*** Homeschool List ***

[Lora]

We've had our ups and downs over the past week. Last week we were trying to get back in the groove after our Disney trip while I was also finishing up the planning and shopping for my dd's birthday (Amazing Race Theme). It was a lot of work, but GREAT fun!

Yesterday, I decided to see what it would be like to attend our church's new Ladies' Bible study on Mon. morning. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my girls got their work done AND it is a great study, so it looks like we'll keep that in the plan.

Housework is my downfall lately. I am really struggling to get caught up and get back on our schedule.
meandtheguys2, I hope you feel better soon!

 

[nuzmom]

meandtheguys2 - hope you feel better soon (and that the cold doesn't make its rounds in your family)

School has been going well for us, but right now I'm feeling overloaded. The school day has gotten long this year and much more demanding. It's a joy to watch my DS4 enthusiastically do his school "work", but I'm wondering if I'm expecting too much of my DS9. My husband and I have even been questioning our reasons for homeschooling and if we're the strange/crazy people and everyone else is "normal". Of course, we reach the conclusion that we're happy with our decision, but still we're going through the "are we really doing the right thing?" phase.

My DS9 hasn't been complaining, but his work takes so long. We haven't even been going to the library like we usually do. (It takes about 40 minutes to get there, so going to the library is very time consuming) I think his work is taking so long because there is much more note taking/journaling this year and that takes a while.

Well, History is calling....

 

[sweet maxine]

Nuzmom, I've been having the same feelings about are we the "crazy ones". Where I live, there's just a few families that hschool, and there's no coop or planned get togethers for the kids. I have the feelings somedays that DGS's really missing out on the "socialization" aspect of childhood (please don't flame me!). There's no young children in my neighborhood, so there's no one around even in the afternoons. Yesterday I was even considering enrolling him at the local public school just so that he can have some play time with other children. He begs and cries to stay home with me, but since I'm the grandmother, I'm kind of "out of the loop" about this age group. We took a week off while my mother visited us from out of state, and this week he's not really gung ho about getting back to work. If it counts for anything, he did learn about how "lift" is created for an airplane, and the parts of the plane and how they work together. He also learned (from the Magic School Bus) about how an engine works, and what it takes to burn the fuel and make the engine run. I don't know if that's really relevant or useful information for a 5 y/o, but if he ever needs to use it, he can spout it off anytime I ask.

He's still having trouble with handwriting, and I don't have a purchased curriculum for him. We've been working in workbooks for writing. Today I had the thought about getting an aquadoodle for him to practice writing letters and numbers with. I thought maybe the "play/fun" aspect of this might really interest him and we might make some progress that way. We've tried drawing in shaving cream, but that's so messy!

Anywho, FWIW, I'm having one of the same kinds of days today.

 

[studentmom]

Hi everyone,
...I haven't had a chance to read the entire thread.
I really need help picking a curriculum for my dd who will be starting Kind. next year. What did you all use? I really want to get a solid plan together, my dh is beginning to have second thoughts in regards to hs-ing.
Am I totally crazy for thinking of hs-ing and going to school myself? We just can't afford private school right now... and I don't want do send dd off to public school unless there are no other options... anyways- I'm sorry for rambling....I am really glad there is a homeschooling thread here.
thanks in advance

 

[meandtheguys2]

You'll be fine...! Does your little girl like to "play school", worksheets, etc. Or is she more the cuddle on your lap read a story and do an activity kind of gal? Oh, and do you prefer a Christian or a Secular slant?

 

[Ellester]

Add me to the list! We are in our first year of HS'ing. I have dd's 7.5 and 4 and a 19 month old ds. So far, so good. We are very blessed to have a great suppport group here. I think the kids have more friends now than when they were in school!

studentmom: I would try to find a local support group now to get lots 'o info! We are using Sonlight, which I am happy with so far. It is Christian based. We did Five in a Row over the summer and I did like it, but I need a little more structure. There is so much out there, it is truly amazing! I would also check out http://www.hslda.org/. They have tons of info and lots of links. If you can talk DH into just trying it for one year, I bet all his doubts will be erased by the end of the year.

~Ellen

 

[nuzmom]

Sweet Maxine - thanks for letting me feel that I'm not alone. It was helpful to my husband and I to go through and talk about "why do we want to hs?" and "how would it be for DS9 in PS?". My DS9 had attended PS until November of 2nd grade so we have a very good idea of what it would be like for him. That helped us a lot. My next step is to write down our thoughts - like into a mission statement for us. Some hsing friends of ours did this and it made a big difference for them. For us, it would help remind us of why we do this and our goals for our children. Having it written down would certain help keep the "are we crazy" thoughts from taking too much of our energy.

