Homeschool Chat

[fabumouse]

Bellebud - actually, no, it doesn't sound silly to me about the lunch. While it was not a major source of teasing for my daughter who was in First Grade, the fact that she ate sandwiches with whole grains, cheese and vegetables, was enough to get her targeted by the Crustables and chocolate bar crowd. It was ludicrous.

She now gets to enjoy her V-8 in peace.

It's daunting, but in the end so much stress re the public schools (nasty teachers, late school buses, tardy slips) goes away in a big sigh of relief.

 

[MiniGirl]

DD wants to officially *start* tomorrow. I thought I'd give them 1 day off, but she'll have none of it! Too cute! I'm sure ds7 will want the day off! We're going to meet my sil and toddler nephews at the park tomorrow for a little while too - recess time maybe? DD will want to add it to her schedule she made up.

So I guess I really need to decide on a cirriculum now and order it??? I'm not prepared for this! Any advice??

I'm sorry your dd is being teased -- esp to the point of tears. Personally, I think some time off is a good idea. Many people will tell you children that have been going to school need time to "de-school." I also wouldn't go out and order a full curriculum. I would do like others have mentioned and just use work books or some unit studies on things that interest her until the school year is over, and then start fresh in the fall (or whenever you plan to start). For example, is she into American Girl? There are a couple of American Girl unit studies out there she could use. Stuff like that.

So, what about your son? Will he finish out the year or is he coming home, too?

Have a great time. I know I have learned quite a bit right along with my dd. It's funny though. I tell people that I don't feel like I'm "teaching." We just read things and talk about them. I know she is retaining it though because months later she'll mention something from some of the books we read. Our read-alouds have become a favorite for us. Either she'll read to me while I fold clothes or I'll read as she folds. It has really been a lot of fun.

What state are you in, btw? We're in Florida. Next year I will have both dds home, and we plan to start soon after the July 4th holiday and then hopefully move into a year round school schedule with lots of breaks for play and travel.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I agree, the transition can be a little harder than it seems. She may be excited, but if you go too fast or try to sit down and "do school" all day long, she will grow tired of it quickly and things may go downhill from there. Try to take it easy, do some work, take a walk, PLAY together, enjoy!

I was teased as a child and remember coming home crying. It SHAPED WHO I AM and has taken years to overcome. I have though and maybe I'm better for it, but would never want my children to experience that. My mother once told me that she didn't know about homeschooling or if it was even legal or she probably would have homeschooled me. It's not the main reason I homeschool, I do it b/c I don't care for the schools where I live and I LOVE being with my children!

Good luck to you, and remember to have FUN!!

 

[graygables]

DD wants to officially *start* tomorrow. I thought I'd give them 1 day off, but she'll have none of it! Too cute! I'm sure ds7 will want the day off! We're going to meet my sil and toddler nephews at the park tomorrow for a little while too - recess time maybe? DD will want to add it to her schedule she made up.

So I guess I really need to decide on a cirriculum now and order it??? I'm not prepared for this! Any advice??

I'm also in the decompression camp. While it's very sweet that she's created a schedule, that is part of the programming of the public school that needs to be undone. I hear lots of "well, how are they ever going to hold down a job" and I remind them that a schedule is a whole different animal from time management. Time management allows for a bit of flexibility and creativity.

As for curriculum, I highly recommend http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/. I download them, so we can use them immediately, plus I can print off whatever we decide to use. You can choose something that interests both kids, or each one individually and start there. It's inexpensive, interesting, and fun. My DDs really enjoy lapbooking b/c we can take it with us to work on and they like showing them off to people (particularly doctors who frown on homeschooling...when 10yo showed her doc the Ancient Rome lapbook, he was VERY impressed and we spent most of the appointment talking about homeschooling in a whole different light).

I also recently signed mine up with Time 4 Learning for a trial. They are enjoying that, too, so you might look into that for the rest of the year. It's $35/mo for the 2 kids.

 

[bellebud]

thanks so much for the replies everyone!

DS is home too! He's very excited! I called the catholic school this morning and told the secretary (the principal was in a meeting).

