*** Homeschool List ***

[Lora]

Hi everyone!
I think DH and I have finally decided that we are going to be homeschooling our children. Our oldest is 4 years old and has one more year of preschool that we will let him finish out (we LOVE his teacher and it's a very caring, fun environment for him) but after preschool we will start our HS adventure! So even though I have another year, I'm going to try to learn all that I can and start to prepare now.

We have our 4 year old ds and a 19 month old dd and we are ttc#3, so I think I will have my hands full, but I know I can learn a lot from you all!

Welcome to the homeschooling adventure. I started 6 years ago and love it. I read a few books and did a lot of catalog perusing. It took me a year or so to settle on Sonlight and I've been happy with it since.

BTW - if I'm not mistaken, this is post 1,000 on this thread!!!

 

[disneymom3]

Annie--our co-op is open to all ages of kids and in the past moms decided what class they would want their kids in. Classes were based on abilities not ages. Right now, we only have openings for children 9 and above "and their younger siblings" as we have a plethora of 6 year olds and only three who are 9 or 10. This year we are actually going to integrated classes. The classes will all have a mix of kids from age 4 to 10 and each child will have personalized expectations and assignments but there will be many activities we do as a group. Obviously that can only work in a somewhat small group.

emh--welcome and good luck!! I would give you one warning from what we experienced with preschool--be prepared for the preschool to be very "getting ready for school' oriented. The preschool DD attended even had a school bus come and there was lots of talk about "next year when you are in K" DD did attend K so it was not a big deal but when DS started at a different preschool, I made sure to find one that did not stress K.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thanks, Lisa loves Pooh & Disneymom3! I guess the answer is it depends on the co-op. I like the idea of being part of a group for both the children and myself. We'll see how it goes!

 

[jaycns]

I have been part of three different co-ops. In one (this was an enrichment co-op) we followed guidelines of the school system as to the ages but we didn't label them by grade...it was class A, class B, etc. The kids were simply with other kids their own age. They weren't doing "primary academics" but rather enrichment classes so barring a very few exceptions, most children just fit in best with the same age kids within that structure. It was a large co-op the classes were things like art, gym, science labs, book discussion groups, newspaper reporting, drama, music, history fun, cooking, sewing, etc. It didn't really matter what academic level you were on in your main course work but more the physical, emotional and social maturity of the kids.

In the co-op we are now a part of we have a much smaller group. In this group we started out smaller (about 50 students) and we plan on keeping it "smaller" we have a cap of 75 students. Instead of grade or single age levels, we just kind of lumped multi age groupings together as they made sense at the start. So we now have four groups of about 12 students each. Each of those groups will progress up as a whole. The first group which now consists of 3-5 year olds will move up to the next level when the eldest child in the group is 7. Then they will take the rotation that our current 7-9 year olds take. The 7-9 year old group will become our 10-12 year old group and our current 10-12 year olds will enter our last level (13-17) and be there until they graduate (or leave the co-op) eventually being joined by one of the younger classes as they age up. This system leaves a lot of wiggle room. And lots of times it leaves back someone who could advance age wise but we think keeping the kids together (unless a reason develops that would make it benefical to either move a single child up a rotation or down one) will make for strong bonds. As new kids enter the co-op the teachers and parents work together to find the best fit within that structure. And they are added to a current group. We have purposely set our "cap" at a number that would allow us to only add one more group into our rotation and few extra kids in each current group. We aren't striving to become big but to stay intimate.

It might not make sense the way I have explained it...but it sure sounded good at our meetings!! And has worked out well for us thus far (3 years and counting).

Find the co-op where you feel comfortable and go for it. Joining a co-op has been great for the kids and for yours truly as well!!

 

[nuzmom]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted for a while, but I try to catch up on this thread when I can. I can add to the co-op discussion.

Our co-op is very small (we have usually have about 16 kids, age 18 and under) so we combine many grades when we can. The classes offered and the age groups change every year based on participation and the needs of the families involved.

This year grade schoolers will be together for science, history, and art. The youngest boy (my DS5) joins the pre-K group when the rest do creative writing. The high schoolers are split into smaller groups for science, but do writing and geography/civics together.

We deal with the age differences in the grade schoolers by focusing on doing curriculum based experiments and activities during co-op time. The main studing is conducted at home. Much more is expected from the older kids than the younger ones.

So, for instance, my DS5, who would be going into K this year based on age but is 1st grade on ability, can fit into an older group without major issues. Of course, I will assist as needed in addition to facilitating the high school chemistry class. The creative writing class would be too difficult for him and isn't quite age appropriate, so I'm just going to slide him "down" a group during that time.

Anyway, our co-op is small and we treat it as a supplement to our home studies (we all agree on the curriculum being used during our planning meetings). So, moving kids into classes based on ability isn't a problem. We pretty much leave it up to the parents to "place" their child.

Well, that's what works for us.

 

[Denine]

I am excited. I just ordered the Calvert Pre-K program for DD. I was going to do it on my own, but decided this was a good way for both of us to get into the swing of HS. She hopes it comes tomorrow!

