*** Homeschool List ***

[mommyof2princesses]

I have not read all of this thread yet, but I was wondering if some of you could help me out with this? I am debating whether or not to send DS3 to preschool next year two days a week. Most preschools require him to be potty trained, and the only one I've found that doesn't is three days a week which I feel is too much for him. He's an only child, so I am worried about socialization. We've also had a very hard time potty training, and I really hate forcing a child do something when they're not ready. He is capable, but it has turned into a power struggle. My pediatrician's office advised me to back off for a bit, and wait until late spring, early summer and try again. Theory, he'll be a little bit older, and I'll have some paid time off. I work part time, but only 4 days a week. However, I need a longer stretch of time than my three days a week to get him on board for potty training. When I'm at work, three days, he is with my mother. I guess my questions are as follows: have any of you home schooled at the preschool age? Is there a curriculum for three year olds? Would you recommend my getting involved in a playgroup so that he will have some time with kids? I'm really looking for some guidance here, and hoping you all have some thoughts can lead my family in the right direction for our situation. Thank you so much!

Five in a Row is a great way to go for a little one. It is an easy curriculm that used literature and fun activities. I would also find a local group to join..be it a homeschool group, stay at home mommy group, MOPS group, something. MOMS Club is for moms who stay home part time or full time. That way he has opportunities to play with others.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Well, DS is doing very well.. About 3 days in he was working on his math program..We have gone back to cover things he didn't understand in school..He told me , "I didn't understand this at all before but now I get it". Awesome! What a great feeling to hear that .If he is a little slow at getting something, we can go back over it.. This math program even tells him what to do to fix a problem he gets wrong... Rosetta Stone is an awesome program and he's flying through it. He's working on his first project in History, on the Depression and the thing that I'm happy about is he doesn't mind working hard..He works at it until he gets it right. With the ADHD he occasionally gets distracted so I let him get up and move around for a while. It's taking him 5-6 hours to get all of his work done but that's with a few breaks. I'm considering HS my other DS next year for 10th grade..I'd have no clue where to start..There are no cyber schools here that he can join.

 

[TarzansKat]

Five in a Row is a great way to go for a little one. It is an easy curriculm that used literature and fun activities. I would also find a local group to join..be it a homeschool group, stay at home mommy group, MOPS group, something. MOMS Club is for moms who stay home part time or full time. That way he has opportunities to play with others.

Totally ignorant here but what is Five in a Row?

 

[bebelle]

We are debating on which direction to go next year for Alegbra. We are looking at Chalk Dust, Math U See and Teaching Textbooks. Does anyone have an opinion on these curriculums?

 

[nyprincess]

While I agree that homescholoing at a young age is just mothering (or parenting), it IS helpful to have some ideas and diection to go in. I used Hands on Homeschooling and loved it. It just gave a little more structure to our day, and had some terrific arts and crafts and games that incorporated whatever we were currently learning.

That is the program I am leaning towards for my kids. Has anyone else here used it and how happy are you with the results?

 

[Ellester]

Totally ignorant here but what is Five in a Row?

http://www.fiveinarow.com

Ditto that it is a great way to spend time learning with little ones. Also agree that finding a local mom's group/playgroup is a good idea. I always needed the interaction more than my kids! I also like the preschool workbooks from Rod & Staff. (http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/item/10021/) They are very inexpensive and my youngest two have really liked them.


Jenny - Glad it's going so well! It's so much fun to see them learning, isn't it?


We did our yearly WJ-III testing yesterday. I was pleased with the results, both girls are way ahead in "general knowledge". As I expected, DD6 did not score well in reading but is a few grades ahead in math. DD9 surprised me by hitting some 12th grade questions in reading comp. You go girl! She's slightly behind in math, but I knew that as well. She refuses to memorize those times tables and the difference between area and perimeter! All in time I suppose. She had progressed in every area since last year, so I can't complain. We're taking a modified spring break this week since we are in the midst of moving into our new house. I'll be glad when we're all settled.....

