*** Homeschool List ***

[Eeyore's Girl]

So...Why do some of the other homeschooling discussion boards have a Disney attitude?

 

[TNKBELL]

There used to be a Protestant ban on Disney, but I believe that has been lifted. It's thier connection to companies that produce objectionable films, there is a proactive way to "save disney" it's www.savedisney.com

 

[stamper]

Anyway, DS (4) is learning to read. He knows all of his letter sounds and can read short vowel, three letter words, but he has a hard time distinguishing between the lowercase "b" and "d". He knows the sounds of each when I tell him what it is, but he mixes them up when he sees them. Does anyone have a creative solution to help us sort this out? We are not using any particular curriculum, just workbooks from Sam's and bits and pieces of an old "Hooked on Phonics" someone gave us. Thanks for any suggestions!

The way that helped me as a child, because I'm very visual, was to look at the word bed...the 'b' looks like the headboard and the 'd' looks like the foot board of a bed from the side. The word looks like a tiny bed that a tiny person could lay down on. If you write it wrong....deb...there wouldn't be room enough to "lay" down. Anyway, it helped me as a kid, helped my son too, who is very visual like his mom.

Good luck! He'll get it eventually.

 

[karisbell]

I had a teacher once that used the alligators for the "greater than"/"less than" symbols and I never had a problem with those. The alligator always wants to eat the bigger one! Thank you so much!! We will try it next time we practice reading!

 

[hsmamato2]

your 4 year old is young, so it's natural for him to confuse the b and d... I have 2 kids 12 and 6 and I do the same w/ younger that worked w/ older... b/c they were sensitive if they thought they "wrote it wrong"I didn't like to tell him he wrote or said the b or d "wrong"- so instead I'd say " that's an interesting b!! ( or d)- can I show you how I make one? "
ds would agree, I'd show him , and put them side by side, and 100% of the time, ds would look for awhile and then say" oh, mine's different!" I'd tell him he made a "mirror" b or d, and then we'd practice making it the "right" way... sometimes they will copy it, many times they purposely continued to make backwards letters, ala calvin and hobbes...
But it's common for kids transpose letters this way, my 6 y.o still does that with his name sometimes, but experience has shown me, they always learn with some gentle teaching...

 

[gssmks]

Hello everyone! I just found this thread and it happened at the best time. I am not home schooling my DD, but I am strongly considering it. She is in the second grade and I just am not satisfied with the public schools. She is doing fine academically, but I feel that I have done most of it at home. By the time her school gets around to teaching something interesting, we usually have already studied it at home. I go to book stores and teacher supply stores and purchase workbooks for her

I have a huge problem. I work and it's not an option. I am divorced and my income is the only income in the house. What do you guys think about me doing my DD schooling in the evenings insteading of morning and afternoon? Also, I have talked with a retired teacher who lives in my community about paying her to babysit/school for me while I am at work. She was a wonderful teacher, who tought for almost twenty years passed her retirement year "just because she loved it". She already has a good relationship with my child. My DD calls her Granny. Do you think that this would be a good schooling situation for my child?

 

[Belle5]

Hello everyone! I just found this thread and it happened at the best time. I am not home schooling my DD, but I am strongly considering it. She is in the second grade and I just am not satisfied with the public schools. She is doing fine academically, but I feel that I have done most of it at home. By the time her school gets around to teaching something interesting, we usually have already studied it at home. I go to book stores and teacher supply stores and purchase workbooks for her

I have a huge problem. I work and it's not an option. I am divorced and my income is the only income in the house. What do you guys think about me doing my DD schooling in the evenings insteading of morning and afternoon? Also, I have talked with a retired teacher who lives in my community about paying her to babysit/school for me while I am at work. She was a wonderful teacher, who tought for almost twenty years passed her retirement year "just because she loved it". She already has a good relationship with my child. My DD calls her Granny. Do you think that this would be a good schooling situation for my child?

Bless your heart for even wanting to try! You probably won't like my answer but I would not recommend that you do this. First of all, the work level goes up quite dramatically after second grade. I don't think this is the amount of work you or your daughter should have to do at the end of a long work day. It is truly a myth that it only takes two hours to homeschool your child. I promise! I have witnessed several sad situations over the years when parents jerk their kiddos in and out of schools. It really is not good for the children to do that! I do not think this is something you could make work long-term so your daughter would likely end up being put back in school relatively quickly.

Belle5
mom of 6 kids who have been completely homeschooled until college--second child joins firstborn in college in the fall

 

[disneymom3]

I haven't noticed a Disney attitude on other boards, I have noticed an anti-homeschooling attitude on THESE boards.

Anyway, for the mom who is working, I actually know two families who do this and have been doing it for at least 4 years. They started homeschooling before I did, anyway. If this woman is willing to work with your dd during the day to get some of her lessons done than I don't see why it wouldn't work. You could have her do her reading time, math, and spelling or what have you during the day and then do science and history on different evenings. I loosely follow My Father's World and they are big advocates of school--even in high school only taking until noon each day. That includes Bible Study and a few other topics I don't do with my kids during the morning, so our day is about 2 to 3 hours. Then a couple of afternoons a week we also do art, cooking, some science project and go on a field trip. I think if you are dedicated to it, it could work. My only question would be is if the daycare person would be willing to help her get involved in some peer activities. Because if she is with her during the day and then doing school stuff with you in the evening, she has no social outlets and being an only child, that might be hard.

