Hello I found this forum tonight searching the web. I have 5 children grades 3, 2, K, Pre-k and the youngest is 2. We have always wanted to home school but have made the mistake of allowing ourselves to be talked out of it. My mom is a teacher and has been our worst obstacle. We have had nothing but trouble with the public school. We disagree with how much involvement should be on our part. They believe school is school and home is home. My 3rd grader has recently started acting out at home and school. Also he has picked up some very foul language and does not cooperate with anything especially school work. My 2ND grader has special needs and has fallen between the cracks. My Kindergartner is doing OK at this point academically but is very insecure. My pre schooler is secure but starting to show some insecurities. After long discussions with my husband we have decided to home school next year and see if all this can change. What I need from all of you is some ideas of where to start. What curriculum's do you like? Do you have some links that would be of help? What can I do over the next few months to prepare my family for the changes? Any advise you can help me with. I am starting from scratch and my biggest hurdle is going to be convincing our families to accept our decision. I would appreciate all input.
Yep, it's always convincing the family and friends that's the hardest part. I know where you are coming from. I was a teacher and yet my family still thinks homeschooling is the wrong option. Can't please everybody so why not just please yourself. There are so, so many choices for curriculum. Your budget is the first thing to consider. If that is no object then you have a ton of choices out there. Next thing you might want to consider is what type of program are you interested in.....workbooks/textbooks, dvd program, whole language or theme unit approach, etc. Then, you can decide if you want secular or christian based curriculum. Once you have decided (or think you have, lol) then you can start looking. www.Homeschoolreviews.com is a good place to go to read some reviews of homeschool curriculums. You will get a better idea of what is available. Pick some that you think look interesting and then either find it online to preview it or look at your local homeschool or school supply store. I really find seeing the curriculum in person is the best way to decide if it will work for your kids. Your kids learning styles are very important as well. One child who might be mostly a visual learner might enjoy learning from things like books w/ pictures, posters, flash cards, videos, etc. But, a child that learns best with auditory might enjoy books on tape, songs that teach, websites with sound that teach, mom/dad lecturing about a topic, electronic books/games that have sound, etc. Do a search for learning style test and do a few to determine what each child might be. Then, you will be ready to pick out curriculum when you go looking. If you don't really have a school store near you then you can always shop online. I tend to do this eventhough we have tons of school/hs supply stores around. I like shopping online and you can view many samples of hs textbooks this way. I also sign up for catalogs for most of the homeschool curriculum catalogs. Here are a few of the ones that I get catalogs from www.christianlibertypress.com www.abeka.org www.rainbowresource.com www.scottforesman.com http://www.schoolspecialtypublishing.com/ http://www.rodstaff.com/cgi-bin/ras/perlshop.cgi http://www.aop.com/home/ http://www.bjupress.com/webapp/wcs/...splay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1 here is the site for www.homeschoolreviews.com This is a good site for seeing some of the options available to homeschoolers http://www.learningstreams.com/
First I want to welcome you to the homeschool spot Jenny. Yes trying to convice the family is big job. I have been homeschooling for 5 years and still get all kinds of you know what from the family. Just the other day my sister and I got into a big fight because she called and ask what I was doing and we were doing school and boy we went through it, till I finally hung up on her and told her enough was enough. Yes, it's very hard when you have no support makes it hard for the kids to understand why no one in the family ever ask them about school. But, we are hang in there and trying our best to ingore them and do what we think is best for our family. So, my point is do what is best for you and your family and let the others go fly a kite. Boy, theres alot of books out there to choose from find out what is good for you all and what the kids like to learn. Abeka is what we use. Also, the younger ones I would print alot of worksheets off I wouldn't get many books. there is alot of neat web site out there with alot of printables. JenPooh is our preschool teacher here and I am sure she could get you alot of neat site to go on for printables and crafts. Well I think went on for ever I want to wish you luck and remember we are here if you need to talk or ask question.
Give us some idea of what you want as far a curriculum goes. Would you prefer a Christian world view, or something that is totally secular? Some people want to have a box curriculum that has everything you need for "grade x", while others prefer to teach all ages together with units. I, personally, don't like having "school at home", but for others it works very well. I will teach all three of my children, ages 11, 9, and 6 their science and history together. Other things, like math, are done individually. As far as disagreeable family, I would first of all STRONGLY SUGGEST that your husband deal with them. He needs to remind them that HE is head of the household, and is responsible, with your input, to make the decisions HE feels is best for his family. He has decided that this is what is best, and it is NOT open to discussion. They don't have to like the decision, but they need to remember that it's NOT their decision to make. Some grandparents are not willing to accept this; sometimes you might need to temporarily break ties with them until they realize they cannot make negative comments, especially to the children when you're not there.
Try this site: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/ And aslo welcome! This is a very hellpful site for homeschoolers and just a good ole' place for mommy chat.