 

[mylilnikita]

Hi Everyone
Ok, I am not a homeschooler, but have nothing but love for those who do, because I just don't think I could be that smart to do it at home. And for those who think about socialization, well I know kids in public and private schools that truly lack.
Ok, here is my situation: Up until this year, I haven't had any complaints about Dd9's school or teachers. Then came this year, well there was a conference I held with the 2 main teachers, now have to give props to 1 teacher because communication has been so much better. However, there is no real homework for Science and Social Studies except study guides which are few and far between, and other things I feel one of the teacher is essentially is a joke. So I have taken upon myself to make up homework for DD's S.Studies and Science as well as other things like have her bring home the Reading book, because the teacher said she doens't have time for them to read it, so they listen to it on audio cassette, but have a test on it on fridays, but doesn't take the initiative to have the kids bring home the books to go over the story.
DD's grades have come up drastically and I want her so out of the 4th grade. She will go back to school for 5th, but if you don't mind, I have some questions: How do you know about the different homeschooling methods? And the different programs come with what would be like an answer book for the parent and have tests just like in public or private school? I would just think about going to the Parent Teacher supply store-told you I wasnt that smart to do it for real. During the summer, I want to do a homeschool thing to keep her "fresh" and maybe if the 5th grade is crappy like this one, who knows.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[Tink561]

That is the program I am leaning towards for my kids. Has anyone else here used it and how happy are you with the results?

I would like to know more about Hands on Homeschooling too. My sons were older when we started homeschooling and I need something for my daughter.

 

[NHWX]

Are you in a cyber charter, or are you buying the curriculum? We're still looking for high school next year.

Julie

We're using it for one child as an independent. We have a mix of six and seventh grade materials.

I'd be really curious to read any high schooler's experiences with it. My ds14 went back to homeschooling in the middle of ninth grade and actually misses parts of K12. Mind you, he complained about how boring it was when he was last using it as an eighth grader. The middle school classes are at least well put together.

NHWX

 

[DawnM]

That is great.

I am going to PM you a resource for a great group of ladies who know more about HSing a high schooler than I do (I can tell you some, but in terms of curriculum for many subjects, I have no clue.)

Dawn

Well, DS is doing very well.. About 3 days in he was working on his math program..We have gone back to cover things he didn't understand in school..He told me , "I didn't understand this at all before but now I get it". Awesome! What a great feeling to hear that .If he is a little slow at getting something, we can go back over it.. This math program even tells him what to do to fix a problem he gets wrong... Rosetta Stone is an awesome program and he's flying through it. He's working on his first project in History, on the Depression and the thing that I'm happy about is he doesn't mind working hard..He works at it until he gets it right. With the ADHD he occasionally gets distracted so I let him get up and move around for a while. It's taking him 5-6 hours to get all of his work done but that's with a few breaks. I'm considering HS my other DS next year for 10th grade..I'd have no clue where to start..There are no cyber schools here that he can join.

 

[jaycns]

We are debating on which direction to go next year for Alegbra. We are looking at Chalk Dust, Math U See and Teaching Textbooks. Does anyone have an opinion on these curriculums?

I have no experience with the other two...but we love the Teaching Textbooks curriculum.

 

[lori1043]

That is the program I am leaning towards for my kids. Has anyone else here used it and how happy are you with the results?

I used Hands On Homeschooling and LOVED it. It took about an hour a day and when I thought it wasn't enough we'd move to the next day-but overall, it is a good start. My DD10 went into PS kindergarten with no problems just off of HOH. LOVED it!

Lori

 

[homeschoolmomof4]

Hi Everyone
Ok, I am not a homeschooler, but have nothing but love for those who do, because I just don't think I could be that smart to do it at home. And for those who think about socialization, well I know kids in public and private schools that truly lack.
Ok, here is my situation: Up until this year, I haven't had any complaints about Dd9's school or teachers. Then came this year, well there was a conference I held with the 2 main teachers, now have to give props to 1 teacher because communication has been so much better. However, there is no real homework for Science and Social Studies except study guides which are few and far between, and other things I feel one of the teacher is essentially is a joke. So I have taken upon myself to make up homework for DD's S.Studies and Science as well as other things like have her bring home the Reading book, because the teacher said she doens't have time for them to read it, so they listen to it on audio cassette, but have a test on it on fridays, but doesn't take the initiative to have the kids bring home the books to go over the story.
DD's grades have come up drastically and I want her so out of the 4th grade. She will go back to school for 5th, but if you don't mind, I have some questions: How do you know about the different homeschooling methods? And the different programs come with what would be like an answer book for the parent and have tests just like in public or private school? I would just think about going to the Parent Teacher supply store-told you I wasnt that smart to do it for real. During the summer, I want to do a homeschool thing to keep her "fresh" and maybe if the 5th grade is crappy like this one, who knows.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. TIA