 

[hsmamato2]

to the working mom, you wouldn't be alone -I've known of others who choose this option. And ***keep reading about homeschooling*** and all the glorious ways of doing it- There are kids who thrive on complete unschooling, all the way to the families who have a school at home type of situation- and everyone else in between Some kids spend zero time with schoolbooks, and some spend as much or more at home with school books as they do in school- What can make ALL these situations so great for the kids is they have parents who know their own families,circumstances, and childrens needs better than anyone else. So read a lot, and do what your heart tells you!

 

[gssmks]

Thanks for the different opinions. I will definitely keep researching and discussing all of this with anyone who will listen. I have ordered many informatin packets from various home schooling programs from the internet. I haven't received any of them yet. I've talked with two families who homeschool, but with both, the mother does not work and she does the schooling during the day. It is just so frutstrating to see that what I am able to do with her in two to three hours each day teaches her so much more than she is learning all day long at school. A few teachers who have been willing to be honest with me, told me that my few hours at night probably equal more than half of their school day when you deduct taking attendance, the handing out and taking up of materials, the dealing with disciplinary problems, having move from classroom to classroom, daily anouncements, parties for various holidays and special events, etc. They have told me, and I have personally experienced through my DD that only about half of the school day is spent on core content instruction. To me, that is just such a waste of the children's time and efforts. As for socialization, my DD is an only child, but our extended family is quite large. We are also active in many community and church groups. The lack of socialization is the least of my worries. She would still have more contact with children of her own and other ages. I'll keep reading this thread. Keep posting helpful information.

 

[disneymom3]

I am not above asking again....

Does anyone have any good resources for studying Colonial America?

Thanks.

 

[Mommaof3]

Hi! Just found this thread. We are in our 12th year of homeschooling. I have a daughter in 12th grade and twin boys in 8th grade. I have 8 years teaching in public schools so I've seen both "sides" of the coin. I would be happy to answer questions if I can.

Melisssa

 

[gssmks]

Hi! Just found this thread. We are in our 12th year of homeschooling. I have a daughter in 12th grade and twin boys in 8th grade. I have 8 years teaching in public schools so I've seen both "sides" of the coin. I would be happy to answer questions if I can.

Melisssa

Have you worked while homing schooling or did you teach before you started home schooling? I am a working mother who is considering trying to home school and would be very interested in talking to other working mothers who find the time to home school. I am self-employed and right now I am at the office from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I leave then to pick my daughter up from school. Occasionally, as in about three times a month, I have to work late and I have a family member pick my child up for me. Would this leave me with enough time to home school? Do you have any advice?

 

[Mommaof3]

I mainly taught before I started home schooling. Last year, I did work work from 9:30-2:30 from Nov. to April. I taught 5th and 6th grade students that needed help with reading to pass the state test. Basicly, I lined out my children's school before I went to school. They did their work while I was gone and I helped when I got home if they needed me. If they needed something while I was gone, my mom or dad helped them. Also my husband works shift work, so he was home often and would help. I've always considered home schooling to be a "lifestyle". It is much easier to do when I don't work, but it was doable last year as long as I was organized and had help from huddy and parents. I couldn't work even part time if my children were not as old as they are.

Melissa

 

[OceanAnnie]

I am not above asking again....

Does anyone have any good resources for studying Colonial America?

Thanks.

Here are some:

http://www.carolhurst.com/newsletters/newsletters11f.html
http://www3.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/travilahes/colonial.html
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm
http://www.kidinfo.com/School_Subjects.html
http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/Colonial.html
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/index.cfm
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson166.shtml
http://www.mountvernon.org/
http://www.historyisfun.org/
http://www.foodtimeline.org/

HTH!

 

[disneymom3]

Thanks Annie!! That is an awesome list!!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Sorry I'm late with this, but you are welcome, Disneymom3!

Recently at a yard sale I bought, "Hooked on Phonics" for $35! I'm so excited! It was a great find. Has anyone used this program? I've heard a lot of really good things about it. The set is in great shape!

 

[karisbell]

Someone actually gave us an old set of Hooked on Phonics. It has been great for my DS4. He loves to finish reading a page with no mistakes and earn the stickers that go on the pages. It makes it really fun for him. We don't use the tapes so much as just the books, but the tapes help you get started. I don't think it is worth sticker price, but if you come across and old one cheap I think it is a great tool.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Glad to hear it is helpful. The set even has all the stickers with it! It looks like new!

 

[kittymasi]

Good afternoon! Just thought I'd add my two cents with some successes! I am a 26 year old woman who was homeschooled with three other siblings my whole life! I currently run a bankng branch, am involved in community development, and I write some historical fiction and paint on the side! My older sister graduated top of her class at Johns Hopkins University a few years ago, and is currently working as a nurse in the children's ward at Johns Hopkins Hospital. One younger brother is studying to become a minister at a well respected seminary, and the youngest brother is studying astrophysics at MIT in Boston! Our parents made the decision to homeschool us after the expense of private school became apparent, and the public schools in our area were so poor in academics that they were loathe to send us to any of them! Neither one of them had any teaching experience, and they certainly weren't college professors, but they had a great sense of family and were committed. Homeschooling isn't for everyone... but it is certainly the best way to tie a family together as one unit, and teach some extremely important, often forgotten attributes to your children. None of us would have traded our education for the world. It made us all who we are today. We have worked for every thing we have in life... including our education. Hurray for homeschooling!!!