Homeschool Chat

[Disneynut5]

Hi all! Joining this thread. I am a HS mom in TX who is taking her first family trip to WDW in Sept. The last time I went was 1985 but am so excited about it! My kids are 3 and 7 but will be 4 and 8 when we go. I also HS my 10 year old niece but she will not be going with us.

We are planning to stay at POFQ and do the Deluxe dining if they offer free dining for Sept - then I will upgrade to Deluxe. If not we will survive with the regular plan.

We could stay off site or at Shades of Green (Dh is reserves) but I want the whole Disney experience this first time. We are renting a car so that should help with getting to our resort reservations. Dh and I have always loved to eat out so I think we will really enjoy dining at Disney.

Back to HSing. We are an eclectic homeschooling Christian family. I was a private Christian school teacher before kids but love HSing! This is our 3rd year of HSing. We use Horizons Math, Mystery of History Volume 1, Sonlight Science 2, Spellingtime.com, the Day by day Bible, Artistic Pursuits, Growing with Grammar... Can you tell I LOVE curriculum? We also have a home library of about 2,000 books! My mother blessed us with most of them by going to thrift stores and Half Price Books daily for years. She passed away this summer after living with us for the past year. We all miss her very much!

Anyway, that is me.... Glad to see other Hsers here.

I have not made my reservations yet but we are probably going the Sunday after Labor Day and staying for 8 days.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Disneynut5~ Hello and welcome aboard!!

And hidy-ho to a fellow Texan Christian hser!!!!!! I too looooove curriculum and we have tons of books here as well!!!!

Congrats on getting to go to Disney!!! The time will fly and you'll be counting down before you know it!!!

 

[DawnM]

I am agreeing with you. All options should be considered and each family has to decide what is best for them. I just don't want to label all schools as X, just like I don't want all HS families labeled from one person's experience with one family. We have all experienced labeling. All of our experiences will be different as well.

I will also say that due to my DH's job (and our preference), we will always live in or near a major city, so we do have a huge variety of options for schooling and probably will, even if we move.

Dawn

I do agree with you to a certain extent, however, in my area, none of these are options. We have an online charter school, but it did not work with my schedule. We prefer year-round school and the charter was on a traditional calendar. There were other issues. There are no B&M charter schools, no magnet programs, and only 1 private school that is the catch-all for the public school rejects (as many private schools are becoming). I also taught in a private school and the kids there were no different than those in public school except many of them had more money and free time to get into even more trouble.

I believe that parents should carefully weigh ALL of their education options for their families to decide what is best for them. If you have charter or magnet programs, by all means, they should be considered, but it's important to remember that there are probably more areas WITHOUT them than areas that do have them.

 

[princessofcandles]

Hi, another TX HSing family here. Actually DH is a work@home dad so HE (yes, he) does the actual HSing. I am more organized so I set up the day but daddy does the work. We have very young kids (DD 2 1/2 and DS 1). So really we are in the very very begining. We have opted to start with "Before five in a row" and continue with "Five in a row" supplementing as needed. Love to hear from other HS families.

ohhhh best part of HSing..... flexability. We were planning a grand gathering with my BIL's family. They were trying to make spring break work for them but ultimately had to scrap the idea. So we are going without..... during 4+3, with $200, and off-peak prices. Thankyouverymuch.

Do you think sending them a postcard saying "wish you were here" would be rude?

 

[joeatdisney2008]

we have been homeschooling for 5 years with Sonlight...and we purchase all our materials through them...with the exception of religion...we get that through Catholic Heritage Curricula. We love Sonlight because you use real books as opposed to textbooks..and the schedules are great...everything is done for you.
thanks.

 

[Pixiedust34]

we have been homeschooling for 5 years with Sonlight...and we purchase all our materials through them...with the exception of religion...we get that through Catholic Heritage Curricula. We love Sonlight because you use real books as opposed to textbooks..and the schedules are great...everything is done for you.
thanks.

We're on our 6th year of homeschooling with Sonlight. I do tweak some lessons now and then, but we love the literature and the way that the readers and read alouds tie in with the history lessons!

 

[Praise2Him]

Actually DH is a work@home dad so HE (yes, he) does the actual HSing. I am more organized so I set up the day but daddy does the work.

I was talking to some friends last night and they just pulled their 6th grader out of PS recently to HS him. The mom is a doctor and works full time. The dad is an RN and works part-time, but is mostly the at-home dad, so he's the one doing the HSing. I think it's wonderful, no matter who does it!

Do you think sending them a postcard saying "wish you were here" would be rude?

LOL, you are so funny!