We live in a rural area and there just aren't kids around to play with. It takes an effort to keep my kids around other kids on a regular basis. Although, I am beginning to think that, although I want my kids to be around groups of kids, it's perfectly ok to just have a couple good friends.

With my DS4, I am using "Happy Handwriting". I used "Cheerfully Cursive" with my DS9 and was very pleased with it. Happy Handwriting goes over how to print all the letters and numbers. It would be great for children who don't already print their letters. I think my DS4 is a little bored with it because he has covered most letters in his Phonics curriculum. I'm still using it though, because he needs work on his lower case letters and his neatness.

Studentmom - welcome!!! Picking curriculum is always both tough and fun. I will just briefly say that I'm using Math U See and LOVE it, Happy Handwriting, and Modern Curriculum Press Plaid Phonics - love it, too. I've heard good things on this board about Scardy Cat Phonics, but haven't tried it myself (yet). I'm sure you'll get lots of help on this board. Don't be afraid to ask us anything.

 

[karisbell]

add me to the list!!

 

[studentmom]

You'll be fine...! Does your little girl like to "play school", worksheets, etc. Or is she more the cuddle on your lap read a story and do an activity kind of gal? Oh, and do you prefer a Christian or a Secular slant?

Hi! Well I guess my dd is both those types . She loves her Magna doodle and has been trying to write letters on it (she gets really frustrated with lined paper, though). She has a hard time sitting still for long amounts of time. I'm trying to get her to sit still for at least ten minutes. I'd like to have a Christian curriculum if possible.

The only reason I had thought about sending her to public school is for testing. She still has some speech and language problems (she was in an individual education program until she reached kind. age ...it had helped her alot.) and still has some problems with understanding things that we ask or tell her.

At the same time I knew she wasn't ready for Kind. yet. Our insurance doesn't cover speech, though....

 

[studentmom]

studentmom: I would try to find a local support group now to get lots 'o info! We are using Sonlight, which I am happy with so far. It is Christian based. We did Five in a Row over the summer and I did like it, but I need a little more structure. There is so much out there, it is truly amazing! I would also check out http://www.hslda.org/. They have tons of info and lots of links. If you can talk DH into just trying it for one year, I bet all his doubts will be erased by the end of the year.

Thank you Do you have to do 'Before Five in a Row' first, or would I be able to jump into 'Five in a Row'? I had heard a little bit about this. I do like the idea of a lit based curric. Would I need a seperate phonics program to go with it?... maybe if my dh sees what I can do, without preschool, he'll change his mind. I'll just have to set aside a certain time each morning where I can really work w/ her.

Nuzmom, thank you for the warm welcome and for those curriculum ideas. They sound really good! Can you tell me if they are like Sonlight in that everything is planned out. Like do they suggest when and how to do everything?

My fear is that I will be missing something or that I will neglect to teach my dd something she needs to know for first grade. For instance, for kind. do they have to have any kind of science or social studies in their curriculum? Are their certain books that I should or should have introduced her to by first grade? Thank you all, again...I didn't realize I have so many questions.

 

[meandtheguys2]

5 in a row is a fine starting place! It was so much fun! We are liking Scaredy Cat Phonics for my DS6. He isn't an overachiever like his bros, but more of a happy go lucky kind of guy! He would be the class clown... I used the much more basic Alphaphonics with the other two with great success, however.

We LOVE Miquon math. Working with the rods, etc. made such sense to my boys!

 

[Ellester]

Thank you Do you have to do 'Before Five in a Row' first, or would I be able to jump into 'Five in a Row'? I had heard a little bit about this. I do like the idea of a lit based curric. Would I need a seperate phonics program to go with it?...

You can jump right into Five in a Row, any of the three volumes. They do not build on each other and can be used in any order (and you can do any of the lessons in any order). Before FIAR is pretty basic, it recommends books on the "Goodnight Moon" level and gives you ideas for activities with your preschooler. I borrowed it from a friend, but didn't use it at all. You may want to check out www.fiveinarow.com. They have a message board there as well. You will still need to add phonics, math, handwriting, and Bible (if you want). FIAR does not contain religious instruction although the author is Christian and there is a Bible supplement available. The ladies on the FIAR boards are very helpful and the author even has her own board and answers questions personally.

