*** Homeschool List ***

[TNKBELL]

Sha-Lyn...I feel your pain!!! I am Catholic and as Lori said, I couldn't imagine life without Him. Our HS group is starting a P.E. class and I suggested we do kid's yoga, well...you would have thought I said Russian Roulette or something.. I got a lecture about how it is actually a form of Eastern Prayer and we wouldn't want our children to "fall" into that!! Oh for Pete's sake!!! None of my yoga videos even talk about religion...they are all just about form and excercise, Oh well I guess I learned something.

We are all homeschoolers and we are independant and it's wonderful getting to know all of you on this thread!!!

 

[sha_lyn]

completely off the home school topic for a moment:
Let's hit the other hot button issue, Religion LOL

It's sort of hard to describe my personal faith. The path I chose to express it is Wicca, but I incorporate so much more beyond that. Much of it come from my growing up as a Baptist, but just as much comes from the teachings of Buddha, and from so many religions. Do I believe Jesus existed, yes, but I don't take the bible literally (IE I don't believe in the new earth theory). I see it more of an guide book on one path of enlightenment. I guess my faith is like the way we homeschool....very eclectic.

Oh and I might be signing DD up for a Christan Arts program LOL.
It's only $30 a quarter for 3 classes, Guitar, Drama and Choir. A friend says while there is Christan content in the choir, the rest really doesn't have any. There isn't a statement of faith or anything like that.
I don't mind exposing DD to the Christian content at all. I believe it's best to let her learn about all religions, and especially one so prominent in our area. My one and only concern is how will she/we be treated.

 

[sha_lyn]

Sha-Lyn...I feel your pain!!! I am Catholic and as Lori said, I couldn't imagine life without Him. Our HS group is starting a P.E. class and I suggested we do kid's yoga, well...you would have thought I said Russian Roulette or something.. I got a lecture about how it is actually a form of Eastern Prayer and we wouldn't want our children to "fall" into that!! Oh for Pete's sake!!! None of my yoga videos even talk about religion...they are all just about form and excercise, Oh well I guess I learned something.

We are all homeschoolers and we are independant and it's wonderful getting to know all of you on this thread!!!

LOL about the yoga. I can't even remember who said it, but I remember someone saying something similar yrs ago when I suggested they enroll their child in marital arts.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

I am in the same boat as some of you. I'm very much a Christian but I TOTALLY believe that kids should be taught about all religions and why "we" believe ours. That way they can believe in their religion b/c they sought it out...not b/c they were forced to believe it or else. We love Harry Potter as well, well, really its just me, DH watches the movies but has never read a book. Anywho, I really like the Sonlight curriculum b/c the focus is on learning through literature. I ordered a catalog and read through all the books that are assigned. I was REALLY impressed. There are so many different books about so many different cultures. Another thing I like is they point out the fact that most traditional schools spend about 80% of their History lesons on the United States, which only constitutes like 5% of recorded history. (something like that...) They teach a lot about World History. I appreciate that there are religous lessons included; but it doesn't saturate everything else and looks as though a secular person could leave that part out if they wanted. I am extremely excited to get started with their curriculum. I like that it teaches your child to think and not just memorize and regurgitate facts. Has anyone else tried Sonlight?? I'd be interested to know what you thought/think????

 

[Lisa Hale]

LOL about the yoga. I can't even remember who said it, but I remember someone saying something similar yrs ago when I suggested they enroll their child in marital arts.

Awwww, Grasshopper....judgment runs rife when ignorance is allowed to flourish.

Okay, so maybe that wouldn't make it into a fortune cookie or anything, , but seriously, there is a huge difference between someone calling themselves a Christian and someone striving to be Christ-like. Not to start a huge religious debate (like I said earlier, it's each person's personal decision), but I do feel truly saddened when I hear of anyone being treated poorly by a group calling themselves Christian. The basis of our faith is that we follow Christ. I do believe that my Bible notes many, many times when Christ ate with and walked with and talked with those of other or no faith. I do not believe He was rude or self-righteous (ironically), but rather spiritual in all matters.

Homeschoolers, by their very definition have set themselves apart from others. By segregating ourselves further we lose so much that I believe was created within us to share and experience and learn from the differences in one another. It doesn't matter what anyone does or doesn't believe, respect is deserved by all - if you 'are' an acting Christian, it is demanded to be given to all.

