Homeschool Chat

[Lora]

Hi, I'm new to this thread! I'm gonna start home schooling my oldest dd in the fall--she will be starting K. I've kind of read thru some of this, but it's a lot of info (which is good!) I was hoping some of you that have used Abeka and sonlight might be able to give me the good and bad of it. I'm not sure if I want to do that or just pull together the curriculum from different resources....thanks!

We have been using Sonlight since K. My girls are now in 6th and 8th. At first, I thought I would just pull stuff together. I have a degree in Elem. Ed, so I figured, "no problem". I had checked out the Sonlight catalog, and I really loved what they had for their history/literature programs starting in about 3rd grade. I thought I'd wait until then to start using it. After about 4 months of "pulling stuff together", I finally decided I had spent about as much money on the "stuff" as I would have on the whole program, and figured it would just be easier to purchase a core (back then it was called "Basic"). It was one of the best homeschooling choices I've made. We had stayed with Sonlight ever since. (Just FYI - I had already purchased a phonics program, so I never did their program for that. Nor did I ever purchase their LA programs. I have used their science programs, though.

The only Abeka I ever used was a science book and Bible in maybe Kindergarten. I considered their LA for a while, but decided to go with Rod and Staff English instead.

 

[02AggieGirl]

I am using Sonlight for the first time this year. I have a 5th grader and a 3rd grader and we are doing Core 3. I have enjoyed the curriculum. I am not completely impressed with the Language Arts so we are using something else for that. The books are wonderful and we have enjoyed almost all we have read so far. I do feel it is A LOT of reading and am planning on picking and choosing which books we use next year. My children are not enthusiastic readers, and it can be a lot at times. I am planning on focusing more on covering the time periods a little more generally for now, and then more in-depth as they get older.

I am not sure if that helps much. Basically we are enjoying it but it is a lot. I am not sure how the lower grades are in terms of amount of work since this is my first year using it.

Thanks! Yeah, I am concerned about the amount of work that she would have to do--I obviously want her to learn but I don't want it to seem overwhelming to her (or me!)

We have been using Sonlight since K. My girls are now in 6th and 8th. At first, I thought I would just pull stuff together. I have a degree in Elem. Ed, so I figured, "no problem". I had checked out the Sonlight catalog, and I really loved what they had for their history/literature programs starting in about 3rd grade. I thought I'd wait until then to start using it. After about 4 months of "pulling stuff together", I finally decided I had spent about as much money on the "stuff" as I would have on the whole program, and figured it would just be easier to purchase a core (back then it was called "Basic"). It was one of the best homeschooling choices I've made. We had stayed with Sonlight ever since. (Just FYI - I had already purchased a phonics program, so I never did their program for that. Nor did I ever purchase their LA programs. I have used their science programs, though.

The only Abeka I ever used was a science book and Bible in maybe Kindergarten. I considered their LA for a while, but decided to go with Rod and Staff English instead.

That is a thing with me too...once I start looking at everything, it almost seems like purchasing a whole program would make sense.
Thank you to everyone who has responded, it's all very helpful information!!

 

[wvdislover]

Hello homeschoolers!

I have a question and am hoping all of you may be able to help me.

We homeschooled our oldest for kindergarten and first grade. Then he and our middle son attended public school for the past two years. We are getting ready to move at the end of May down to Virginia Beach (husband is Navy) and have decided to homeschool next year (for many reasons).

The last day of school at their current school is June 10th. So, if we took them out at the end of May they'd miss the last 10 days. VA Beach's school year ends June 18th. I've already spoken with the VA Beach homeschool liaison person and she said if we put in a letter of intent to homeschool when we move down for those final three weeks, we'll still need to show achievement (which is usually testing) for the year (I don't really want to do this and think it's silly for only 3 weeks). I am not sure yet if the boys' current school will promote them if they miss the final ten days of school.

I'm not sure what to do. If we just pull them out at the end of May and do not register as homeschoolers down in VA Beach until the summer for the following school year, could we run into any issues?? At this point we plan to homeschool through highschool, but who knows what the future holds?

Also, are there any homeschooling families on here from the Hampton Roads area??

Thanks for the help!

