I need some Homeschool advice...

[Beanie]

I am seriously considering doing this as the School System here is not what I want for my children. Well, Kindergarten is really good, the teachers are so incredibly nice and I love them, but since they don't move to each grade with my child, I am worried about him going to First Grade. I don't care for either of the First Grade teachers here and actually the rest of the grades are pretty bad off as well.

What I am looking for is advice on where to start? Just basic information that anyone could give me would be a great help!

Thanks!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Look to people who homeschool in your area - find groups if they are available. Search on the internet.... you will find a great deal of information on curriculum discussion, what people like and dislike about any given program.

Find out the homeschooling laws in your state - you'll need to know those inside and out. Check to see if your school has homeschool assistance or allows dual enrollment.

Other than that, IMO, you are just looking for programs that suit your children. You can piece together your own, or stick with one program that offers all subjects.

Good luck, and I am sure there are many others that will offer you good advice!

 

[Beanie]

Thanks, CJ...I have looked at the laws in my state and do know them as I considered doing this last year, but gave Kindergarten a try in public school. I will try to find local support groups around here. I know there are some because a friend of mine homeschools her son.

I am really more interested in what kinds of curriculums are available for First Grade. Are there any sites that you could give me that would tell me about different ones?

Thanks

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Sure... I'll start with Saxon.
Go to http://www.saxonpublishers.com/

They offer math, phonics and spelling, and early learning. IMO the math program is exceptional.

A couple of general ones -

http://homeschoolcentral.com/

http://homeschool.com/


Beyond that, just do a search for first grade homeschool and you will have more links than you can handle! I actually did not homeschool that early, but if I had it to do over again I definitely would.

Good luck!

 

[TalkisCheap]

i am 13 and my mom has been homescholing me using Calvert since 2nd grade. It is a very good programn which supplys you with every textbook, and a manual for the work you should accomplish each day. My aunt also used this for my 3 cousins and everyone we talk to is extremely happy with the courses it provides.


you can find more information on Calvert at -www.calvertschool.org

it really has worked well and been the best option for me and my family, we really enjoy it!

 

[TalkisCheap]

oh, and also, we found that groups really were not a good alternative for us. You may find differently, but the ones near us never worked out...it may have just been our area, though.

 

[chager]

We use Calvert for our schooling. We are actually enrolled in an online charter school here in Ohio, which is really nice, and Calvert was one of the choices.. If you want to talk with other families that use it yahoo has a great group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calvert/
I have found alot of great info here. Everyone is great and there are people from everywhere. Several have used other curriculums too and can give some comparisons. I have been told that Calvert books are about one grade level above the public school levels. For instance you can compare 4th grade studies to 5/6th grade studies in public schools. Hope that helps a little.

 

[TalkisCheap]

i definatly think calvert is ahead of public schools. On the highschool entrance exam to a local private school, i took just a few weeks ago(im in 7th grade and everyone else was in 8th) i scored the second highest out of 112 girls and boys. Calvert, and my mother being a great teacher definatly prepared me very well!

 

[Beanie]

Thank you for all the help and for the links! I appreciate it! I was looking at Calvert School and I really like it, but need to look into it more. It is actually a lot less expensive then I thought it would be, which is good too!

Thanks again!! I appreciate all the help!!

 

[kpgclark]

Just out of curiosity, why not send your children to public school and supplement their education at home?

 

[Beanie]

Well, I tried to explain it in my first post, but the First Grade teachers are not really what I want for my child's education. It is a personal decision that my husband and I decided. I am not really fond of the Public School system here and I feel that the *system* just moves children along instead of really teaching them. This is, of course, just my opinion and I am not saying all schools do this.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by kpgclark
Just out of curiosity, why not send your children to public school and supplement their education at home?

My daughter is very bright and will be ahead of most of the kids in her class....I am still going to send her to school with kids her own age since I think it is very important for her socially but I will work with her at home for sure on reading and math even though she won't be doing that in school but I know she will be able to.

 

[Beanie]

As far as social issues go, I have none since my child has many friends outside of school that live near us. He will also be doing Cub Scouts and he has swimming lessons every week with a group of boys his age (2 of which are homeschooled). There are so many *out of school* activities offered around here that I don't believe social issues will be a problem!

 

[chager]

We pulled Nick from a private school because of many reasons. The main one was he wasn't challenged enough. That school already operated at a level above public school. I went to check out the school he would be assigned to for public school and Nick was already ahead of the 5th graders and he was only 2nd grade at the time. He could have been placed in the gifted program but that still would not have been enough to keep him interested. I also believe alot of kids just get moved along and sometimes there is too much of a need in the classroom to give the students the challenge they may need.
As a substitute I have seen teachers that I would not want teaching my child. I have also found teachers that I wish could teach my son.
By teaching him at home I know what he is learning and can adjust the material as needed. I also know he is not being bullied. (Not a big issue for him personally, but he often witnessed it happen to others. This was a Christian school and kids were beating other kids up at recess because no one wanted to enforce the 'stay away from the trees' rule!) He still gets to interact with other kids through field trips and sports.

When Nick was in 1st grade we talked with his teacher because he was finishing early in the mornings and becoming bored. Her comment was "If you want him to have more to do then YOU send in something for him to work on!" She did not like Nick and made it known. When we decided to homeschool at the end of last year I talked with his teacher. She fully supported the decision. Nick was her favorite and she knew she could depend on him. She also knew that he wasn't getting all that he needed. She wasn't able to give him more attention to meet his needs because of the discipline issues in the classroom. (She got a group of boys that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.)
Well that is part of the reason I am now homeschooling.

 

[momm2four]

I would try these websites. www.vegsource.com (you have click on the homeschool link on the left) and www.homeschoolchristian.com (this is obviously a Christian based site). These sites are wonderful for finding info/advice on Homeschooling.

Lori P.

 

[peg2001]

I'd advise learning about the different learning styles and the different homeschooling methods. The best curriculum in the world would be a waste of money if the child learns differently than the curriculum teaches or if the curriculum doesn't fit the homeschooling style of the family.

Hit your local library and start reading homeschooling and education books.

Peggy

 

[meandtheguys]

Going to the library for homeschooling books is a great idea. You know your child, and there are many different ways to educate him. Before spending the cash, check out the information. There is no big hurry. You might check to see if your state is having any homeschool conventions etc. Those are alsways an overload of info. Have fun!

Michelle