 

[Mommy2three]

does anyone go through connections academy? I was thinking about enrolling both DS soon to be 7, and DD soon to be 9 next year through connections academy, through our state, WI. My ds is thriving in homeschooling, he is a totally different kid since i pulled him out of public school this year. My DD is having a ton of problems at school now, 2nd grade, she has many psychological issues, adhd, bipolar, odd, schizophrenia, DID, ocd to name a few, and her teacher this year is letting her not do her classwork. My dd will cry and throw a fit saying its too hard, so they will tell her she doesnt have to do it, so she sits at her table, cross armed all day, and refuses to do ANY of the work. And when it gets sent home, she will do it because she knows I will NOT play into her games of saying its too hard and the crying and throwing a fit, she gets it done with no tears, or arguments, and she can do it on her own with very little, or no help at all. The school is just not trained to deal with a child with her problems. They dont have expierence with multiple personalities, schizophrenia, etc. I think connections academy will be a good fit for us, as I do like the curriculum the public school provides, and connections academy has that same curriculum. There is another one, wisconsin virtual academy, but they go with the K12.com curriculum and I dont like that one at all. I used that to supplement PS with my DD 2 years ago, and I hated it!

 

[DawnM]

WhooHoo, heading out to go skiing tomorrow for homeschool ski days~! Half price, empty slopes, need I go on????



Dawn

 

[HomeschoolMama]

I just had a whole post typed out and the dumb spelling book fell on my keyboard and closed my window. I guess it's a homeschooling hazzard!

So, essentially, I said thanks for the help and that I looking into a online writing class for my oldest to take next fall. I think everything else is managable.

The girls (6th and 2nd) are pretty easy to teach and deal with. My son is another story. He just turned 6 in November and is extremely smart and articulate. The problem is he's a stubborn little thing and doesn't want to learn the things in the books. He'd rather play the game cube and watch t.v.

When he decides he wants to do school, he wants to do what's in the kinder workbooks, but he's not ready. he finally learned the letters names and how to write them, but he doesn't know the sounds. I bought a Learn and Go lap top , and a Leap Frog letters DVD for him. I think if he would watch it a few times inthe next few weeks, and play the phonics games, he'd be in pretty good shape. But he throws a fit and cries when I have him do something other than he wants. He makes trying to do school so hard. I have to send him out of the room a lot to do school with the girls. So, I worry he's been ignored, but he's so confrontational.

What do you guys think? Have you had to deal with a stubborn child who doesn't want to do school unless it's his way? How did you balance that with the other kids in the family?

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hi, another TX HSing family here. Actually DH is a work@home dad so HE (yes, he) does the actual HSing. I am more organized so I set up the day but daddy does the work. We have very young kids (DD 2 1/2 and DS 1). So really we are in the very very begining. We have opted to start with "Before five in a row" and continue with "Five in a row" supplementing as needed. Love to hear from other HS families.

ohhhh best part of HSing..... flexability. We were planning a grand gathering with my BIL's family. They were trying to make spring break work for them but ultimately had to scrap the idea. So we are going without..... during 4+3, with $200, and off-peak prices. Thankyouverymuch.

Do you think sending them a postcard saying "wish you were here" would be rude?

I have used FIAR with my kids and we loved it!! They get so much from just one-on-one reading with you. I love it! Especially the younger age!! I think the post card would be hilarious~ if they are jokey people-if not, I don't know if I would do it!!

What do you guys think? Have you had to deal with a stubborn child who doesn't want to do school unless it's his way? How did you balance that with the other kids in the family?

My little girl is sorta like him. Not throwing fits or crying, just thinking she knows everything and getting upset when I correct her. It was worse last year(pre-K). This year she has matured quite a lot. Just keep him interested in it as much as you can(or as much as he wants too) and maybe after the holidays, or even when you start school next year, he'll be mature enough to stick with it. Boys are always less mature than their girl counterparts-usually at every age. Not always, but it sounds like he just isn't ready. I know some people firmly stick with the old fashioned-practice of not teaching boys until they are 8--they just feel that's optimal time for them. He may be like that--don't sweat it!! Just go with what feels right and what he likes. Not to the point he NEVER does anything, but just keep watching for little progresses!!! You'll know it when it happens!!

 

[HomeschoolMama]

My little girl is sorta like him. Not throwing fits or crying, just thinking she knows everything and getting upset when I correct her. It was worse last year(pre-K). This year she has matured quite a lot. Just keep him interested in it as much as you can(or as much as he wants too) and maybe after the holidays, or even when you start school next year, he'll be mature enough to stick with it. Boys are always less mature than their girl counterparts-usually at every age. Not always, but it sounds like he just isn't ready. I know some people firmly stick with the old fashioned-practice of not teaching boys until they are 8--they just feel that's optimal time for them. He may be like that--don't sweat it!! Just go with what feels right and what he likes. Not to the point he NEVER does anything, but just keep watching for little progresses!!! You'll know it when it happens!!