Hey Car! It's good to see you on another of my favorite threads. Wow, this sounds like it's becoming more difficult than it originally sounded in your TR I wish I could tell you exactly what to do, but since I don't live in that area, I can't really give more than my opinions. If you're going to HS in the fall, I would go ahead and start homeschooling the boys now, and try to get involved in a local hs group, so they can make some friends. Does the Hampton Roads area allow a portfolio option? That may be an option for you...a lot easier than trying to get the boys tested for 3 weeks worth of work. If that's just too much, I think you said in your TR that you would rather not have to stay in a hotel while DH goes to VA. Maybe you and the boys could stay with a friend or two until school in MD gets out. Then you could say you had finished the school year in MD and not worry about school at all when you get to VA Maybe the school will just sign off that you completed the school year in MD, and you won't have to worry about it at all. I don't think I've been much help, but I wanted to offer what advice/ ideas I could to try to help you out. Good luck!
Missy

 

[lori1043]

hey gals! There is good chance we will be moving back to Texas(we were there 12 years ago and had DD11 there). The only thing that has me excited about going is homeschooling there-it is easy to HS there-even easier than here. I will have to look up the laws to make sure they are the same,of course.

If it happens the 2 things we will miss most are our homeschool and church families.

Lori

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Lori~ you can pm me if you don't want to broadcast on here where in Tx you will be coming too. I loooooove hsing here!!! I know u will miss your church home and hs families, but hopefully we'll be a truly texan-friendly bunch and make you feel at home in no time When will you be moving? I am sure you aren't looking forward to humidity! Unless you have some where you are now.

 

[MiniGirl]

Hi, I'm new to this thread! I'm gonna start home schooling my oldest dd in the fall--she will be starting K. I've kind of read thru some of this, but it's a lot of info (which is good!) I was hoping some of you that have used Abeka and sonlight might be able to give me the good and bad of it. I'm not sure if I want to do that or just pull together the curriculum from different resources....thanks!

Welcome, AggieGirl. I didn't homeschool either of my girls for K, and I don't currently use either of those programs, so I really can't speak about them. Sonlight, however, had 2 articles on their site that I found interesting. One was "25 Reasons to Use Sonlight" and the other was "25 Reasons to Not Use Sonlight" -- or something like that. I found both articles very interesting and thought they gave a good balanced description of the pros and cons of that program.

 

[MiniGirl]

I haven't read thru all of this yet. I plan on it as soon as I get the time. We've been talking about homeschooling since before oldest DD went to kinder. She's now in 4th. We debate it all the time, I just worry about being able to do it. I'm sure it is a huge responsibility. DH suggested I try it over the summer to see how it would actually be. I wish we had thought of that sooner! So, where should I start? I'll have a 1st grader and a 5th grader. DD4 would be in preschool. Thanks for any help!

Welcome, SCHBR'smom, to the wonderful world of homeschooling. We are just finishing up our first year and have really enjoyed it. My oldest is in 3rd grade. We kept her home this year while my youngest stayed in the public school (1st). Next year both will be home with us.

If this has been on your heart for so long, then I definitely think you should do it. How do your kiddos feel about it though. I wanted to start a few years ago, but my oldest really didn't want to. Then last spring, out of the blue, she said she wanted to homeschool, so I knew the timing was right to start.

Fortunately, for you, you live in a very homeschool-friendly state, but you do need to see what your state requires of you. You also need to decide which curriculum you want to use. Do you want one that is faith-based or secular? Do you want one that is Classical in its approach or one that involves a lot of reading or hands-on projects. Would you prefer a computer-based program or do you want to do traditional schooling at home? Most people do a combination of these things. For our first year, I bought a complete program. I was completely overwhelmed by all the choices out there, so I picked one program (Adventures in My Father's World) and went with that and also ordered everything they recommended. For this coming year, I am choosing a computer-based math program for my oldest. I am hoping that will free up some time so I can work with my youngest, and our school day will still be nice and short with plenty of free time.

I think a trial run in the summer could be good, but I really think the commitment needs to be for an entire school year. Your kids, especially your oldest, needs some time to deschool and have fun before starting up right away. That wouldn't leave much time for your trial run and it really took longer than a month or so for us to get into a routine that worked for us. I would really consider making the trial run for a full year. If it doesn't work for you, they can go back to school the following year. Just take it one year at a time. That is what we are doing. We have a wonderful public school here and haven't had any real problems, so I have no problem having them there. However, we need to commit to an entire year either at home or at school.