That said, Sha-Lyn, my apologies to you on behalf of those who have lost out on getting to know a very articulate and interesting person. Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to experience friendship with some through whom the true joy and happiness of Christianity is allowed to flourish. One of the first things I learned as a Christian is that while I am to judge some situations, I am not to stand in judgment of anyone other than myself - which keeps me quite busy!

 

[sha_lyn]

Sonlight..... Yes it can very easily be adapted for secular homeschooling or for use by those of other faiths. Their literature method would have worked great for me as a kid. DD and DS OTOH do better with everything right there in plain sight in B&W. I keep trying to throw bits of literature based curriculum or Charlotte Mason method into the mix, but not enough to overwhelm DD. For now she loves her workbooks. There is a secular sonlight yahoo group.


Thank you everyone for the kind words. 2 of my friends are very devout Christians and are 2 of most non-judge mental people I know.
They are both leaders in DD's GS troop (of which I am the Daisy leader officially as of last week). When we were sitting around last week we were joking around and I told them to watch out they would soon be out numbered in the troop. One said well then it was about time to get started converting all of us. We can all talk very openly and most of the time we don't offend at all LOL

 

[lexeka]

Sadly, we are all still just joining this list! I would so love to have our own forum/subforum but so far that is not happening. Keep posting and maybe they will decide we are active enough.


I have a question for everyone. We have a co-op that we are trying to figure out what to categorize as. We who are in it are all Christian but we do not teach church/religion/faith related issues at co-op. Our stance is that each family wants to address that at home in what way works for them. What we are finding is that we have trouble with people expecting us to be very religious or getting this attitude that we are not Christian at all because we don't open every class with prayer. We need to figure out what to call ourselves. Secular does not feel right, but yet we don't want to go with being a Christian group either as we don't want to set up that expectation. We have had issues in the past with, for instance, a mom that got very very upset when the kids were learning what the 7 Pillars of Islam are. (We were studying the SOTW book which covers Mohammed.) The kids weren't even memorizing them or anything just learning WHAT they were. Anyway, she left in a big uproar.

So, anyone got any good ideas for how to state what we are??

Why don't you pull something from the Bible and use it as your name. Nothing real deep but might let people know that you serve Jesus Christ. For instance, my friend has a painting business and he named it "A Coat of Many Colors". Not saying it needs to be along those lines but something were you don't put Christian or Secular in the title but that the title somehow speaks for itself.

My brother's got a band called ThyWillBeDone and although they do not sing Christian music, they feel their name speaks for their beliefs.

Just an idea.

 

[lexeka]

I am in the same boat as some of you. I'm very much a Christian but I TOTALLY believe that kids should be taught about all religions and why "we" believe ours. That way they can believe in their religion b/c they sought it out...not b/c they were forced to believe it or else. We love Harry Potter as well, well, really its just me, DH watches the movies but has never read a book. Anywho, I really like the Sonlight curriculum b/c the focus is on learning through literature. I ordered a catalog and read through all the books that are assigned. I was REALLY impressed. There are so many different books about so many different cultures. Another thing I like is they point out the fact that most traditional schools spend about 80% of their History lesons on the United States, which only constitutes like 5% of recorded history. (something like that...) They teach a lot about World History. I appreciate that there are religous lessons included; but it doesn't saturate everything else and looks as though a secular person could leave that part out if they wanted. I am extremely excited to get started with their curriculum. I like that it teaches your child to think and not just memorize and regurgitate facts. Has anyone else tried Sonlight?? I'd be interested to know what you thought/think????

I HATED Sonlight. My dd did it for First Grade and it was just so over the top! The following year we did LifePacs, which I hated just as much. I went from one extreme to the other.

This year we are using Horizons and some Bob Jones. So far the Bob Jones doesn't have a huge Christian slant in history and science, but we'll see as we get into it.

Sonlight was so much work and my dd just didn't retain with all that reading. She needs more hands on than that.

 

[lexeka]

I feel learning about different cultures/religions is necessary. If you learn only one view, and even one that you have strong beleifs in, how can you KNOW WHY it's for you. For me, part of my faith journey has been opening myself up to knowing about our differences-it has made me feel more definite about the one I have chosen and the one me and DH have chosen to teach our children and grow them up in. Now i am talking mostly in Christian "religions" and learning about Jesus' religion-judaism-you really get to know about Him better by learning his beliefs, I think. I know about other non Christian faiths, but they are not for me. But some Christians avoid things like yoga and the above mentioned books,Eygyptian history, the Greek mythical gods and even WDW(knowing the pricesses and pirates!), in FEAR of choosing a wrong path or thinking it will entice thier children in making a wrong choice. THAT , for us, is going overboard. And some kids/adults have it in thier personality to explore and not just accept due to mom or dad or whoever telling you so. Not every kid, but I really think MOST are curious. you need to give them reason why we are doing things the way we choose to do them. I, for one, CHOOSE to know and love and be thankful to Jesus for my life, not because someone told me to or taught me I had too. It used to be that way, but no longer.