DD was teased about her lunch because she had a salad... my kids both have a genetic disorder - it's a form of muscular dystrophy (it's call hyperkalemic periodic paralysis). It's a very rare disorder, but it runs in families. My dh has it, and my kids had a 50/50 chance of inheriting it (of course they both got it). My mil has it, as does many aunts, uncles, cousins. It's a condition that when there's an abundance of potassium in their muscles, they get an 'attack', which can be anything from muscle weakness to full paralysis (temporary paralysis). Different things bring on attacks - cold, sitting down too long, exercise, food w/ potassium, sleep changes, throwing up. The weakness or paralysis can last anywhere from a few hours to a week. My dh lasts a week, which we're finding out is pretty rare - most people's weakness only lasts hours. I think my ds has it really bad like my dh does. He's been paralyzed 2x's (after throwing up from the flu) where I had to carry him around the house for days. Both kids have mild attacks all the time - after playing, early in the mornings. This makes going to school difficult - doable, but difficult. Sitting at a desk is very hard. Sometimes holding a pencil can be hard. Gym and recess can be difficult and embarassing. My dh made it through school, but he says it was torture. So while we started looking at homeschooling because of social issues, it really will be best for my kids because of this. So anyway, dd's salad - it was a good lunch for her to have that day because of her condition - and a girl turned around and just said something like "what kind of dressing is that???? it looks soooooo weird!!" just in a nasty, kid sort of way. then a boy chimes in "yeah, it's so weird looking" and they giggled together. Nothing horrible, but dd was just like "huh???" and very hurt. So silly!!! But I've had enough.

If you looked at my kids or dh, you'd never know they have a condition, so it's like a hidden disability. they're all actually very athletic, but they have a 'glass ceiling' so to speak. DS was asked to be on the gymnastics team at our local place once, but he had attacks after each practice session, so while they can do sports for fun and do them very well, their bodies don't have the stability to continue practices day after day. It breaks my heart, but I try to remind myself that things could always be worse.

Thanks for the advice to not buy a whole curriculum right now. I'll take it slow and easy. DD was begging for work this morning, so I made her up a math sheet. I also just signed us up for a local homeschooling 'class' on native american/nature studies and building drawing for tuesdays. I'm excited for us to meet other homeschoolers.

And I know what you guys mean about the teasing not being good for kids. I firmly believe having to deal w/ constant teasing does not build anyone up - it breaks people down and makes them think something is wrong with them.

So glad to be a part of this thread!!

 

[Denine]

Bellebud: Congrats on making that final decision to bring your DD home now! Good luck. I don't know about bringing home a child that has been to school since DD has never been to school, but your kids may need some time to adjust.

 

[desparatelydisney]

Okay, I am finalizing my curriculum decisions for next year (yes, I am a planner)...

DS will be in 3rd. He scores 99th percentile on standardized tests in math and has gotten an A+ in math each six weeks this year. He has been using Saxon math at his school since K. He is very good at math but thinks it is boring.

Should I continue with Saxon, switch to Singapore, look at enrolling him in Stanford/John Hopkins gifted math program, something else? All suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

MMM

 

[8disneyfans]

To Minigirl:
We will be moving to FL in the next few months. Can you give me any advice on homeschooling there? How is the state with homeschooling. Where we live now it is very pro-homeschool.

bellebud: I am glad to hear that it is working out. As parents it is our job to protect our children and that includes from teasing. I can't stand when people say "it builds character" no it doesn't!!! It builds hurt! I think it was the best choice we ever made. Good luck and the advice you have been getting is great!!! I am going to look into a few websites myself!

 

[dvcbnd]

bellebud: Congratulations on your decision!!

 

[rjthkids]

Just found this thread, I'm so glad to have a place to say "hi!"

I'm a homeschooling mom of four, soon to be 5. One of my absolute FAVORITE things about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible....take vacations when *we* want to, schedule breaks when *we* think they best fit *our* needs and not have to live and die by some calendar set up by a school board.

3 of our children have disabilities that would qualify them for IEPs under the public school model. Our oldest (will be 7 soon) is blind and has a significant cognitive disability (finally verbal at 5 years old, functions around 2 years of age and a little lower in functional communication). Our middle has a genetic disorder that also manifests with high functioning autism like traits and will definitely struggle with severe dyslexia given his condition. He will be 5 in April.

One of our two three year old also has a developmental disability and we'll see where that takes us as he approaches school age. Our other three year old only has medical issues.

So far I've only really been homeschooling the oldest, which doesn't take a ton of time because the real focus is not so much on academics (though we certainly address them) but on functional skills. She will never be able to live independently and will always require 24/7 supervision, but I'm hoping that we can get her to the point where she could be employed in a sheltered workshop environment.

Because the new baby is being born in November, I'm going to go officially on the books with my son who will be five in April as soon as his birthday hits. That way we can school all through the summer and take our "summer break" for 6 weeks after the new baby is born. I already have him on a pretty good schedule of activities right now, it will just be a matter of adding him to my "official" roster and maintaining records for him the way I do for my oldest.

Our state doesn't require much, but I keep records like a crazy-woman. Mainly because of my children's special needs. I do have a fairly healthy paranoia about the fact that if someone challenges my homeschooling I will need strong evidence pointing to the fact that I am diligently teaching my children.

So, we're loving the homeschooling life! Glad to meet others who are enjoying it as well!

