*** Homeschool List ***

[TNKBELL]

Sorry about the double post, I'm not sure why how I managed to do that.

It's not you! It's the Dis' it's been a problem over the last few weeks!!
Welcome!! It sounds like you are very busy!!

 

[dizcrazee]

Hi Tnkbell, you are right - I am busy! But I just listed everything we have done/still do so far - we don't do it all at once, lol! I think I was overdoing it when we first started, but I quickly figured out that we didn't have to work that hard to get a quality education. I think an important part of the homeschool experience is to be able to relax and enjoy life as a family. I taught for 8 years at a local college, and although I could pick my daughter up after school, I still felt that I was missing out on a lot because life was so busy and hectic. I'm now learning how to slow down and just enjoy life together.

 

[TNKBELL]

Hi Tnkbell, you are right - I am busy! But I just listed everything we have done/still do so far - we don't do it all at once, lol! I think I was overdoing it when we first started, but I quickly figured out that we didn't have to work that hard to get a quality education. I think an important part of the homeschool experience is to be able to relax and enjoy life as a family. I taught for 8 years at a local college, and although I could pick my daughter up after school, I still felt that I was missing out on a lot because life was so busy and hectic. I'm now learning how to slow down and just enjoy life together.

I think that is the best thing about hs! Time can never be saved! We have to make every moment count and I will never regret all the "QUANTITY TIME" we have spent together as a family. As with anything, it isn't perfect , but it's as close as I could hope for!

 

[disneymom3]

I think that is the best thing about hs! Time can never be saved! We have to make every moment count and I will never regret all the "QUANTITY TIME" we have spent together as a family. As with anything, it isn't perfect , but it's as close as I could hope for!

I agree with this so much. I was actually teaching a class last night on Phonics for Four Year Olds. It is for preschool teachers and daycare providers and I talk about FUN ways--games and activities--that you can introduce letter sounds to children. The talk turned to how much they expect of Kindergarteners now and all day K etc. Someone said to me, "what do you think of this push for early academics?" I just kind of laughed and said,, "You did hear that part in my introduction about being a homeschooler, right?" My kids play SO much I sometimes feel guilty about it, but hey when testing comes around every year they all always test above grade level especially in general knowledge, which honestly I think is the most important category.

I think I posted on here awhile back about my boys being involved in a play time that I didn't want to interupt but at the same time felt we had to get some traditional school work in. They were planning an adventure and packed their backpacks with supplies they needed etc and had made up maps to track where they were going. There were references to Lewis and Clark, Marco Polo and Gallileo. (Gotta love that Classical education!) Toward the end of their playtime they had a car deliver me a map that said "Mommy please come visit." and it had various landmarks of the house and an X where they were stationed. I found it making a big deal out of finding the various sites along the way and youngest DS asked how I figured out where they were. I explained that I foudn the landmarks that were on their map which led to a great conversation about maps, roads vs landmarks, the legend on maps and what they mean etc. Not long after that, we were going to the ILs house and he piped up "Hey, Mommy! That building over there is a landmark. I always know we are close to grandma's when I see it." Then today in the car we were listening to On the Shores of Silver Lake and middle DS says he wonders how PA always knows where he was going because he didn't have a map. Then a little further into the story he comments again about how Pa drove all the way from the Big Woods, to Indian Territory and then out to the prairies and how did he know where he was going. The boys discussed it for awhile and decided that not only did he use the sun like sailors on the sea would but that he must have talked to other people who had travelled out that way and used the landmarks they told him about.

Guess I shouldn't have worried about that day of play, huh?

 

[skoi]

We've been homeschooling since our oldest dd was in kindergarten. Now, she's in 8th grade, and we're thinking of what to do for next year. Our three options right now are as follows:

1) she won a partial scholarship to a local Catholic school (we're Eastern Orthodox Christian, so religion isn't an issue). She's not crazy about this idea, though was enthusiastic about it at first. After spending a day in school, she decided it might not be for her, though the sports (field hockey and lacrosse) are enticing.

2) enroll in a cyber charter using K12- though she was unimpressed with their curriculum and we're not thrilled with the attendance policies.