 

[emh1129]

emh--welcome and good luck!! I would give you one warning from what we experienced with preschool--be prepared for the preschool to be very "getting ready for school' oriented. The preschool DD attended even had a school bus come and there was lots of talk about "next year when you are in K" DD did attend K so it was not a big deal but when DS started at a different preschool, I made sure to find one that did not stress K.

That is true. Our son is in an integrated preschool classroom in our town, so they are very interested in getting them ready for kindergarten. When we had a PPT, she had some goals written out for ds to meet before kindergarten (I really wanted to mention HSing then, but we hadn't decided anything yet, so I didn't). They were concerned that sometimes ds isn't interested in what they are doing in the classroom. It's not really a concern of mine, because I strongly believe in child-led learning. I don't blame him if he doesn't want to sit down and draw a self-portrait He's a 4 year old boy- a very active 4 year old boy But their concern is that if there is one kindergarten teacher and 20 children, the teacher won't have the time to cater to one child just because he would rather do something else.
DH and I talked about it and we sort of laughed about it after- because you know, it's really our job to make it easy on the kindergarten teacher

I think we will let ds finish out the preschool because he seems to enjoy it, but if he doesn't seem happy, we'll definitely pull him out.
I haven't mentioned HSing to his teacher yet.. I was planning to wait until the second half of his school year.


We'll see.. I definitely feel like I'm in new territory here

 

[jennobrn01]

Me!

Grew up in a homeschooling family. Now I am doing preschool at home with my oldest. It has been so fun!

Homeschooling is definitely a lifestyle. So much more than just sitting down and "doing school". When you realize all the teachable moments that you rise to through out the day... it's exciting!

Right now are school room is the living room floor. I learned from my mom that allowing your children to be around you when doing school yields the best results. We were usually at the kitchen table.

 

[nuzmom]

Anyone out there?

I posted a question about Pirates of the Carribean and someone "guessed" that we homeschool. (I feel slightly afraid of being flamed now.) If anyone has time, please pop over to it and give me your opinion. Here's the link to it...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1153845

I really was looking for honest opinions of whether my DS10 and DS5 should see POTC. We're going on a cruise and the pirate boat from the second movie will be at Castaway Cay. We're also going to WDW and the POTC ride has been modified to include Johnny Dep and a couple other pirates from the movie. I thought - oh, wonder if we should let the boys watch the movie to make those 2 things seem "cooler" - but then I thought - but I'm really not sure about those movies, hmmm wonder what the DIS board thinks and then I posted my question.

Yes, the best answer is for us to watch the movie and then decide, but I was just wondering what the general opinion was. If you have any opinion or just want to make sure I'm not being flamed for homeschool (and sheltering my kids from watching this movie) then pop on over to that thread.

Thanks - I know you guys understand.

 

[Belle5]

I really was looking for honest opinions of whether my DS10 and DS5 should see POTC. We're going on a cruise and the pirate boat from the second movie will be at Castaway Cay. We're also going to WDW and the POTC ride has been modified to include Johnny Dep and a couple other pirates from the movie. I thought - oh, wonder if we should let the boys watch the movie to make those 2 things seem "cooler" - but then I thought - but I'm really not sure about those movies, hmmm wonder what the DIS board thinks and then I posted my question.

Frankly, I would never go to a secular board for advice on something like this. You are just asking for it when you do that! Ask them about paint color or what coffee maker is best or even which hotel has the firmest mattresses. I would never ask people on the DIS what is appropriate for my children to view. (I have been on these boards since 1999)

I would check screenit.com or plugged in from Focus on the Family to start with. Then, I would try to find a group of more like-minded folks that I know and trust to help me make decisions like the one you were asking about. FYI, I am including this homeschooling thread in that place I would not go to for moral advice. There are a lot of folks who homeschool who think very differently than I do on just about everything.
Bless you for being careful with the minds of your children. You are a good mom. BTW, my kids have seen POC and love it. I did not like the skeleton/ghosts portions of the movie at all. My younger boys end up seeing things early that I would NEVER have let my older kids see at their age. Things like this are much easier to colntrol when you are only thinking about the older two.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

NUZMOM,
I skimmed the other thread and I think for sure the 10 y/o old be fine and probably the 5 y/o too. You said they've seen the Star Wars movies, so I based my opinion mostly on that. I obviously haven't seen Dead Man's Chest, but we own Curse of the Black Pearl. I didn't take any of my girls to the theater to see it. Secular or non-secular people are different and raise their children differently. I'm assuming you went there to ask the question because you wanted to hear opions from all different types of people so you could take into account different factors(that's why I told you what I based my opinions on). If you decide to let them see the movies, enjoy! And if you decide not to, POTC the ride will still be really cool and we were at Castaway Cay last October and we all had a blast there. The boys will love it with or without seeing the pirate ship. Have fun

 

[disnutt]

Update:

I've got one more week of work to survive then I'll be a SAHM/HSM!

We're moving to PA by the end of the month.

I've got a question for all of you HS folks. DH and I want the kids home but we're split on the method. He worries that it will be too hard to move and start schooling in a month and wants us to do the PA Cyber Charter School for the first year so that I can research more and get settled in before taking over full-time HS. I'm leaning toward just jumping in from where I stand (my usual take on things) and not doing the Cyber School.

