*** Homeschool List ***

[nemonoah]

This is really cool! I am seriously thinking about homeschooling my son, and he is only 2 right now! I just dont think that the school district that we live in is up to par, and I thought about a Charter school, but my SIL who's a teacher (in a different district) says they are not that good either, so I am really glad that I stumbled across this thread. I think my DH thinks I am crazy, but I really think my son could get a better education from me than public school.

 

[Denine]

We are using Calvert for Kindergarten and we are starting Tuesday.
DD would be bored if we didn't have something concrete to do every day. She loves school and can't wait to start. I like that it is all spelled out for me. It is pricey, but worth it to me and DH. We are using Horizon's for math because DD is already beyond most of what Calvert will be teaching for K. I will re-evaluate math next year.

 

[goofymom67]

Hi Everyone, I love Disney and Homeschooling so I'm very excited to find this thread We'll be starting our 7th year homeschooling our 3 daughters (15, 12, and 10 on Monday). I'm trying to go back on the old posts and read them all they are so interesting and full of info. Glad to be here!

 

[disneymom3]

This will be our first year homeschooling. Ds will be in kindergarten and I have no idea what I should try, curriculum-wise. We really just need to stick to the basics for this year, I think, so I don't know if we even really need a curriculum. Any ideas?
My ds has a lot of attention-span issues, so that makes it a bit challenging.
Thanks for any help

Depends on the kind of stuff your child likes. FIAR is a good idea but I had one son who loved it and one who hated the idea of reading the book over and over and not doing something new each day. He is my one who is hardest to teach. Just not a typical learner at all. For him, I used My Father's World Kindergarten and it was great. Lots of hands on science type of stuff. We learned different things about rocks and water and how big is the sun compared to the earth. Math consisted of calendar type stuff with making patterns each day and putting pennies in a cup working up to nickles and dimes. It was perfect for him and easy as pie to implement. There are some nice early phonics worked in too as well as penmanship. I think that new it costs about $135. We bought it used and you can often find it on ebay.

 

[Brier Rose]

Still no ideas on how to meet the Science Labs requirements?

 

[jaycns]

Still no ideas on how to meet the Science Labs requirements?

Have you checked out local colleges? I know that here they offer AP high school lab classes to home schoolers.

Or do you have a home school co-op in your area that might be doing a lab class?

I am planning on doing the lab stuff at home when the boys get older (until they are juniors/seniors, then I plan on sending them to the local university for dual credit classes in science).

 

[disneymom3]

Still no ideas on how to meet the Science Labs requirements?

Do you have any high school age homeschool groups in your area? We have one called Youth Educated at Home and they provide classes (for a fee of course) that include science labs. My intention actually is to have DD take advantage of the open enrollment we have at colleges in MN which is available to high school jrs and srs. They can attend classes for free. Other than that I am not there yet so I am not much help.

ETA--well, I was really not any help. I had not seen jaycns' reply before I wrote mine and we both said basically the same thing~!

 

[graygables]

Handwriting. Ugh.

Both DDs were on an IEP and had OT last year for handwriting and fine motor. Since we're no longer with a "public school" (e-school) we are on our own.

I'm not well-versed in teaching handwriting (Milton's Paradise Lost I can handle... ) and would really prefer to have someone else do it. We've got the HWT materials, but DDs and I have most of our conflicts over handwriting exercises. 11yo has a TERRIBLE time making the "conversion" in her mind between cursive and block letters. We've tried all kinds of things (printing her spelling list with both block and cursive, using a "cheat" with the block/cursive, etc). 8yo is still writing worse than a 1st grader, despite the OT. She just can't seem to manage the pencil correctly yet, transposes and mirrors nearly everything. 11yo is also Asperger's and a perfectionist, so most of her handwritten work winds up buried in a trash can somewhere with her in tears. It's just more drama than I can take!

Should I consider hiring a tutor for them? An OT is WAY too expensive (and no insurance). Should I just tough it out and try to do it on my own?

 

[disneymom3]

graygables--what about typing? Does the older one have any keyboarding skills? Maybe with the OT issues, handwriting is just never going to be a good fit for her. Otherwise, you are already using my fav for struggling writers, HWOT. That has made such a difference for DS. His writing is still pretty bad, but at least now people other than me can make out the words if they concentrate!

I am wondering if anyone can tell me if I need the actual textbook/workbook for Teaching Textbooks Math 7. How much practice is there on the CDs? DD picks up concepts fast. REally fast. And I am wondering if she will have enough review with the practice lessons on the CDs or not. I was reading a review and the person said her DS did not use the book.

 

[GreatLakes5]

Hi to the new faces and welcome to the thread!!

I have been thinking about all you guys lately and wondering how everyone's summer is going. GreatLakes--how has your new schedule worked out? Are you and the kids liking it?

Oh, did I have a new schedule?!? It's worked great in that we haven't schooled for about 3 weeks now! Ugh. Between the Little League and VBS I was quite over-zealous in my plan. And now we start fitting our vacations in since ball has ended. THAT said.....we'll be heading to Gettysburg for a week and that just screams EDUCATIONAL so I'm feeling okay

We have kept up on math and phonics and a lot of reading - it's just not quite as structed as I planned (as I like).

