tuesday and wEd, then on Thursday we will be at Jamestown and fri Yorktown. My kids are excited to go.

 

[wvdislover]

Day two and things are good so far. I'm still a little overwhelmed but I expect it to be this way for a little while. I bought some books last night from Sam's club. I bought the 5th grade for my son who is in 4th grade and 2nd grade for my daughter who is in 1st. He was in GT at his old school so they did mostly 5th grade work anyway. DD is very advanced in Math so I bought the extra books for her to use for that. The school "supposedly" gave me all of the books the kids need along with the workbooks. I realized today there was an actual Math book to go along with the workbooks so I called and asked for it. (And got it along with some other stuff they'd "forgotten" to give me) I asked about Reading, Spelling, or Language Arts books and they said they didn't have them!? Does this sound right to you guys?

I still fear I'm forgetting something or not doing things the right way. I wanted to ask those of you who have been doing this for a while for your opinions on the supplement books I purchased. One set is called BrainQuest. Another is The HomeBase Big Book of Second/Fifth Grade Skill Practice. It includes Language Arts, SS, Science, & Math. The last set is COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM of Basic Skills which includes Reading and RCom, English, Spelling, and Math.

I enjoy working with the county school books. It's a lot of work for me since I have to make up my own tests and quizzes. I'm not sure if the teachers would appreciate me asking for that kind of thing.

I'd love to hear about or see some of the homeschool activities other moms have used for WDW. Thanks!

I've always used the Comprehensive Curriculum books from Sam's, as either a supplement, or as homeschool material (that's all we started with when we pulled DD11 out of school last year). It seems better for review than actual in-depth learning. However, you could use it to work on language arts skills, since the school didn't have any books for that. As for reading, just have your kids read books from the library or books you already have at home (if you're like me, you already have your own library at home!), and then pull spelling words out of those books, or make up your own spelling lists. Glad to hear your first couple of days have gone well. Have a great trip!