Any suggestions/ideas? What about Cyber school for the 1st semester?

Thanks,
Kiena

 

[nuzmom]

Hi Disnutt!!!

Personally, I wouldn't do cyber school. I don't really like the idea of young children having school on the computer and I also don't like the limited choices for grade school. (my limited experience in checking into pa cyber school). Is your DH comfortable with your children "learning on-line"?

I think I would put my efforts into doing as much as I can before the move - choose your curriculum and either go ahead and order or order right after moving in. Have your affidavit and objectives ready before you move, so that you just need to submit it to the school.

We "ease" into school anyway. PA doesn't put a stipulation on amount of hours for grade school (it's hours OR 180 days, we do 180+ days) - we do VERY short days at first, gradually adding to them until we're up to speed.

PA also doesn't stipulate WHEN you start or END school. I believe the only requirements are that you either have your paperwork in by July 31st (for returning homeschoolers) or prior to start of public school (around end of August). And you can homeschool up until June 30th (when the portfolio is to be submitted).

So, I'd try to get "ready" before you move, file paperwork quickly after moving, and then ease into schooling when you're ready. Remember, YOU choose when your children have school and when they don't (weekends, christmas break, act 80 days, etc.) For grade school, you can easily do school for a few hours and then do your "moving" duties

Check into pa cyber school a bit more and have your "jump into it" plan ready and then sit down and come to an agreement with your DH.

Congratulations on having only 1 more week of work

 

[Nascia]

We have two of our boys enrolled in online charter schools. My youngest will be in kindergarten through PA Cyber in the fall. They use the Calvert curriculum and nearly all of the work is done offline. My oldest used Calvert for 3rd grade last year and still did very little work online (less than 1-2 hours a week). I really liked the lesson plans and the way the lessons were presented. I also liked having a teacher there to answer any questions and help keep us on track. There is, of course, school and state oversight (doesn't bother us in the least) as they are a public school, but overall it is minimal. We basically had to submit a small portfolio every other month and had biweekly phone conferences with his teacher. He also had to participate in the PSSA testing and benchmark (a few 3-5 minute tests in reading, writing and math) testing throughout the year.

My oldest will be enrolled in the Agora Cyber Charter School in the fall. They offer the K12 curriculum and I think it will fit him better than the Calvert. Even in fourth grade, he will only be spending ~25% of his time online.

I would look into it further and contact the school (or schools), just to feel it out. You may also want to check the Pa Dept of Ed site. They have a listing of all the virtual schools in Pa (there are quite a few). Each school is different and offers unique educational experiences. BTW, you can also withdraw from the cyber school at anytime.

Good luck and congratulations on your becoming a SAHM.

 

[disnutt]

Nuzmom and Nascia thanks for the replies. I just pm'ed you individually w/ a few more questions!

 

[Denine]

A couple of quick questions.

1. At the end of the Clavert teachers manual, it says they want wriiten confirmation that you have destroyed the manual at the end of the course. What if you want to keep it without any intention of selling it or giving it away?

2. For those that use Sonlight, what do you do with all those books after several years? Do you keep them all, just the ones you like or sell them?

 

[RockyMtnMaria]

2. For those that use Sonlight, what do you do with all those books after several years? Do you keep them all, just the ones you like or sell them?

I keep it all, but I have younger children coming up the ladder. Sonlight holds it resale prices very well, but I would sell sooner than later if I new I wouldn't be keeping it long term.

 

[disneymom3]

. I also liked having a teacher there to answer any questions and help keep us on track. There is, of course, school and state oversight (doesn't bother us in the least) as they are a public school, but overall it is minimal. We basically had to submit a small portfolio every other month and had biweekly phone conferences with his teacher. He also had to participate in the PSSA testing and benchmark (a few 3-5 minute tests in reading, writing and math) testing throughout the year.

Ugh. Now see, that would make me bonkers. Not saying there is anything wrong with it and if if works for you, that is awesome, but I would never want that much oversight. I just want to do it my way and I know what works for my own kids. What is great is that there are so many options out there and people have the opportunity to do what works best for their families.

Good luck disnutt however you decide to go about it~!

 

[Nascia]

A couple of quick questions.

1. At the end of the Clavert teachers manual, it says they want wriiten confirmation that you have destroyed the manual at the end of the course. What if you want to keep it without any intention of selling it or giving it away?

I think they sell consumables ina re-use kit so that you can use it for other children w/o buying the whole curriculum again. Although, if I read it right, the lesson manuals are included in those kits ... hmmm. I would call Calvert and check.

http://www.calvertschool.org/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=CES1654

 

[hsmamato2]

Just wanted to say"hey" to other homeschoolers.... and to the parent who wondered if the POTC thread indicated a homeschooler, it didn't... the person said "...unless your kid is hs'ed..." then you said he was- lots of parents monitor their kids movie watching,and still send them to school...
as for POTC, I thought the last few scenes in the last star wars movie were incredibly disturbing...my little one hasn't seen them yet at 6- but we LOVE the POTC movie!