Homeschool Chat

[DisneyDizzy]

disneydizzy...my middle child (boy #2) is just like that. He does have a handful of friends from church ---they are hsers also----, but he is also the kid who can entertain himself for hours on end!!! He is sweet and likes his friends, but too much overwhelms him. I am like that also....his dad is a different story....he thrives on people. It is hard for me, because just being with us is enough for me.... but not dh. He could have invented the phrase " people person"....so, while he is little, keep exposing him to people. He may just not have found a friend that he clicks with yet. He will. Just don't totally overwhelm him with outings and too much.

We went to the park day and had a pretty good time. I think he's just overwhelmed. We moved about a month ago clear to the other side of the country. I do think I was pushing him a bit, just wanting us to "fit" here. We're going to do the smaller activities and get togethers and just start small for now. Thanks everyone.

 

[NHWX]

We got through a year of our 4-H club and everyone learned many things, not the least of which is that we need by-laws to govern the overall structure/flow of the group. If anyone has publicly available by-laws, I'd love to take a look at them.

Thanks, NHWX

 

[3princesses+aprince]

How is everyone's summer going? Are you all getting ready to start up soon? Although I know most of us do a lot during the summer too!!! We have been, but we're officially starting on August 24th. This will be our first year homeschooling so we're excited about getting everything ready to go!! The more I plan out our lessons the better I feel about teaching my children, I am starting to feel like I got everything under control, although this week before planning out our math lessons I was feeling a little overwhelmed.... I'm good now

How's everyone else doing?

 

[fabumouse]

How's everyone else doing?

Ha! Just like last year, I'm nervous and afraid that I'm not "doing it right".

So I keep reminding myself how much time was wasted in the public school and how much she learned during the first year of homeschooling.

 

[jenn-]

We officially started our new year on Monday. So far it hasn't been too bad. A few decree's from DD that she hates Biology, but other than that, no real drama. I have a feeling she is "earning" an overnight at a friend's house might be playing into her good behavior though.

My boys had a solid first week, and I am anxious to start adding in our math program. They had fun working on it last year (I think it has something to do with the building blocks ), so I am hoping they still enjoy it after it starts to get harder. Right now they are both resistant to "handwriting" so I am trying to slip it in without calling it handwriting.

 

[MomTo4+more]

We start tomorrow! The girls will be in 5th and 2nd grades, and my son is starting K. We will start everything but french and latin this week. We will add in the languages next week. I finished hanging maps, posters, and a blank timeline to finish as we study history. Lesson plans are in order at least until after Christmas. we are ready to go!

Now the trick will be completing it all while keeping up with the baby's therapies and maintaining sanity! Baby girl has 12 hours of therapy a week - some at home and some that is center based. Tomorrow they will do their independent reading while we are at aural rehab. Tuesday we will pack up a few subjects and take school on the road. It is certainly going to be an interesting year!

 

[littlepeppers]

Anyone doind the Baby Can Read series.

My MIL bought it for DD & it just came in. Like I don't have enought to do w/ HS DS for the 1st time, keeping up the house, & cooking, but we will give it a go.

I'm making DS her teacher. He could use some help in reading himself, so I'm hoping that it will help him too.

 

[lori123]

Just venting...

I can't choose a curriculum for kindergarten-age work. I think I've heard of them all, but I can't decide. What makes it harder is that so many of them are religious and we are NOT, and while hubby would just leave it out, I just wish the religious stuff was add-on...not stuff you have to leave off. Harumph.

And I don't even WANT to do a curriculum yet, not really. I was in Montessori until I started 1st, and that wasn't kindergarten. It was a great school in Maria's tradition, but b/c I was there for only 2 years, and because things were presented in a way so different from the school I went to for 1st, i didn't even realize for YEARS that I was doing addition and subtraction before 1st grade...didn't know I knew it b/c it was shown so differently, LOL.

I'm digressing. I feel the need to get a system b/c of DS. He wants it. Craves it. He learns SO differently than I did/do. He begged for workbooks and specific learning time when he wasn't even 4 yet.... He wants to officially learn something, and I'm trying to meet his needs...but I just can't decide.

And I was forgetful, and ended up being in CA during the big WA homeschool thing...and forgot to tell hubby to go to it. Neither one of us has actually put hands on any of the books of the different curricula, and that would make such a difference.


I don't really want internet-based stuff. DS gets a bit of computer time, and I don't feel that he needs to do his learning work there...

Oh, and I'm shy and hate the phone, so I don't want to actually CALL these places to talk, LOL.

Aughhhh.

Vent done. Thanks for reading.


Oh wait...two (sets of) questions.