 

[NHWX]

Okay, I am finalizing my curriculum decisions for next year (yes, I am a planner)...

DS will be in 3rd. He scores 99th percentile on standardized tests in math and has gotten an A+ in math each six weeks this year. He has been using Saxon math at his school since K. He is very good at math but thinks it is boring.

Should I continue with Saxon, switch to Singapore, look at enrolling him in Stanford/John Hopkins gifted math program, something else? All suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

MMM

I'm a planner too. Also a budget board person too.

And I think a lot about math. I've never used Saxon but I've been told that it does a lot of spiraling. That might be why your ds thinks it's boring. Many times gifted kids get a concept very quickly and only need some practice to master a topic. Mind you, most people have areas where they excel and others where they need help. You might need more practice there.

So, consider teaching a concept (however), having him do 5-10 really instructive problems and if he's made gotten 80-90% correct, assume he understands. For instance, you wouldn't want someone to ask you to make a grilled cheese sandwich 30 times to make sure you knew how to do it, would you?

So... we've used the Johns Hopkins math program for pre-algebra, algebra, cryptography, and calculus. We have two boys so they've used it at different times for different classes. This year our 15 year old is doing the calculus and it's not really what I had expected based on our earlier experiences. So I don't think I can really give you a blanket recommendation especially since we didn't use it in the younger grades. We really, really enjoyed it earlier!

We used Math-U-See for one year for our younger son and liked it quite a bit but he needed remediation in one specific area. (fractions)

I like the Art of Problem Solving folks' website.
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Books/AoPS_B_Rec_Homeschool.php

Is your son a year or two ahead of his peers in math? Or more like four or five? Or more? If he's four or more years ahead, now is a good time for making some preparations. Children with exceptional gifts pretty much need non-traditional schooling.

Unfortunately, I can't give you stellar recommendations for your son. You might find some of the material here interesting: http://main.edc.org/centers/center_mathematics_education_cme

Hopefully some of this helps!

NHWX

 

[desparatelydisney]

Thanks, NHWX. He has been going to private school for the last 3 years; 09/10 will be our first year homeschooling. I have not done any placement tests for him yet, so I'm not sure where he is going to fall with regard to his peers and grade level. The problem with saying he is ahead in math would be that he hasn't covered some of those later year topics yet - for instance they have just started learning multiplication & haven't even discussed division. I am sure he would master these skills quickly, but they have to be introduced. That is one reason I was interested in the JH/Stanford programs, because it seemed that they will start him where he needs to be but move him through as quickly as he is ready. From your experience (albeit in different levels) do you feel that this is how it actually works?

 

[Denine]

Good Thursday morning.

We like Horizons math, it is a spiral approach though. DD is doing 1st and
2nd grade math in 1 school year. She is closing in on the 1/2 way point through 2nd grade math. We just started multiplication.

Today we are going to a homeschool program at the park to learn about rocks. This will be our first time doing a HS program so I am excited to meet others that HS. There are a few more programs next month.

This is the last day of school for the week. I work tomorrow.

 

[DisneyMom5]

I use Singapore Math through 6B (around seventh grade) and then switch to Teaching Textbooks for Pre Algebra, etc.

Singapore is a very approachable workbook format, pages not as cluttered.
Not too many problems per lesson.

Teaching Textbooks is a reusable textbook with a CD-Rom teacher support.
It does do a bit of a spiral approach, but not excessive.
There is usually only 21-14 problems per lesson.

Happy to answer any questions about either.

We use Sonlight (loosely scheduled) for our History, etc.

We tend to use their science books and Apologia Elementary (just found them and love them!) and then Apologia upper levels.

Language Arts we don't use one particular curriculum,
but have used Sonlight LA and some Winston Grammar.
Haven't found one thing I like really well.
(I have a BA in English, but tend to be an intuitive about Grammar,
so it's hard to teach!)

Have started just working through a College English Handbook with my dd15,
and am considering getting the CD-ROM version of Editor in Chief as back up.

Am getting certified to administer the IOWA through Bob Jones, and hope to do some testing this year. (Not required here.)

We school year round so that we can have time off when Daddy has time off, and so we can go to WDW during free dining every other year.
(That's not really the reason, but it's a good one, no? LOL)
I really like the flexibility that homeschooling gives us,
and that my children are thriving.

Oh, and we have one special needs child (traumatic brain injury) and have private therapists that are able to come to our house (and we have also gone to their center a 1/2 hour away at times.)
He is thriving above what he would be at school, because we can take the time to work with him.
He is well integrated into our homeschool group, and I don't think he even realizes there is something wrong with him! LOL

Happy to discuss any of the above with anyone!

 

[TLHB70]

Am getting certified to administer the IOWA through Bob Jones, and hope to do some testing this year. (Not required here.)