Good luck to you. It is an awesome and wonderful responsibility. There are many times when I wonder if my dd is learning anything because I often don't feel like I am "teaching." We are just reading many wonderful books and having some great conversations about how things were back in those days. Then months later, something will come up and she'll mention something we read or discussed and I know it is all getting through AND being retained.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[dfluvsmick]

Hi. My name is Dawn and I will be homeschooling my ds (12) starting next year. We are a Christian family and absolutely love the idea of my children being taught by the people that God entrusted them to. My dh and I!!! I do believe that each child learns differently, and where my dd's are thriving in school, my ds is just not. He absolutely needs to be taught one on one. I did homeschool him in 3rd grade and we both loved it. I then gave birth to my special needs dd (almost 4), and I just felt overwhelmed. With depression hitting after her birth and all the work she needed, it just wasn't fair to him. I put him back in school and he absolutely hates it! Now my dd is in a preschool disabled class and he is begging to be home again. How can I not??? Now that you all know the basics, I just want to say that this is an awesome site.
As far as what I will be doing... I have done so much research. He is going into 7th grade and these are my choices: Saxson Math, Easy Grammer, Worldly Wise, Apologia General Science, Abeka World History and Health.
So, what do you think? Am I doing too much. I am just trying to cover what they would teach in school? I have to tell you that on Tuesdays he will be going to "FAITH Center" (Fine Arts in the Home). It is a group that meets once a week that teaches Art, Instruments, Vocal, Computers, and Drama). It is home to about 300 homeschoolers in our area. He is super excited about that.!!!
HI. I hope I get to talk to you all !!!!
..Dawn

 

[Denine]

Just wanted to say a quick hello from WDW!

 

[lori1043]

aww! Ask Mickey to send some magic this way. Our job situation is getting old-he's been laid off almost 6 months now. We had such big ideas and dreams for this time and none have really happened, yet!

I love your tag too!

DH is going to be offered a job with his old boss, and one of the very possible moves was Orlando. But that got nixed yesterday. We are very bummed.

Texas or staying home are the alternatives. They woud want us in Texas over staying home though, b/c Texas is booming so much more over Louisiana(home).

We THOUGHT we'd know today, but no.

This is getting old.

Didn't even do school today-kids cleaned their rooms-which was a BIG thing! We all need recharging!

Destin cannot come too soon- going after testing next week!

Lori

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hi. My name is Dawn and I will be homeschooling my ds (12) starting next year. We are a Christian family and absolutely love the idea of my children being taught by the people that God entrusted them to. My dh and I!!! I do believe that each child learns differently, and where my dd's are thriving in school, my ds is just not. He absolutely needs to be taught one on one. I did homeschool him in 3rd grade and we both loved it. I then gave birth to my special needs dd (almost 4), and I just felt overwhelmed. With depression hitting after her birth and all the work she needed, it just wasn't fair to him. I put him back in school and he absolutely hates it! Now my dd is in a preschool disabled class and he is begging to be home again. How can I not??? Now that you all know the basics, I just want to say that this is an awesome site.
As far as what I will be doing... I have done so much research. He is going into 7th grade and these are my choices: Saxson Math, Easy Grammer, Worldly Wise, Apologia General Science, Abeka World History and Health.
So, what do you think? Am I doing too much. I am just trying to cover what they would teach in school? I have to tell you that on Tuesdays he will be going to "FAITH Center" (Fine Arts in the Home). It is a group that meets once a week that teaches Art, Instruments, Vocal, Computers, and Drama). It is home to about 300 homeschoolers in our area. He is super excited about that.!!!
HI. I hope I get to talk to you all !!!!
..Dawn

Hey Dawn! Welcome Aboard!! Way to go for bringing your little man home. I know he is gonna be thrilled.
My son is finishing 7th grade right now. I just wanted to run something by you...we do Apologia as well and we looooove it! Have you looked into doing Teaching Textbooks for his math? It is done on the computer--you buy the disks and books and it's lectured to your child. We really liked this as math is usually our longest part of the day,,, and by 7th grade they really need to be secure in the basics. That was just my view and I felt relieved to have a "tutor". For English we used Rod & Staff this year. It was the first time I used it and I was very impressed. The one thing I liked was that the lessons were short and to the point. They learned a lot this year and they didn't get bored due to the shorter lessons.
We used ABeka History for 5th grade and it was a lot! I don't know about 7th grade though. We used a history that uses more literature. If he's doing the FAITH group as well, I think that he's gonna have plenty to do!!!!
Oh, we did use Wordly Wise last year and it was fun---I think you'll like that.
That's just a peek at what we did this year... for what it's worth!!!

 

[desparatelydisney]

desperatelydisney, I see that you're leaving for Disney soon, we are too. We have 14 days to go. We'll be staying at All Star Movies for 7 nights We may run into each other and never even know it!!!