Hope i haven't stirred the pot-Lori

Amen, Lori. Amen!

 

[Lisa Hale]

This year we are using Horizons and some Bob Jones. So far the Bob Jones doesn't have a huge Christian slant in history and science, but we'll see as we get into it.

Lexeka, We have used several courses of Bob Jones over the years and liked some, disliked others. It just depends on the course. We do, however, like a lot of Glencoe materials. They are broad in scope and much more attention-getting/keeping than many other curriculum. My 13 year old son hates, hates, hates science. But, with the Glencoe, it was colorful, full of experiments that showed results, and broken up so that it wasn't just page after page after page of writing. This year, we are using Glencoe Literature and Grammar courses also and so far so good. We like it quite a bit - Oh, side note, but we were raked over the coals by some homeschoolers for using this one, too. But, oh, well, It works for us.

Also, does everyone know about Vegsource??? They have a HUGE community of curriculum sales in their homeschool section for everything from K-12th grade. Of course, you must always be careful buying online from individuals, but I've not heard of any of our group (500+ families in all) of homeschoolers who've had any trouble with that site. Plus, unlike ebay, you can still get the teacher's editions of books, which makes grading and teaching so much easier with all the ideas and tips they add.

 

[lexeka]

Lexeka, We have used several courses of Bob Jones over the years and liked some, disliked others. It just depends on the course. We do, however, like a lot of Glencoe materials. They are broad in scope and much more attention-getting/keeping than many other curriculum. My 13 year old son hates, hates, hates science. But, with the Glencoe, it was colorful, full of experiments that showed results, and broken up so that it wasn't just page after page after page of writing. This year, we are using Glencoe Literature and Grammar courses also and so far so good. We like it quite a bit - Oh, side note, but we were raked over the coals by some homeschoolers for using this one, too. But, oh, well, It works for us.

Also, does everyone know about Vegsource??? They have a HUGE community of curriculum sales in their homeschool section for everything from K-12th grade. Of course, you must always be careful buying online from individuals, but I've not heard of any of our group (500+ families in all) of homeschoolers who've had any trouble with that site. Plus, unlike ebay, you can still get the teacher's editions of books, which makes grading and teaching so much easier with all the ideas and tips they add.

Why were you raked for Glencoe? I would be really interested. Is their website just their name.com?

Thank you!

 

[Lisa Hale]

Why were you raked for Glencoe? I would be really interested. Is their website just their name.com?

The website is www dot glencoe dot com (not sure if I can post site addresses so I'll do it this way).

We are part of a large homeschooling support group. Most of the group focus on religious curriculum. When we had a meeting at our house, we were met with strong opposition to using the Glencoe due to the science and history not being faith-based. Our decision to use it was based on many things. It is a very solid curriculum, holds the kids interests, provides tons of media aids, manipulatives, etc. but, it does address different theories including creation and evolution. We do have our own personal belief in creation. However, WE feel our children should study all theories and learn all aspects of history (i.e. mythology/gods, etc.). Let's just say that we were NOT in the majority.

Truly, we feel that there are wonderful things to be enjoyed and learned in many areas of learning/thinking (including fantasy and magic like Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Neverending Story, etc.) that help a child expand their minds and imaginations. I guess we simply don't feel our faith is threatened by these things.

I've learned not to expect people to agree with us, so I'm not disappointed as much, , KWIM?

 

[merryweather's twin]

Lisa,
I have been looking at the Glencoe Mcgraw Hill all morning. Thanks for posting this. We used Mcgraw hill 1-4 (complete corric.) and added other things. I was hopeing to find it agian but I guess they do not go to 7th grade. I cannot find a review if this on the other sites but if it is anything like the other it would be a good fit for us. Any other info you can give would be great.I have been flip-flopping all week on what to use and reading lots of reviews. And we also read Harry and books like Fablehaven. Any book is a good one as long as they are reading. Thanks

 

[lexeka]

Why were you raked for Glencoe? I would be really interested. Is their website just their name.com?

