What homeschool program do you use? (I NEED A GREAT MATH PROGRAM FOR LD CHILD)

[disney-super-mom]

I'm considering homeschooling my DS (7) next year. He's currently repeating first grade at a public school due to the fact that he's learning disabled (he's high functioning autisitc), and because he was one of the youngest in his class.

I'm looking for a homeschool program that's not only parent friendly (easy to use for the home teacher), but one that lets kids learn at their own pace and in their own way (since not all kids learn best the same way).

I'm intrigued by the Grace Homeschool Academy, Oak Meadow School, or possibly an un-schooling program.

Is anyone using or have any experience using these programs, or can you recommend one for us to check out?

 

[Kewz1]

I am currently using Sonlight. It works well with my family. I'll be branching out a bit next year though. You can visit their message boards to get a feel if it would work fo you.

I think you will find hsing very advantageous for your DS. Sending some encouragement your way!!

Kristen

P.S. There is a long thread on the boards regarding hsing. Check it out --lots of info there too!

 

[nuzmom]

I saw you didn't have any replies, so I thought I'd give you a bump.

We choose our own curriculum. Rainbow resources has a HUGE catalog of choices, you might want to request one. They have "fun stuff" in it, too, besides curriculum. http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php

I'm not familiar with what you'll need for your high functioning autistic child, but I can recommend Math-U-See for a math curriculum. The author wrote it specifically for his learning disabled son, but it is highly recommended for children of all abilities. http://www.mathusee.com/

Hope you get some more replies. You have a very good question. Enjoy hsing!!!

 

[disney-super-mom]

Thank you both very much!

Any help or advice is much appreciated! I'm going to check out the info you gave me.

I tried reading the hs thread, but it's so long and full of info that it gets a bit overwhelming - well for me anyway.

 

[MomTo2inNE]

Let me second Sonlight! This year is my first year, and it is just SOO easy with Sonlight. That said, I think we'll switch from Sonlight's standard math (Horizons) to Singapore next year. Also, I'll probably do a Bible curriculum from Timberdoodle.

Good luck with your decision! And have a great time with it!

Jill

 

[momto2girls]

I'm not familiar with what you'll need for your high functioning autistic child, but I can recommend Math-U-See for a math curriculum. The author wrote it specifically for his learning disabled son, but it is highly recommended for children of all abilities. http://www.mathusee.com/

We use Math U See and love it too!

 

[hsmamato2]

OP, good for you! research your options,and allow yourself and your son the freedom to flourish!
I suggest a trip to the library,check out the parenting sections for homeschool books- lots of different ways to do it,you'll find what's right for you. also check out www.home-edmag.com for lots of greatinfo-
Unschooling is not a program,it's more about learning through life, not textbooks.It works well for many people.
Saxon Math books are straightforward resources for learning....Miquon math great for younger grades- but don't feel like you have to duplicate the school room at home, if your ds didn't do well with that model,it's ok to get as creative as you want!
Try to find a local hs group,and join some activities...

 

[Brier Rose]

Last year my DD (14) used The Morning Star Academywww.themorningstaracademy.org which I believe is affiliated with the Grace Academy.

We liked it very much, BUT, you only have from like Aug-June to complete your courses. After that all courses are not accessible online. We like to school all year, so that was a problem for us.

This year she is doing Keystone National Highschool www.keystonehighschool.com
She just started with them last week, but so far everything is great!
We're also supplementing with Teaching Textbooks www.teachingtextbooks.com which is phenomenal!

For my DS(7) we did the Abeka DVD program.www.abekaacademy.org
It doesn't get any easier than that for the home teacher because basically all you're doing is supervising.

The DVD's can be somewhat long, but once I got comfortable fast forwarding through what could be skipped over things went much smoother.

In DS's case even with this he was still having a very hard time learning to read. One of the regular homeschool posters here menitoned Headsprout www.headsprout.com, and since starting that he has just improved so much! (thanks jacyns)

I've done a lot of research into Sonlight as well, which looks great. I may do that with him next year, but for now I like having the accountability of sending in his work, and he loves to get his report cards in the mail!

 

[mom2rb]

We love Singapore Math.

 

[5starmom]

what suits our family best in *every* subject. That means that we have never used a "program" at all, but pull together what we love and what works for us.

We like the flexibility and freedom of choosing and using what we want without having to bow to either a public school's (as in cyber charters) or program's philosophy. There are reasons that we don't send our children to school and the curriculum is one of them! I don't want someone else dictating exactly what my child needs to learn every month of the school year.

Now this doesn't mean that an all-in-one program will not fit your family. But we don't want to imitate school at home OR spend our time worrying about covering hundreds of topics so superficially that our children's interest dies out. (I feel this is one of the major flaws in the public school system, and mainly because of the outside pressures put upon it by the government, etc.) No cookie cutter educations at my house, thank you.

So I can suggest a few "programs" that might work and that some families love, but you will need to do the research on your own to find the right fit! Think about what your goals and vision is for the education of your children. Most likely, ONE program will fall short in some area and it's up to you to decide if that's OK.

Unschooling is very different from what you would receive from any program, too! So consider that and keep on researching.