I give the IOWA test each year to my DDs and go through Bob Jones. I signed up with them to be a tester in our area. However, they have never notified me, or had a family notify me, that they need me to test another student. I just test my DDs each year.

 

[Goofyest mom]

I need some convincing that HS is a good idea. My hubby and I have been playing the thought back and forth for quite some time. With the way that education is headed right now, I think that our children would benefit better from us.
So, with that said… I still think that I need a little extra push.
Also, we don’t know where, how or when to start.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

I need some convincing that HS is a good idea. My hubby and I have been playing the thought back and forth for quite some time. With the way that education is headed right now, I think that our children would benefit better from us.
So, with that said… I still think that I need a little extra push.
Also, we don’t know where, how or when to start.

I don't think any of us here can convince you it is a good idea. Unfortunately, only you can decide that for your family. My DS went to a private school from Pre-K through 1st semester of 5th grade. We became increasingly frustrated with the school's curriculum starting in 4th grade and by the end of the 1st semester of 5th grade decided that enough was enough! We had looked at our local public school for 1st grade and didn't like it so we knew that wasn't an option. We've been doing the homeschool thing since January. I can tell you that it is a lot of work and is very rewarding!

What I've learned is that families choose to homeschool their children for many, many, many reasons that are unique to their family and their children. What I've also learned is that homeschool is not necessarily outside the mainstream and that homeschool children are well adjusted and smart!

Give us an example of your questions/concerns and perhaps we can help you work through them.

Karen

 

[fabumouse]

I totally agree with Karen.

Many people on this board are homeschooling b/c of religious beliefs, or how those fit in with their lifestyle, that would not be true for us. Many have children with significant physical challenges - again, not true for us.

I homeschool because I drew the line the day I saw an ADHD kid (my daughter is ADHD) being punished for jumping around and not staying in line, by being forced to sit against a wall during an outdoor field event, moon jump day - while watching all the other kids. And I just couldn't accept that my daughter was going to continue in a public school which clearly had no concept of what it takes to address ADHD.

But I have the time and the resources to work this homeschooling thing. I do not have a larger community of homeschoolers, besides this board - although it seems like most here do.

I would never convince anyone to homeschool because it not only changes the way you view conventional schooling but also rules your life. The day we left public- 7:30am on the bus to 3:30 off - was the day I gave up the gym.

The best parts - the days I can roll my eyes at a particular segment of math or reading or whatever and toss it over my shoulder to do something else. The days we've watched PBS series while eating popcorn on my bed, so we can use the laptop to find out exactly how *big* is Alaska??

It depends on what you're hoping for

 

[wondermomamy]

I homeschool because I drew the line the day I saw an ADHD kid (my daughter is ADHD) being punished for jumping around and not staying in line, by being forced to sit against a wall during an outdoor field event, moon jump day - while watching all the other kids. And I just couldn't accept that my daughter was going to continue in a public school which clearly had no concept of what it takes to address ADHD.

This is exactly why we homeschool. I had always liked the idea, but when my four year old was in trouble EVERY DAY for not staying in line, I decided he (and I) had had enough!

The best parts - the days I can roll my eyes at a particular segment of math or reading or whatever and toss it over my shoulder to do something else. The days we've watched PBS series while eating popcorn on my bed, so we can use the laptop to find out exactly how *big* is Alaska??

It depends on what you're hoping for

The best part of homeschooling!

Amy

 

[NHWX]

Thanks, NHWX. He has been going to private school for the last 3 years; 09/10 will be our first year homeschooling. I have not done any placement tests for him yet, so I'm not sure where he is going to fall with regard to his peers and grade level. The problem with saying he is ahead in math would be that he hasn't covered some of those later year topics yet - for instance they have just started learning multiplication & haven't even discussed division. I am sure he would master these skills quickly, but they have to be introduced. That is one reason I was interested in the JH/Stanford programs, because it seemed that they will start him where he needs to be but move him through as quickly as he is ready. From your experience (albeit in different levels) do you feel that this is how it actually works?

I'm not sure how it works in the lower grades. In the upper grades, JHU is using the Thinkwell curriculum for many classes. JHU has created their own tests though. http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/math/courses/algebra1.html I looked at the grade 4 material and I can't tell how they're delivering the information.

In general though, you pay for a specific length of time for a math course and however much math you get through during the time period is what you get. You can, of course, buy an extra month to finish up. When our younger son was in sixth grade, I think he did pre-algebra and cryptography in the same time chunk. I always suspend the course for Christmas, winter vacation, etc. so it's not a continuous use of the course time.

Our experience has been that you can proceed as fast as possible. For instance, our older son is currently doing three calculus lessons a day now. He's pretty motivated because he wants to have spring vacation as a vacation and not calculus-land.

NHWX