3) using Seton as an umbrella school. Not sure on the legalities of that in our state (PA) and whether this would replace homeschooling. Also- their grading scale seems very tough. For example a B grade starts at 85. Failure at 69.

So if anyone has information on either using a cyber charter for high school or with Seton we'd appreciate it. Up until now, we've used Sonlight almost exclusively, supplementing with extra textbooks as she's gotten older, more math, etc.

Thanks.

 

[NHWX]

I can say that if we had to do all of the K12 material (some 6th and some 5th grade material), it would drive both of us nuts! And it would be impossible in this family. My younger son is still struggling with writing and reading analysis so I'm glad we could step down on the literature. But if we were to do all of it, there's so much there that it would be beyond us.

Conversely, when he gets material really quickly in science, I allow him to breeze ahead. Many times we've just answered all the questions to a lab without bothering to do it.

The ability to tailor a curriculum to a child is one of the joys of homeschooling. As much as I appreciate having all the K12 information right there, I wouldn't agree to use it if we had to do all of it. (Btw - we've never done math with K12.)

We're considering using NARHS for high school for my older son who is leaving public high school after a semester. I don't intend to sign-up right away but they do give you the options of either signing up for their credential management service (and you stay a homeschooler) or enrolling with them as a private school student. We'd choose the former so my son could still participate in the public school robotics team.

I hope you find a good solution!

NHWX

 

[dvcbnd]

Like I have mentioned in a previous post, we're considering homeschooling for two of our children starting in Sept. They will be going into the 2nd and 4th grade. Since they are currently in a private catholic school, we were looking into using Seton. I would appreciate any info anyone has on Seton whether it be positive or negative. Since we would be new to hs'ing, I like the fact that they keep all the records for you, testing, etc. We are planning on attending the catholic hs'ing conference in PA in April.
Also our oldest will begin going to a catholic highschool in Sept. I do get tempted to hs him also for financial reasons (public school is not an option), but I am torn because he needs some independence and more socialization. I'm not sure, since this would be new for me, if it would be a detriment to him if I do hs him. Open to any advice - thanks!

 

[disneymom3]

I am not familiar with Seton, but honestly for the grades your DDs are in I would not worry about tracking.

NHWX--thank you for your feedback on K12. After having evaluated it further the one subject I really worry more about is language arts. I have decided that if DD doesn't get into the school we are hoping for I will just buy the Language Arts course from K12 directly.

What do you guys all think about US Geography. We are using a curriculum that does a state a week basically which means it is going to take 2 years to get through all of it. And in hte meantime, the kids know that there is a really cool carousel in some state back east but they aren't too sure which one. Same thing with say, the Green Mountain Boys. They know they existed but not where anymore. I am thinking about just going through the atlas, having DD memorize the capitals and that takes care of it. They would all rather be doing history than geography.

 

[lori1043]

dvcbnd-I agree with disneymom3, you really don't need professional tracking of your kids under , say... 6-8th grade, IMO. Good luck with your decision making about home schooling. It is a wonderful experience and a tough and scary decision to make-at least it was for me.

I think we will start doing some kind of more formal program in 7th so when HS comes around, we will have official grades. In the meantime-we grade math, spelling, and phonics. Not much else. Sometimes the kids WANT a grade, so i just give them one i think they deserve, esp if they put heart and soul into something.

Anyway, as far as the states, we just did a mini USA study-we went through an atlas and I have a great CD that has a song for the capitals and states, as well as other school toons. It may not be what you are looking for, but it may give you ideas. I DEFINTELY know we will divulge more deeply in the upcoming years to the staes, but thought this little EPCOT unit study has been a good intro for us.

Lori

 

[NHWX]

I did make the kids learn all the states and I think that was covered in private school when they went there. I know the first year of homeschooling when I was trying really hard to follow all the requirements, I did a whole month-long geography unit on our state. And dh who is great with maps, etc. always is willing to drag out maps or a gps and show the kids.

