Homeschooling

[adventure_woman]

Can someone point me in the right direction for possibly starting this with my DD? I guess I am looking for curriculum recommendations - where do I find this? (I can search Google, but I thought I would go to you guys first). I I will also be searching my area for support groups.

Back story. My DD is just 7, now in 2nd grade. She was in kindergarten last year and she skipped 1st grade (her age is right at the cutoff - either be the oldest or the youngest) I think this year she is bored too. She tested last March at being 2.5 grade for math and at almost 5th grade for reading. She just catches onto things so quickly. I feel like right now she isn't moving forward. I am also e-mailing her current teacher, just trying to see all my options.

So anyway, I am now thinking about pulling her out and homeschooling her. Everything she has learned so far has been from what I have taught her, so I know we could do it. I just need to get over my fear of not being 'adequate' enough for her.

 

[worm761]

Your first stop should be here for your state laws: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

After that I would suggest some private testing. They can tell you what level she is on in what subjects. It is hard to keep up with kids like this.

As for curriculum, you are going to have to try different things. Some work as a whole and others only parts. I found that most homeschool curriculum have a religious slant though you can find some without it.

Look around for homeschool groups in your area too. They will be a wealth of information for you.

 

[mjkacmom]

I don't know anything about homeschooling, but most of my kids didn't start academic learning in school until about the 3rd grade. They started kindergarten reading and doing math. I think that, until 3rd/4th grade, kids are at such different levels, that it takes that long to get on the same page.

I hear this from a lot of parents. My kids in HS take all honors/AP classes, and my 7th grader takes all honors, as well. They are being challenged. It's just easier to meet the individuals educational needs of children at the MS/HS level.

Honestly, I don't think my kids would have been better off if they were challenged more in elementary school, but who knows. They liked getting all easy A's!

 

[DawnM]

There is a homeschooling board on the Family forum here on the DIS, I would start there, lots of HSing parents with lots of advice.

As for curriculum, there is so much out there these days. Do you want secular, Christian, other? There are many "curriculum in a box" types you can purchase, or you can design your own based on what you really like.

Dawn

 

[wendow]

Hi, I am a homeschool mom in my 9th year of homeschooling. Started out as 1 year deal and here I am all these years later with children who are thriving so we keep going. It's been a wonderful choice for our family

Curriculum choices are bigger than you can possibly imagine. I had no idea all that was out there when I began and it's only grown since then. Feel free to send me a pm and I'll try to give you some thoughts on what might be best for your dd.

Your local homeschooling groups will be great for finding social opportunities or co-op groups.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

My niece cyber schools, she is in a AP program which challenges her. The program ranges from her special needs brother to her advanced program. It is free because the funding is paid in the same manner as the homeschool would be paid. They have laptops, books, science or extra needs provided along with a printer.

I am not sure how long they have been attending but it has been several years.

 

[ktate82]

This is our second year of homeschooling and my kids are in 3rd and 2nd grade. We use an online program called Time4Learning and love it! Its good for homeschooling, summer school, or as an after school program. Kids have access to the grade above and below (so my 3rd grader can access 4th and 2nd grade material), so the child can move as they learn. When we finish subjects, we send a request to move up a grade, and it is done within a few hours. We also supplement with Spectrum workbooks (get them on Amazon) for reading, math (can't have too much math right?), and writing so they develop the hand writing skills.

 

[DawnM]

I think you mean that it is paid through the public school system. Homeschools are not paid.

The availability of these online schooling options varies by state.

Dawn

My niece cyber schools, she is in a AP program which challenges her. The program ranges from her special needs brother to her advanced program. It is free because the funding is paid in the same manner as the homeschool would be paid. They have laptops, books, science or extra needs provided along with a printer.

I am not sure how long they have been attending but it has been several years.

 

[platamama]

Thanks to the internet, there is no shortage of places to look. If you haven't already done so, I'd check out hoagiesgifted.org and the forums on davidsongifted.org.

My DD8, who is a 4th grader (skipped K) at a well-respected and recognized public school, doesn't receive adequate academic challenge even with a grade skip (well into high school level reading and spelling, and 6th grade math if given the opportunity). However, she is very happy about school in general, and enjoys it for the social aspects as well as the art and music classes which are awesome. So for the rest of elementary the plan is to leave her be. Though I certainly have entertained the idea of homeschooling myself, I simply don't see myself having the patience to do it.

I've seen some parents of gifted kids enroll them into a dual foreign language immersion program in the public schools (not all areas can offer this I know), and letting the challenge of learning a foreign language keep them engaged and stimulated.

It is somewhat difficult to talk about this with other parents where you don't want to come across as bragging about your child, so I do really encourage you to seek discussion boards where people are in your shoes so to speak.