Big Rainbow Resource order is ready to go....I'm starting to get excited by the back to school stuff at Target....nothing like those new crayons and school stuff - I love that since we homeschool I've never had to actually stop enjoying the back to school supplies....(Yes, it's an illness )

 

[jaycns]

Big Rainbow Resource order is ready to go....I'm starting to get excited by the back to school stuff at Target....nothing like those new crayons and school stuff - I love that since we homeschool I've never had to actually stop enjoying the back to school supplies....(Yes, it's an illness )

I have that same affliction. I still love the new school supplies myself...heck, I even found myself sniffing a new box of crayons and smiling the other day!!

 

[Blueyed Girl]

I would love a homeschooling board!

I have been homeschooling my son since 2 years old (he's now 3) using the Abeka curriculum. However, I have noticed that he learns much easier and faster (I can hold his attention better) using flash cards. I use the ABC's and the 123's flashcards. I have also found it easier to teach him how to write letters by writing them on his chalkboard easel and having him trace them. We are about to start again with the pencil and teaching him how to hold it properly. We also enjoy an arts & crafts time every other day if not every day.

Anyway, he will be starting pre-k next summer when he's 4. Mostly for socialization as there are not really any kids his age to play with around here.

 

[graygables]

We need an intervention. DDs were in an e-school (homeschooling with state oversight) and we just got their test scores from last year. Both of them have special needs and were on IEPs, but still had to take the tests. Reading was great, better than I expected, esp since 11yo has only been able to read for 2 years. She was proficient, 8yo was accelerated.

Math was a whole other story. 8yo was almost proficient, 11yo was "limited". I should say the 8yo's peers are 2nd graders, she's in 3rd, so I'm not too worried about her yet. 11yo just cannot get interested in math, so it is in one ear and out the other. I have to re-teach concepts over and over and over again and she still doesn't remember it the next day. She can remember what she had for breakfast the day we brought the youngest home from the hospital (when she was 2 1/2), but she can't remember "perpendicular" from yesterday's lesson/practice.

I will admit that my main focus has been the reading. I feel that once reading is fluent, the rest will eventually come. With math, I've tried to focus on consumer math and practical things. Yes, she needs to know the basics of geometry, but I'm concerned that her indifference and frustration with math are only going to grow (BTDT)

I'm planning to take an "unschooling" approach to math this year and see if I can spark a little interest, but if anyone has any suggestions for resources for kids struggling with math, I'd appreciate it!

 

[GreatLakes5]

I'm planning to take an "unschooling" approach to math this year and see if I can spark a little interest, but if anyone has any suggestions for resources for kids struggling with math, I'd appreciate it!

Two things came to my mind right away....I know that the Moore's (Raymond and Dorothy...big homeschooling proponents from way back) advocate waiting on math until later in the schooling process...that reading and comprehension should be tackled first as they are necessary components for math (as well as science)....I don't go for their ideas myself BUT I can see that if you have a child who struggles beyond the norm (there are a lot of math haters out there - even adults )

Secondly, I have math kids all over the place. My eldest will remember uncanny things but stills cores very average on Iowa Basics. My middle son is a math savant of sorts yet he operates on his own terms - when he doesn't feel like doing math he doesn't excel. My youngest is a girl and needs color - we use Saxon but I supplement her with Alpha Omega because it's colorful and moves faster.

Have you tried the "Key To" series? They are cheap (inexpensive) and focus on only one concept at a time. These have worked for my eldest, non-math kid.

 

[lori1043]

HI! I have been homeschooling for 3 years-2 have been consecutive and we are starting the 3rd year! I have a DD9 and DD7. We use a variety and even different LA curr. for each DD. I cannot imagine my life any other way right now and DH and I are happy with HS'ing very much!
I'd love to join a HS board!!

Lori

 

[Denine]

Tomorrow is DD's first day of Kindergarten! She can't wait! We are only doing 2 days this week and then we will start full time next week.

We finished music class today.

 

[disneymom3]

Denine--have fun on your first day of school!

As for math, I was going to suggest Key To also. They present concepts in a way that just sticks I think. Don't know what it is about them. Is your DD more of a hands on or visual learner. (Or auditory for that matter.) There are a few books out there on math games that are great. DD hates drilling on multiplying and dividing and even though she knows the concepts is not very fast still. She has gotten way better with playing games though--Cinco, Toss Up and Yahtzee are great math games. I have also had luck with the Jumpstart Adventures CD games for computer. THey come geared toward a certain age/grade. All of my kids like those.

I have to share some fabulous news with all of you!! I posted last Thurs on a local curriculum exchange board about wanting to buy Teaching Textbooks Math 7. Within hours I had someone who has the whole set including the workbook which her son did not use, and is willing to sell it for 65% off retail!! Wooohoooo! Man does that improve my budget for school for this fall!

 

[disneydreamin-gang]

I have used Math-U-See in the past and it worked great. They have several manipulative's and the kids learned with it. It worked great for the older children but my 2 youngest are special needs so I am taking it slower and using the manipulatives to teach them with. It seems when they can move the pieces around and use their hands it sticks better.

Now for curriculum. I have some Switched On Schoolhouse I would love to get rid of. 3rd, 4th and 5th grades all in good condition and only used once to download. I would be willing to sell to anyone interested. Of course the money will go into our Disney fund 2008. You can PM me and I'll give you the details.


PS I love this thread and would love to have a board of our own. There sure seems to be alot of homeschooling Disney fans out there.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Selling isn't allowed on the Dis.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

Hi to the new faces and welcome to the thread!!

THAT said.....we'll be heading to Gettysburg for a week and that just screams EDUCATIONAL so I'm feeling okay

OH you will LOVE Gettysburg. It is one of our favorite places to go. I love little round top. You get such a feeling there, it is hard to explain. Maybe a feeling of gratitude.