But mostly, they know it through travelling. They certainly know the path from New Hampshire to Orlando! We've travelled in the northeast and into Canada. We did a great! trip out to see Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase? and the Grand Canyon one year so they're really familiar with that. We've been to Curacao since we started hs'ing.

Some of their travel experiences might not help in the global sense of geography - Brunswick, GA has a gas station with really clean bathrooms - or the McDonald's at Chicago's O'Hare airport opens before the other restaurants - but they'll remember a lot. Incorporating geography along with history makes the most sense to me - cities formed on rivers or near good harbors, this road follows the river valley or the spine of the hills, Las Vegas means the meadows because it was the site of an important set of springs, and so on.

NHWX

 

[disneymom3]

Some of their travel experiences might not help in the global sense of geography - Brunswick, GA has a gas station with really clean bathrooms - or the McDonald's at Chicago's O'Hare airport opens before the other restaurants - but they'll remember a lot. Incorporating geography along with history makes the most sense to me - cities formed on rivers or near good harbors, this road follows the river valley or the spine of the hills, Las Vegas means the meadows because it was the site of an important set of springs, and so on.

NHWX

That is very important to know when traveling through GA! Seriously, all gas station bathrooms in MN are quite acceptable. At least any that I have been in and it is common practice to stop at one even if you don't need gas. In GA however, you are taking scary chances! That is why our rule is that everyone goes at the rest stop whether you think you have to or not.

I agree that travel is such a learning experience! We just about always drive on our family vacations. Next spring we are driving to CA and seeing many of the things you mentioned as well as Mesa Verde which was one of my favorite destinations as a kid.

 

[skoi]

We used a K12 charter in Pennsylvania (PAVCS) when it first started. For our oldest dd (who was in third grade at the time) it was great. The workload was easy for her to handle. She liked the teacher. As someone who's certified in sec. ed social studies and did a lot of curriculum research, I think K12 has the best, most historically accurate/bias free history curriculum, way better than anything I've seen in public schools. However, we tried it with our son, who is, a late bloomer. We had to take him out about two months into K and just do a relaxed homeschooling with him.

We eventually withdrew our oldest dd and went with Sonlight, which is very literature driven. She loved it up until this year, but she's disappointed with the lack of textbook like material for history, and isn't too keen on the science (Apologia). We're looking for something more structured. We considered going back to K12, but here in PA you can't take the kids out for vacation without permission- if you don't log in for 3 days without being excused then they say you're considered truant. To me, that lack of freedom is a huge drawback to using a charter.

On one income, we really can't afford to buy what we'd want. Enrolling in the high school OLS is expensive.

So what do people use for high school?

Julie

 

[Ellester]

Like I have mentioned in a previous post, we're considering homeschooling for two of our children starting in Sept. They will be going into the 2nd and 4th grade. Since they are currently in a private catholic school, we were looking into using Seton. I would appreciate any info anyone has on Seton whether it be positive or negative. Since we would be new to hs'ing, I like the fact that they keep all the records for you, testing, etc. We are planning on attending the catholic hs'ing conference in PA in April.
Also our oldest will begin going to a catholic highschool in Sept. I do get tempted to hs him also for financial reasons (public school is not an option), but I am torn because he needs some independence and more socialization. I'm not sure, since this would be new for me, if it would be a detriment to him if I do hs him. Open to any advice - thanks!

I have a friend who has used Seton for years and loves it. I looked at it at the Catholic HS conference last summer and it is way to workbook/textbook focused for us. We are definitely more "Sonlight" people. But, if your kids are used to catholic school it might be a good fit for you. I also have a friend who really loves "Mother of Divine Grace": http://www.motherofdivinegrace.org/ She is currently schooling 4 of her 6 kids with it and has been very happy with it and the support they provide.
I would plan on asking lots of questions at the conference in April, it's nice that it's so early in the year. Most of the vendors are more than happy to talk and explain their curriculums.

As far as your son, I would never consider public/private/parochial school for just the "socialization" aspect. Personally, I would not want any kind of school to provide "socialization". I'm sure others will chime in, but we are pretty much in agreement that socialization is the very least of your worries when you homeschool. Homeschooling for high school can teach plenty of independence, most of the hs'ed homeschoolers I know are incredibly independent for their ages IMHO. Is he interested in HS'ing at all? At his age, that can make or break the decision in my book.