Thank you!

Hi Lisa and thanks. I'll check out their site. I have bought all my stuff for this year but I bookmarked it for next year.

My husband and I are born-again Christians and we feel that the ONLY way for a child to know why they believe what they do and to be able to logicically support that view is for them to understand other religions and cultures. (a Thai Buddhist married into our family) By shielding them in that respect, I think you set them up for rebelling and doubt later on. But that is just our opinion.

 

[lexeka]

Here is what we ordered for our daughter. Please let me know what successes/failures you've had using these curriculum choices so that I can work around or look for them throughout the year.....

Language ARts: Bob Jones Grade 2
Math: Horizons Grade 2
Geo/History: Bob Jones Heritage Studies Grade 3
Penmenship: Horizons Grade 3
Science: Bob Jones Grade 3
Art: With Art in Mind
Reading: Bob Jones Grade 3
Spelling: Bob Jones Grade 3

Thanks!

 

[Lisa Hale]

My husband and I are born-again Christians and we feel that the ONLY way for a child to know why they believe what they do and to be able to logicically support that view is for them to understand other religions and cultures. (a Thai Buddhist married into our family) By shielding them in that respect, I think you set them up for rebelling and doubt later on. But that is just our opinion.

We're Christians as well (DH has been an elder for several years) and I couldn't agree with you more!

 

[sha_lyn]

Here is what we ordered for our daughter. Please let me know what successes/failures you've had using these curriculum choices so that I can work around or look for them throughout the year.....

Language ARts: Bob Jones Grade 2
Math: Horizons Grade 2
Geo/History: Bob Jones Heritage Studies Grade 3
Penmenship: Horizons Grade 3
Science: Bob Jones Grade 3
Art: With Art in Mind
Reading: Bob Jones Grade 3
Spelling: Bob Jones Grade 3

Thanks!

One of my friends has used Horizons Math, phonics and penmenship for yrs. She loves them and feels they are a perfect fit for her DD.
She's switching to SOS this yr for most subjects, but is still using horizons penmanship, and maybe the math too.

 

[Tink561]

Hi Lisa and thanks. I'll check out their site. I have bought all my stuff for this year but I bookmarked it for next year.

My husband and I are born-again Christians and we feel that the ONLY way for a child to know why they believe what they do and to be able to logicically support that view is for them to understand other religions and cultures. (a Thai Buddhist married into our family) By shielding them in that respect, I think you set them up for rebelling and doubt later on. But that is just our opinion.

I absolutely agree.

 

[Ellester]

Here is what we ordered for our daughter. Please let me know what successes/failures you've had using these curriculum choices so that I can work around or look for them throughout the year.....

Language ARts: Bob Jones Grade 2
Math: Horizons Grade 2
Geo/History: Bob Jones Heritage Studies Grade 3
Penmenship: Horizons Grade 3
Science: Bob Jones Grade 3
Art: With Art in Mind
Reading: Bob Jones Grade 3
Spelling: Bob Jones Grade 3

Thanks!

We started with Horizons Math and originally loved it. However, they do use a spiral approach. My oldest dd is very good at patterns and would pick the pattern of an assignment out right away. This resulted in her getting the correct answers, but not the correct way. For example, she would recognize that all the problems dealt with carrying a ten and fill in a "1" in all the ten's places first. Then she would go back and fill in the units. We decided to switch to Math-U-See and for us, I think it's much better. I thought Horizons was very comprehensive and advanced, but that spiral method was too pattern heavy for us. YMMV

 

[Lisa Hale]

We started with Horizons Math and originally loved it. However, they do use a spiral approach. My oldest dd is very good at patterns and would pick the pattern of an assignment out right away. This resulted in her getting the correct answers, but not the correct way. For example, she would recognize that all the problems dealt with carrying a ten and fill in a "1" in all the ten's places first. Then she would go back and fill in the units. We decided to switch to Math-U-See and for us, I think it's much better. I thought Horizons was very comprehensive and advanced, but that spiral method was too pattern heavy for us. YMMV

Cudos for catching on to the difference between her recognizing a pattern and learning a task. So often things like that can go unnoticed until late in the game and a child can have many difficult times trying to play catch up and re-learn a concept. That's another great thing about homeschooling! A parent is so hands-on that you can see those issues early and make necessary changes. Good catch, MOM!!!!!