I have tried so hard to be patient with him and let him learn at his pace. I know we shouldn't care about what other people think, but when your families don't agree with your choices and "quiz" them on things they think he should know, it makes life so uncomfortable. I also wonder about his attitude and if I let him not do school, if he's getting away with being a fart.

He threw a fit about wanting to do the workbook and I made him go down and watch the letter sounds DVD. Now he's doing the laptop games and he's doing great. So, I wonder if it's an attitude thing. Who am I foolin'? That kid was born annoyed!

 

[Praise2Him]

WhooHoo, heading out to go skiing tomorrow for homeschool ski days~! Half price, empty slopes, need I go on????



Dawn

Where!?! In North Carolina? That sounds awesome!

Our family LOVES to ski & snowboard (surprisingly, since we live in Alabama ).

We've been to Gatlinburg, TN, Boone, N.C., West Virginia & Colorado so far.

We're planning a big family trip to Winter Park, CO next April to celebrate all 3 kids graduations - Oldest DS is graduating from college this Friday , DD (youngest) is graduating from High School next May , and Middle DS is graduating from College (Film School) next June

I never knew they had Homeschool Days for skiing, though!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Dawn,
Only you know if he's just being a little turkey!!!! If he is, then it's better to get a handle on it now! If he's not, try not to let your families dictate what you feel is best for you. Easier said than done, believe me, I know!!! My husbands family makes comments (to each other, that conveniently come back to me) about how weird hs kids are, and that they grow up to be the weirdos of society and have no friends and so sooo religious. YIKES! Are we a little judgy here? I know it's frustrating and ugly. But, if that's what I have to hear to do the right thing for my kids...so be it!! People are just rude. Bottom line! I have learned that the hard way. Just because I wouldn't do that to someone else, doesn't give me a free pass for others not to do it to me. It's hard, but I just really try to pray through a lot of that garbage and move on. I am not gonna let someone else's choices and words keep me bitter-my kids deserve better than that!
My goal is to be the BEST HSing mamma I can be!!! We have fun and so I have to assume everyone else is ignorant of the blessing it is and /or they are jealous! Of course, that just makes me feel better-doesn't make it true!

 

[graygables]

I know we shouldn't care about what other people think, but when your families don't agree with your choices and "quiz" them on things they think he should know, it makes life so uncomfortable. I also wonder about his attitude and if I let him not do school, if he's getting away with being a fart.

Oh my heavens, I HATE when my mother does this!!! Her big thing is multiplication tables. Well, sorry, I've objected to memorizing multiplication tables since *I* was in the 4th grade (I told my teacher I had better things to do with my brain cells... ) I think it's more important for them to understand HOW it works and WHY it works, the memory will come with time. Mine learn math concepts slowly, much like I did. What really ticks me off is that my mother flunked out of college b/c she couldn't pass the remedial math class!

The other one was "Betsy Ross". How on earth did a 4th and 6th grader NOT know all about Betsy Ross??? (insert mortified face here). Well, ask them about ancient Rome, maybe, or Mesopotamia, perhaps. We just haven't GOTTEN there yet b/c there is SO much more history to this planet than the last couple hundred years. Having travelled in Europe so much, you'd think she'd realize that...

When someone starts the pop quiz, I shut it down and intervene to redirect to what we ARE working on at the moment. Nothing like making a kid feel badly over what they may or may not know...

As to your son, although I don't have boys, I agree that they are slower to mature enough to manage "traditional" learning. On the other hand, I also believe that a child should never be allowed to be beligerent, disrespectful, or hissy-fitty when a parent tells them to do something. I had a friend who had a child like that. I don't know if you watch the Dog Whisperer, but he talks about being "calm assertive" with dogs, and it applies very much to kids. You will sit down and you will do as you are told. It's not about being "authoritarian", it's about being the parent. My friend applied some of those techniques, she even used the "ch!" if he started acting out and it didn't take long for him to realize that she is the Alpha Mom and is not to be messed with. He had to EARN video game/TV time with poker chips from doing what he was asked, whether it was school or chores. If he decided to be a putz, he got to sit on a welcome mat in the middle of the floor with no entertainment.

When my youngest starts to object to math, she gets "The Look" followed with an "Excuse me?" that I mastered when I was a school teacher. It works and she hunkers down.

 

[HomeschoolMama]

Dawn,
Only you know if he's just being a little turkey!!!! If he is, then it's better to get a handle on it now! If he's not, try not to let your families dictate what you feel is best for you. Easier said than done, believe me, I know!!! My husbands family makes comments (to each other, that conveniently come back to me) about how weird hs kids are, and that they grow up to be the weirdos of society and have no friends and so sooo religious. YIKES! Are we a little judgy here? I know it's frustrating and ugly. But, if that's what I have to hear to do the right thing for my kids...so be it!! People are just rude. Bottom line! I have learned that the hard way. Just because I wouldn't do that to someone else, doesn't give me a free pass for others not to do it to me. It's hard, but I just really try to pray through a lot of that garbage and move on. I am not gonna let someone else's choices and words keep me bitter-my kids deserve better than that!
My goal is to be the BEST HSing mamma I can be!!! We have fun and so I have to assume everyone else is ignorant of the blessing it is and /or they are jealous! Of course, that just makes me feel better-doesn't make it true!