Can you do K12 without doing it online? You do actually get books and worksheets, right?

and

Does Kumon have an actual program (not at their facilities) that could be used as homeschool work? Or are they only a tutoring company and a company that puts out books that DS loves to learn from?

I'm not sure how much help I will be because this is our first year - but here goes
We are doing K12 this year - through WAVA - I received all my supplies and there were so many books, workbooks and teacher manuals. From what I understand the only thing the kids do online is the assessments - and I get my lesson plans and log our school time there. So I would guess if you ordered K12 you would get all the workbooks and teacher manual too....

 

[lori123]

I've looked into Calvert...I can't totally figure out their pricing structure, and what the online support cost really is...looks spendy! Of course, they all are.

Which then, after my vent, brought me to the K12-online charter school pages, and I got really tempted. But I'm kind of an all or nothing person, which I'm trying to work on really I am, and that feels like quitting or something, to me, in my mind, for us. I hear others talk about it, and it sounds so cool, but for me and my son, when I think about it, it sounds negative. Stupid of me. I mentioned it to hubby and mentioned the whole "then it taps into school funds so it's free" and he just about fainted in joy.

I sent an online message to them, and they're having an ice cream thing next week, so maybe I'll go meet up with some people, talk about what the day to day difference is, doing it "through" a school district.


Back to Calvert, I really like the idea that day to day lessons are nicely set out.


It's funny, most of my family and friends think I'm a big 'ol hippie (I'm actually only sort of one...vegetarian but I kill spiders or order my Buddhist hubby to kill them, poor dude, I have wildly varying political views, etc etc etc etc), and if they knew about unschooling I'm sure they would think I'd be drawn to that...but neither DS nor I are! We want structure, and I can't yet seem to find a structure (what the heck are they "supposed to" learn by the time they are 18, anyway? lol...I can't find that on the WA school district's info website anymore, they moved it!), we both love workbooks (me just to zoom through the pages and have a stack of finished things...DS b/c they feel official to him)...but he REALLY doesn't "get" the concept that he actually is learning even when he doesn't think he is. He also has these fabulous innate/intuitive grasps of things like numbers, and until he thinks about it he can do addition and every so often subtraction...and no matter what, I do not want to mess that up!


I'm just blathering at this point. Thank you for the Calvert suggestion.

Just wondering if you went to the social!! I was there with my two kiddos and hubby. We plan to go to the next one on the 19th as well!

 

[chicagoshannon]

I know a lot of us started back up today. How did it go for everyone?

We started our calendar today. Madeline loved putting up the day of the week and the weather. We also worked on cutting and tracing. She's starting to get the tracing. Cutting is difficult. She likes to turn her hand in an odd way when trying to use the scissors. I'm not exactly sure how to teach her to use them correctly.

 

[Nicolepa]

I'm not sure how much help I will be because this is our first year - but here goes
We are doing K12 this year - through WAVA - I received all my supplies and there were so many books, workbooks and teacher manuals. From what I understand the only thing the kids do online is the assessments - and I get my lesson plans and log our school time there. So I would guess if you ordered K12 you would get all the workbooks and teacher manual too....

This is our first year with WAVA too. My son got all his workbooks and such in the mail. It is my understanding that there is no printed teacher guide for the lower grades. All of that is found online. I have been working on the math with him (we've had our books for several weeks) and all the assesments are in the workbooks. I just have to input his scores when he's done. I think for some of the subjects it is done online and there are some games they can play online but most of their work for at least K, 1st is done with paper and pencil.

 

[Mommy2three]

We are waiting for our curriculum from the k12 virtual public charter school. Supposed to be here by the 15th of this month and supposed to be able to log on around the 14th of this month although actual school doesnt start until Sept. 1. But am hoping to get the books and start on some of the bookwork so we are ahead of the game when we go on our disney trip the 22-29th of Sept and wont have to worry about doing the work while there! We have been doing some stuff over the summer, though not as heavily as we do during the school year, just some math and reading things.

 

[DawnM]

Our state doesn't offer any curriculum.

We officially started our new year 2 weeks ago.

I really wanted to switch to My Father's World this year, but I had the Sonlight here so we will finish that first and then switch.

Here is our current plan:

Sonlight 3+4 this year (picking and choosing, not doing it all)
Homeschool in the Woods activity packs for US History
Christian Light Education Language Arts, Bible, and Reading workbooks
All about Spelling
Simply Music Piano at home


Extra Curricular:

Golf
Cub/boy scouts
Art (maybe, still deciding)

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I'm not sure how many brand new homeschoolers are on here, like myself, but while watching the news yesterday they were saying this coming school year was going to be pretty bad for the spreading of the swine flu and regular flu. My dd's school was infested with the swine flu the last week of school this year, I didn't even send them, over half the school was out sick, but they did not close, not even for a few days.