When you say that you want to homeschool over the summer, are you meaning that you want to move forward or that you want to do review over the summer? If you want to go ahead and start working on the 5th grade material, I would go online and look at the the SOL's for 5th grade in VA and go to the library. The two of you could do some reading on some of the subjects that will be covered next year. If you strictly want to review material from 4th grade, I would go to the teacher supply store and ask them if they have any material for summer review. I know the Costco up here in Northern VA had some really nice review workbooks last summer. You could also look at the series of books entitled What Your Child Needs to Know in 4th Grade. If you're concerned that she may have missed some information last year, this book, actually a series of books, might be good for filling in gaps. I believe the auther's last name is Hirsch. I'm sure some other gals will chime in with some more ideas, but hopefully this will get you started.

 

[skoi]

We are debating on which direction to go next year for Alegbra. We are looking at Chalk Dust, Math U See and Teaching Textbooks. Does anyone have an opinion on these curriculums?

Everyone raves about Teaching Textbooks, I'm thinking of looking into that for next year post Algebra. For Algebra I we're using Saxon which is great for the lower levels, but besides the fact that it's very hard, doesn't thrill us. Sometimes the explanations are hard for dd to get. Our neighbor who is a math teacher told us that some of the things covered in Saxon (she helps us when we're really stuck) don't get covered in school until Algebra 2. If you have a kid who gets math, is a good reader, and wants to move ahead quickly, Saxon might be a good choice.

Julie

 

[bebelle]

I have no experience with the other two...but we love the Teaching Textbooks curriculum.

What math courses have you used with TT?

 

[bebelle]

Everyone raves about Teaching Textbooks, I'm thinking of looking into that for next year post Algebra. For Algebra I we're using Saxon which is great for the lower levels, but besides the fact that it's very hard, doesn't thrill us. Sometimes the explanations are hard for dd to get. Our neighbor who is a math teacher told us that some of the things covered in Saxon (she helps us when we're really stuck) don't get covered in school until Algebra 2. If you have a kid who gets math, is a good reader, and wants to move ahead quickly, Saxon might be a good choice.

Julie

DD is good in math but HATES to do the work. He is always looking for a short cut. He is creative and finds the work to be boring. He would much rather be writing or drawing. I was hoping for something on DVD to remove myself from the equation (excuse the pun) as much as possible. I will check out Saxon at the HS convention in May. Thanks for your input.

 

[lori1043]

DD is good in math but HATES to do the work. He is always looking for a short cut. He is creative and finds the work to be boring. He would much rather be writing or drawing. I was hoping for something on DVD to remove myself from the equation (excuse the pun) as much as possible. I will check out Saxon at the HS convention in May. Thanks for your input.

I use Saxon 5/4 for my 4th grader, but we will be using it for at least part of 5th grade too. I have heard good things about TT for high school years, esp geometry. We used the DIVE CD rom for Saxon and started the year watching every lesson. DD10 got frustrated and so we put it away for a while(the cd rom) and she did Saxon with mom(me). We now use it to supplement what she gets stumped on. She is a GREAT reader and comprehender. I think reading the instructions do her better than watching the video. I got the DIVE instruction since math is not my favorite subject and giving it to the little man on the screen seemed the right thing for us. But it hasn't been. He is just taken out every so often for reinforcement!

She is not crazy over Saxon, but the way it teaches has improved her math skills greatly, so we are sticking with it for a while. I like it, it is good for her. 'Nuff said!!

Lori

 

[mylilnikita]

Homeschoolmomof 4: thanks for the reply. I want her to go forward. Thanks for the book referances. I remember one time seeing a math book about what your child needs to know for the specific grade. Thanks again. She belongs to 5 different libraries, and she usually does the summer reading program with a couple of the libraries.

 

[Octoberbabiesrus]

We homeschool!

 

[earthfaries]

We homeschool!

Yay! Good for you and your kids!

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