For a 7yo, I *might* recommend one of the Five in a Row unit studies or My Father's World (Christian). If you can handle pulling together activities, books and crafts, KONOS is very neat.

For a more traditional type program, Calvert might be good.

If you need inexpensive and enjoy lots of reading and making some plans on your own, try AmblesideOnline.com It's a free, Charlotte Mason curriculum.

Literature-based programs (which may or may not have TOO much reading, but can be adapted however you like) would be Sonlight or Winter Promise.

And then there are the many, many individual resources out there that are great! FREE things on the internet! For age 7, homeschooling does not have to take all day--or even half the day!--and should focus, IMO, on the 3 R's and lots of good books in all subject matter. Draw and mold with clay and play outside and use a magnifying glass on a nature walk and learn how to do things around the house and talk about safety and how things work or are made...and all those things that you'd love to do if your child weren't in school all day! LOL

Sorry if this got a little soap-boxy.

 

[5starmom]

may I also strongly DISCOURAGE you from using Grace Academy? There is a lot of controversy surrounding the CEO and her advertising tactics, failure to deliver on educational promises, etc. There are reasons why she has opened several "academies" under different names. I run a homeschooling website and have heard too many negative things to outweigh any of the good. Sorry!

 

[ohiominnie]

we use www.k12.com and love it.

 

[Ellester]

Another vote for Sonlight and Math-U-See. Both are very easy for the teacher (you!), lesson plans are right there all spelled out and geared so you can go at your child's pace. I would recommend you find your local homeschooling group and see if you can get together with some of the families during a park day or meeting and see what they do. It is also approaching conference/curriculum fair time, so you could see if there is one coming near you. There is so much out there, it can be overwhelming. Good luck!

 

[Brier Rose]

may I also strongly DISCOURAGE you from using Grace Academy? There is a lot of controversy surrounding the CEO and her advertising tactics, failure to deliver on educational promises, etc. There are reasons why she has opened several "academies" under different names. I run a homeschooling website and have heard too many negative things to outweigh any of the good. Sorry!

May I ask what the controversy is/was?

We used The MorningStar Academy last year without any issues at all. Just curious.

 

[disney-super-mom]

WOW - thanks for all the support and education in homeschooling! You guys are awesome people!

I LOVE the looks of the headsprout online reading program. That would work perfectly for my little guy who has struggled learning how to read! This one has me REALLY REALLY REALLY EXCITED!

I also think Math-U-See and rainbowresource.com (it has a great selection) look REALLY PROMISING

Okay, I have to go check out Calvert, Sonlight, Five in a Row, k12.com, and Abeka. Ohhhhhh, this is SO EXCITING!:

 

[sha_lyn]

Calvert is very worksheet intense, which didn't work well for DD, but I know others who have used it for yrs and love it.

We are fairly ecletic. No one style fits DD. We pull from classical, Charlotte Mason, unit studies etc

For DS we are using James Madison High School, but I'm not very happy with them. I wish we had stuck with American School.

 

[sha_lyn]

oh forgot to mention my fav online resource

www.spellingtime.com

You can eihter use their word lists, or make your own. Right now we are using spelling workout, so we use the spelling list from it.

 

[grlpwrd]

I have used Calvert and Singapore Math for my now-15yo dd when she was younger, but now she and her sisters both attend public school due to special programs and I only homeschool my 2 youngest kids.

I use Funshine Express (which is for preschoolers) for my kids and for my daycare/preschool kids, too. Just thought I would add the curriculum I use for the youngins'.

 

[graygables]

I've used Calvert, Abeka, Singapore math, Switched on Schoolhouse, compass, and K12 in my experiences.

Singapore math was the WORST and I still don't get why people like it. Compass was equally bad. Calvert & Abeka were entirely too much time in the books. SoS was fine.

K12 is, by far, hands down, the best curriculum I've come across. Complete, indepth, balanced, plenty online and off. A lot of it is self-teaching/directing, so I don't have to be there ALL the time like I did with the others we used. We are using it via a virtual academy at the moment (provided free by the state, includes a computer and internet reimbursement, along with teachers and full special ed services including OT and speech for my HFA DD). However, if we were to ever leave the virtual academy, I'd buy K12. That's how good it is. My 3rd grader learned about Dante and The Divine Comedy today. She also knows what ziggurats are and about the Code of Hammurabi.

 

[mamatojon]

We used Sonlight for a bit this year (we bought the core plus), but I've kind of put my own curriculum together using the math from Sonlight, parts of the history and art, but we are doing our own thing with reading. My son didn't really mesh well with what came in the Sonlight package. I've looked at Oak Meadow too, and really liked it a lot but chose Sonlight instead and now I'm wary of spending any more money without giving it a lot of thought. My neighbor used Abeka with her daughter for awhile and just raves up and down about it, I haven't really looked into it at all. I did look into K12, but wasn't sure it was for me or not. In WA it is free through WAVA, Wa State Virtual Academy. It is run through the Steliacoom School District for any student in the state, your son would be considered to be a student at a school not 15 miles from my home here in Tacoma, LOL.

I don't know if she ever gets out to Spokane, but if you ever get a chance to see a presentation by Janice Hedine it is well worth it. She does work with the WA Homeschool Organization (WHO) and speaks at support association meetings and conferences.