 

[sweet maxine]

We're using Five in a Row, and we love it! I have all three volumes, and many of the books. There are so many things you can do with that program...the amount of extra activities are endless! I think half the fun is the planning for which things we'll do with which story. I'm still trying to decide about a phonics program though. We seem to be doing well with the Leap Frog videos and using word families and sounds he's learned from the videos. I make up sentences (about a full page of simple ones with enlarged print), and he is able to successfully read each one, sometimes with just a little prompt. When I'm reading a children's book to him, I point out words we've covered and let him read those, then I pick up with the rest. Sometimes I just let him try to sound out the words to see if he can get them. I don't know how much different a phonics program would be for him, but I really don't have access to view one (hands on), and I'm hesitant to blindly order something I haven't checked out first. We're using Saxon Math K this year, and also playing lots of number/math based games some kind people on this board have mentioned. They money game is a favorite with us! (Can't remember who the credit for that one goes to, but it was a great idea!)

 

[JMSMommy]

My fear is that I will be missing something or that I will neglect to teach my dd something she needs to know for first grade. For instance, for kind. do they have to have any kind of science or social studies in their curriculum? Are their certain books that I should or should have introduced her to by first grade? Thank you all, again...I didn't realize I have so many questions.

I think we all fear we'll miss something. I have some very good friends, and relatives who are Kindergarten teachers. From what I understand there is no set curriculum for science or social studies in Kindergarten. They cover "weather" and "seasons" and "community helpers" and so on.

One other thing I found helpful was the book "What your 1st Grader needs to know" and the others in the series.

Also, my K teacher friend told me that most kids do not write on lines before the end of Kindergarten (end of K is where the teachers start putting them on lined paper), so I would not worry about her writing on lines yet. Let her write on blank papers to get the formation of the letters down. Of course I tried both with my son, and his writing is atrocious (he's in 1st).

For Preschool year with my son, I didn't use a set curriculum, but I did a "student led" unit studies with books. He was interested in sharks, and I believe we checked out EVERY shark book in teh library and watched lots of shark shows...then visited Sea World on vacation. Then there the units on Space, Race Cars, Boats, Pirates, and so on. I introduced letters and colors and counting of course, but searched the internet for those "lessons" that could be included in our subject of the week. I think we even did a "Great Big Book of Everything" on animals he chose using the idea of Stanley's book but with a scrapbook approach. My main focus for Pre-K was to make it fun, then in K I started in with teaching to read, do math, and learn Bible. I did some science and history, but didn't do it daily.

Now in 1st we're doing Reading, Math, LA/Phonics, Bible, and Handwriting daily. Then Science, Music, History, Art, and Spelling multiple times a week. Still trying to keep it fun though.

 

[studentmom]

Thank you all so very much for all of you ideas and advice. I'm starting to feel a little more at ease. I might see if I can get a couple of 'how to' type books from my church bookstore as well lol. I have the Rainbow Catalog (I think that's what it's called). A couple of the curriculums suggestions mentioned weren't in there, but I'm sure if I do a search on the net, that I'll be able to find them. Thanks again, everyone. I must say, based upon what I've read, that so many of you are truly gifted in homeschooling your children...I hope I can do it as well, too.

Oh yeah, I wanted to know if anyone had heard or done Zoo Phonics (I think that's what they're called). One of my teacher's was talking about it...

 

[Irishmommyof4]

I didn't read through the whole thread, just wanted to
and say we homeschool, too!

 

[hsmamato2]

Ooh!ooh! Add me to the list!!! We're hs'ers...kids never been to school, and loving our "off dates" vacations! I'd love a board like that, and started by the queen of budgeting!

 

[Momof4girls]

I'm a homeschooling mom of four kiddos - we're going down to the World in a couple weeks here - off season Love that!

We also travel with DH when he goes on road trips for work, which can be fun, too.

Does anyone happen to know when the Sea World homeschoolers week is?

 

[Irishmommyof4]

I'm a homeschooling mom of four kiddos - we're going down to the World in a couple weeks here - off season Love that!

We also travel with DH when he goes on road trips for work, which can be fun, too.

Does anyone happen to know when the Sea World homeschoolers week is?

How long are you going to be staying? We'll be there on the 31st!!!

 

[Momof4girls]

We are staying through to the 3rd