Just so relieved that we do not have to deal with this, especially through the winter months, when of course it's always easier to catch illness with everything closed up. Now of course you can find germs in stores and on shopping carts but no where in the world spreads a cold/flu like a public school does.

 

[Denine]

Calvert:
THis will be our 4th year using Calvert and we love it. You don't need to do the ATS, we haven't yet. I don't think it is necessary at such young ages. DD will be in 2nd grade. It is a bit pricey, but sooo worth it to me to have it all laid out. They include everything you need in the box. DD loves it when the box comes and she wants to open it right away.

DD took the CAT this past spring and scored in the 98th percentile.

We may start school next week or we may wait until the following week.

DD has been sick all summer. She went to the ENT on Monday and had a CAT scan on Tuesday. Now, we are waiting for results.

 

[Lora]

I'm not sure how many brand new homeschoolers are on here, like myself, but while watching the news yesterday they were saying this coming school year was going to be pretty bad for the spreading of the swine flu and regular flu. My dd's school was infested with the swine flu the last week of school this year, I didn't even send them, over half the school was out sick, but they did not close, not even for a few days.

Just so relieved that we do not have to deal with this, especially through the winter months, when of course it's always easier to catch illness with everything closed up. Now of course you can find germs in stores and on shopping carts but no where in the world spreads a cold/flu like a public school does.

This is definitely one of the perks of HSing that I have greatly appreciated. When your kids wake up and say they're not feeling well, you can:
a) let them sleep in
b) make them get up and see how they are after breakfast, a shower, etc.

and NOT feel guilty that they're missing a day of school.

If it turns out they're not really that sick, you get to work. If they are sick you can:
a) read to them while they stay in their jammies
b) let them go back to bed
c) make them do math anyway because you're a tyrant and it's just a cold, after all.

Ah...freedom and flexibility.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Does anyone here use Saxon math? How about Singapore math? I have a 6th grade son and his math skills seem sub-par to me and I'm wondering what your opinions are on these two different curricula?

Thanks!

Karen

 

[Tink561]

Calvert:
THis will be our 4th year using Calvert and we love it. You don't need to do the ATS, we haven't yet. I don't think it is necessary at such young ages. DD will be in 2nd grade. It is a bit pricey, but sooo worth it to me to have it all laid out. They include everything you need in the box. DD loves it when the box comes and she wants to open it right away.

DD took the CAT this past spring and scored in the 98th percentile.

We may start school next week or we may wait until the following week.

DD has been sick all summer. She went to the ENT on Monday and had a CAT scan on Tuesday. Now, we are waiting for results.

I used Calvert 4th & 5th with my two younger sons. I wish I would have stayed with it for them but we moved on to other things. I'm going to use it with my dd and I think it will be easier for me since she is the only one who will be homeschooling. Our pre-K box arrived on Monday and I can't wait to start next week.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I know a lot of us started back up today. How did it go for everyone?

We started our calendar today. Madeline loved putting up the day of the week and the weather. We also worked on cutting and tracing. She's starting to get the tracing. Cutting is difficult. She likes to turn her hand in an odd way when trying to use the scissors. I'm not exactly sure how to teach her to use them correctly.

Not sure if this will help--but I think it is normal for children to "go wacky" with how they use the scissors.

I wasn't sure what to do--then I just decided to focus on where their thumb should go. The thumb is ALWAYS in the upper position. In no time--they were getting better at cutting without turning their hand sideways. Keeping the thumb up keeps the blades upright. Sometimes I would prompt their hand to get the thumb up b/c at first they would just stand their thumb straight up--and then drop the scissors. Thumb up simply means the knuckle is up--not to give me a "thumb's up".

I also let them...."play" with scissors . By that I mean--supervised--I just let them cut paper at random (while only making sure their thumb was up).

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Does anyone here use Saxon math? How about Singapore math? I have a 6th grade son and his math skills seem sub-par to me and I'm wondering what your opinions are on these two different curricula?

Thanks!

Karen

I have "heard' that Saxon is excellent and I have friends that use this program. I also have attended a homeschool conference and some of the speakers (who are unaffiliated with Saxon) recommended it as well.

We are in our 4th year of Math U See and we love that program. I love how the lessons are explained to the students as it is in precisely the way that I comprehend math. Though they have all the blocks and stuff--my oldest (beginning 4th grade) only uses them when she feels she needs them.

I've only known people with young children who use Singapore and love it. Most of my circle either uses Saxon, Abeka, textbooks (my friend using Saxon is using a college level math book for her 14yo teaching the age appropriate concepts but with much more problems), as well as Math U See.