I think you said you check in the 11th? We check out on the 13th. The 12th is MK day for us and the 13th is probably back to MK but maybe AK instead

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I think you said you check in the 11th? We check out on the 13th. The 12th is MK day for us and the 13th is probably back to MK but maybe AK instead

Hey, we'll be in the same parks then. I actually check in on the 12th. My plane lands at 9:05am We'll probably head over to the MK around 3 or 4 and stay until it closes!!! The 13th will be our AK day because it has EMH night We also have a dismeet at AK on the 13 at 12pm at the safari!!!! Cannot wait for that, I will be meeting about 4 other families. How exciting!!!! Maybe we'll see ya there. Check out my pre trip report for pics, if you recognize us there, say hello!!!!

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Ok, I finally decided on Truthquest, I was just looking over it again, and it looks great, and best of all, it looks like I can use it with all 3 of the girls (5,7,and 9)
I'm just as excited about History now as I am when I decided on Apologia for Science. YaHoo!!!!

 

[WeDisney4]

Ok, I finally decided on Truthquest, I was just looking over it again, and it looks great, and best of all, it looks like I can use it with all 3 of the girls (5,7,and 9)

I'm just as excited about History now as I am when I decided on Apologia for Science. YaHoo!!!!

I was just coming to post we are usuing TQ! I didn't do as much research as science because we were just going to stay w/ the hisrtory from Seton, but someone from our HS group was selling it for $8.

So far I really, really like it, the only problem I see is our library did not have many of the books, maybe 1 or 2 out of 10.

I actually go today to pu the ones the library does have & see if we can make them work, otherwise I'm sure I can find a few used at decent prices.

Our Apologia science kits just arrived & the notebooks that were on backorder, just shipped! We are soooo excited we are going to continue yr. round! We Love Homeschooling!

Have a magical weekend!

 

[Disneynut5]

I am struggling with History and Science also. I wish that I coudl find a curriculum that did not require so much from me on these two subjects. We are using Mystery of History Volume 1 right now and are no where near finishing it but it does require a lot from me and I am not sure my children are really remembering much!

Any suggestions. I think my kids need more worksheets in this are and most history curriculums are all about reading...we read a lot but my kids need some worksheets to reinforce the readings.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I am struggling with History and Science also. I wish that I coudl find a curriculum that did not require so much from me on these two subjects. We are using Mystery of History Volume 1 right now and are no where near finishing it but it does require a lot from me and I am not sure my children are really remembering much!

Any suggestions. I think my kids need more worksheets in this are and most history curriculums are all about reading...we read a lot but my kids need some worksheets to reinforce the readings.

We're new at this, so I don't have any experience, but I was thinking the same thing about History. "If there are no worksheets and we'll just be reading, how on earth are they going to remember it all" Then I was thinking, i'd make up my own little worksheets along the way. Maybe 1 or 2 for each chapter/section, with a few little questions to refresh their memories and make sure they were paying attention. Cause I know far too well how easy it is for the mind to wonder when being read to Now my 5 yr old, and even my 7 yr old(who has dev.delays) may not be able to answer too many questions, but I can have them color something or draw pictures related to who or what we were reading about.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I was just looking through one of the books on Truthquest's website and it seems like a lot(which is better than not enough)

For those who have used this, do you finish it within the "schoolyear"?
And how many times a week do you do History?

I know you don't HAVE to finish everything, they don't in public school, but I don't want to waste any material that we could have learned about, I would like enough time to get to everything. Like I said this upcoming school year will be my first year, so maybe i'm expecting too much. Please tell me if I am or not? I don't want to drive the kids and especially myself NUTS!!!
Thank You!!!

 

[wvdislover]

I just ordered Truthquest's Ancient Egypt and Greece for us to use next year! Very excited about it! Now, I have to figure out which Apologia to use with DD11 (she'll be in 7th grade). I am looking forward to attending the NC Homeschool Conference later this month, so I can look at the books and make a better decision. Anyone else going to this?

 

[DisneyMom5]

1) We use Sonlight and I love, love, love it! All my pre-planning is done.
We've used it since 2000, and have used everything from K to 100.
I don't always do everything they list, nor do I always do it in their order, but I have so much fun pre-reading all those awesome books, and I have learned more history than I did in all of my schooling.
We don't currently use their LA, though I think it is a great program, just too hard for me to use with 7 kids. We have most of their science books, but don't do the worksheets. Now we're using a lot of Abeka.

2) Anyone use Queen Homeschool Language Arts by Sandi Queen?
I am leaning toward this, but would love some thoughts.