 

[dvcbnd]

I have a friend who has used Seton for years and loves it. I looked at it at the Catholic HS conference last summer and it is way to workbook/textbook focused for us. We are definitely more "Sonlight" people. But, if your kids are used to catholic school it might be a good fit for you. I also have a friend who really loves "Mother of Divine Grace": http://www.motherofdivinegrace.org/ She is currently schooling 4 of her 6 kids with it and has been very happy with it and the support they provide.
I would plan on asking lots of questions at the conference in April, it's nice that it's so early in the year. Most of the vendors are more than happy to talk and explain their curriculums.

As far as your son, I would never consider public/private/parochial school for just the "socialization" aspect. Personally, I would not want any kind of school to provide "socialization". I'm sure others will chime in, but we are pretty much in agreement that socialization is the very least of your worries when you homeschool. Homeschooling for high school can teach plenty of independence, most of the hs'ed homeschoolers I know are incredibly independent for their ages IMHO. Is he interested in HS'ing at all? At his age, that can make or break the decision in my book.

I appreciate your input regarding "socialization". I know that "socialization" is a concern of people who aren't informed about homeschooling and as you can imagine, that's what I'm starting to hear from family and friends now. We live in the NYC area and this seems foreign to them. As far as what my son would like, he would love to be homeschooled. It is something that he has always wanted, but I was never ready for. He tends to be a procrastinator and has always fought me on doing homework. I was always concerned that it would be a struggle to teach him and was afraid of failing him. Whereas, my two youngest are so eager to learn and this really excites me. It does bother him that I am considering it for them and not him, but I think that he understands my concerns. I'm also afraid of taking on the highschool level, when this is all new to me. I am so confused.
Thank you also for letting me know about "Mother of Divine Grace". I will definitely look into it.

 

[skoi]

As far as your son, I would never consider public/private/parochial school for just the "socialization" aspect. Personally, I would not want any kind of school to provide "socialization". I'm sure others will chime in, but we are pretty much in agreement that socialization is the very least of your worries when you homeschool. Homeschooling for high school can teach plenty of independence, most of the hs'ed homeschoolers I know are incredibly independent for their ages IMHO. Is he interested in HS'ing at all? At his age, that can make or break the decision in my book.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not the OP, but we're facing a similar issue with our 13 year old dd. Except she's not sure that she wants to go to high school. She goes back and forth. She went for a day to shadow a student, but wasn't thrilled with the set time in class, limited input into the learning process, etc really turned her off. She just wants to play lacrosse. I'll be in the hospital every week if that happens.

 

[meandtheguys2]

I have 3 friends who love Seton. One has one child in seton, and the other in another Catholic program, which isn't coming to me right now.

Now, you see, sometimes I need to just read more clearly. Ellester posted it already. Mother of Devine Grace. She really likes it, too!

 

[lostmom]

list is so so long anyone know about virtual academies? We are currenty using the abeka curricul dvd and ds hates it. HELP

 

[jensen]

Does anyone know about the homeschool days listed here (http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go....darPage?page=CalendarDetailPage&date=20080212) for February? I'd love to go if this is correct... but, I cannot seem to find any additional information.

 

[ILoveMickeyandMinnie]

Just wanted to jump in and say hi! We homeschoool here Looks like a great list!

 

[disneymom3]

Does anyone know about the homeschool days listed here (http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go....darPage?page=CalendarDetailPage&date=20080212) for February? I'd love to go if this is correct... but, I cannot seem to find any additional information.

I called them to find out. The person I spoke with was totally surprised by this and there was no one in the office that knew anything about it. The person that would know is busy with the homeschool days going on today and tomorrow but they transferrred me to her voice mail and said she would call me back. So, I left a message and if I don't hear back by the end of this week, I will call again. I'll let you all know what I hear. Febuary would work much better for me than Jan did so let's keep our fingers crossed!