Thanks! You're right, of course!
Are you in central Texas? I'm a little north of SA.

Oh my heavens, I HATE when my mother does this!!! Her big thing is multiplication tables. Well, sorry, I've objected to memorizing multiplication tables since *I* was in the 4th grade (I told my teacher I had better things to do with my brain cells... ) I think it's more important for them to understand HOW it works and WHY it works, the memory will come with time. Mine learn math concepts slowly, much like I did. What really ticks me off is that my mother flunked out of college b/c she couldn't pass the remedial math class!

The other one was "Betsy Ross". How on earth did a 4th and 6th grader NOT know all about Betsy Ross??? (insert mortified face here). Well, ask them about ancient Rome, maybe, or Mesopotamia, perhaps. We just haven't GOTTEN there yet b/c there is SO much more history to this planet than the last couple hundred years. Having travelled in Europe so much, you'd think she'd realize that...

When someone starts the pop quiz, I shut it down and intervene to redirect to what we ARE working on at the moment. Nothing like making a kid feel badly over what they may or may not know...

As to your son, although I don't have boys, I agree that they are slower to mature enough to manage "traditional" learning. On the other hand, I also believe that a child should never be allowed to be beligerent, disrespectful, or hissy-fitty when a parent tells them to do something. I had a friend who had a child like that. I don't know if you watch the Dog Whisperer, but he talks about being "calm assertive" with dogs, and it applies very much to kids. You will sit down and you will do as you are told. It's not about being "authoritarian", it's about being the parent. My friend applied some of those techniques, she even used the "ch!" if he started acting out and it didn't take long for him to realize that she is the Alpha Mom and is not to be messed with. He had to EARN video game/TV time with poker chips from doing what he was asked, whether it was school or chores. If he decided to be a putz, he got to sit on a welcome mat in the middle of the floor with no entertainment.

When my youngest starts to object to math, she gets "The Look" followed with an "Excuse me?" that I mastered when I was a school teacher. It works and she hunkers down.

I know. I am generally very strict and expect certain things, but with my surgery this summer, my hormones have been out of whack making me tired, grouchy and forgetful. It's a challenge to get the energy together to deal with him sometimes. I know if I don't, though, I'll have a monster on my hands!

 

[Mommy2three]

they have homeschool ski days here in southern wisconsin too, but its too cold for me to venture out, yesterday and today it has been -25 outside.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Dawn~ when you get yourself all lined out and feel more like "you" it'll be better!! The old hormones do kinda throw us outta whack don't they? And it's holiday season~ give yourself til after the Holidays--maybe you need to get on vitamins, or something. I only know when I feel weird, school, housework, hubby, everything feels soooooo monumental! And It's soooo easy to just get behind and feel like you can't keep up.AND, you know that little boy knows how to work you!! Especially if he senses you are feeling off! I think they have built in detectors sometime!!!

We are in Southeast Texas~ about an hour and a half east (northeast) of Houston. S.A. is about a 5 hour drive from here.

 

[HomeschoolMama]

Dawn~ when you get yourself all lined out and feel more like "you" it'll be better!! The old hormones do kinda throw us outta whack don't they? And it's holiday season~ give yourself til after the Holidays--maybe you need to get on vitamins, or something. I only know when I feel weird, school, housework, hubby, everything feels soooooo monumental! And It's soooo easy to just get behind and feel like you can't keep up.AND, you know that little boy knows how to work you!! Especially if he senses you are feeling off! I think they have built in detectors sometime!!!

We are in Southeast Texas~ about an hour and a half east (northeast) of Houston. S.A. is about a 5 hour drive from here.

True!
He sure does. He's my baby.

 

[DawnM]

Yes, it is a good deal. I just wish we lived closer to the slopes. It is $20/each and that includes lift ticket, ski rentals, and a one hour lesson!

Dawn

Where!?! In North Carolina? That sounds awesome!

Our family LOVES to ski & snowboard (surprisingly, since we live in Alabama ).

We've been to Gatlinburg, TN, Boone, N.C., West Virginia & Colorado so far.

We're planning a big family trip to Winter Park, CO next April to celebrate all 3 kids graduations - Oldest DS is graduating from college this Friday , DD (youngest) is graduating from High School next May , and Middle DS is graduating from College (Film School) next June

I never knew they had Homeschool Days for skiing, though!