I think it is great that you are not letting others make the decision about what's best for your kids. Obviously I don't know your mother or family, but what I have found is that one-on-one conversations work the best to help them see where you are coming from. I have read a lot about hs and ps and I am very sure about why I want to hs our 5yo. We have teachers and principals going back for generations in my family and my DH's. One good way to address concerns is by asking them questions about ps. What are their perceptions of ps? What about peer pressure, premarital sex, drugs, bullying and all the other things that go on even in elementary grades now? John Gatto has written some books about ps and his concerns with it and he was a teacher in NY. Sometimes providing family with articles or books, so they can read up about things themselves is helpful. I would try to keep the lines of communication open though. Don't let education choices come between family. What you are choosing for your kids is legal and just another option like private school. Let them know that you don't have something against them or what they do for a profession. Hope it works out in time. Julia
I just wanted to remind you Jenny R that there are a lot of families that don't have the support you would hope for when homeschooling. You might read about it in past posts, but In over all its good to be part of a homeschool comunity (here) and in your home town.
Welcome, JennyR. You have definitely come to a great place for information and encouragement! HS is a great choice and if you truly feel this is best for your kids, then stand strong. I agree with everything these gals have said and one other thing I am thinking is sometimes the only way to prove that you know what you're doing is by actions. In time, your family will see how great your kids are doing and back off. It does take time, though! I feel for you, doing what you know is right, but feeling like no one else sees it your way is hard. It sounds like your dh is right there with you, so that is a great thing! Just lean into each other....and now you can lean in to the gals here!
Welcome!!! Jenny, You asked a lot of questions and the one that everyone always focuses on first is curriculum but..the thing I noticed was you asked what can I do now to get us ready? :lol: SMART!!!! Make sure your kids respect you. Nothing like trying to be the teacher when you can't be the parent. I've seen it often and it's sad but....if the kids rule the roost then....you won't get much but a headache. Figure out where you will do school. Are you going to move furniture to create a school room or will you use the kitchen table? Where will you store all your books that you are getting ready to have. I kid you not! Do some spring cleaning now to make room!!! Find out if there is any local support groups. Co-ops usually close before the ps year even starts. Do some research on learning styles - this will help you pick your curriculum!!!! Cathy Duffy has some neat books on this. HIT THE LIBRARY for books they have on homeschooling. Check out a bunch and flip through them. Different books will speak to you at different times...if the book "speaks" to you read it or just that chapter. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE BOOK!!!!! Skim pick out parts move on. :lol: Family? Well...ya know if they weren't family we'd just stop hanging out with them and move on. lol Take it in tiny baby steps and when you feel like you are bashing your head against the wall with them come to us and give your headache a rest. :wink: Welcome to homeschooling and enjoy the ride. You will come up with questions you didn't know you had and have answers you didn't know you had. :wink: It's all part of the journey.
Welcome, Jenny! My mom is a retired ps teacher. She does not agree with my decision to homeschool, but she just doesn't really talk about it much. We had a discussion when I decided to stay-home with my kids. Neither of my parents agreed with that either. But they accepted the fact that they were not going to change our minds, and we agree to disagree about it. I would suggest letting your family know what your plans are, and letting them know right from the start that you won't tolerate negativity about it. One of my main reasons for homeschooling is my special needs dd (7). We had all of the eduactional testing done when she was 5 (pre-K) and again when she was 6(K-we were homeschooling at this point). The first time we were told that her IQ was normal and she wouldn't qualify for any services. They second time, we were told, again, that her IQ was normal, but that she did seem to struggle with written language. Of course they also suggested that I have her tested for ADD and went so far as to say in the IEP that the "mom underestimates the child's abilities". I left without signing it and never plan to deal with the ps system again. We had my DD evaluated on our own for a visual perception deficit. Turns out that was the problem all along!! She was below average in almost every area. Her IQ is normal. It has nothing to do with IQ. Once we knew what the problem was, we could work on helping her overcome those difficulties. She still struggles with reading and writing, but has come a long way. It brings me to tears to think of what would have happened to her in a ps. I think my caring, tender, and servant-hearted little girl would have been torn apart. It will be so rewarding for you to teach your special needs child. It is hard some days. When tears start, I have to back off and try a new approach. BUT, it is SO worth it when they "get it". When my dd can read a sentence (4-5 easy words) with no help, my heart swells with pride! The ladies on this site are such great help! Let us know what you are looking for and, someone will guide you. I use a mixture of curriculums. A boxed set just wasn't for me. I (like Jackie) am going to teach science and history all together and math, language and reading at each child's level. Again, welcome!
don't forget to use e-bay as a resorce as some things, I use one lady that sells brand new McGraw hill stuff (things4kings) and she is cheap. If you join a HS. group, do it befofre school starts, ask them if you can see what they use for curriculum, so you can look at stuff in person, (my group even has curriculum exchanges--- and clothing exchanges) both are very helpful. When you shop for regular supplies (like a white board or simple things like a stapler, don't forget to apply for a teacher discount card at places like Staples or Office Depot (and a long list of other places). A lot of us like to build or book library at second hand book stores and places like Goodwill). I personally didn't buy curiculum for K or Pre K, you can find so much free things online! We can give you a list of places to look at Just a few would be: www.learningpage.com www.thevirtualvine.com http://www.kinderprintables.com/
For school supplies and the little stuff like staplers and pencil sharpeners, be sure to go to the Dollar Tree if ithere is one in your area.. they have a whole section sof office and teacher supplies.
Naw...just wait for the back to school sales....all that stuff is cheap at Wal-mart that time of year. Packs of markers for a quarter type thing. :lol: Be careful with the dollar stores because sometimes it is a good deal and sometimes...not.
I agree with Sheila about the quality of art and school supplies. Pencils and pens, tape and glue is usually okay from discount stores. But, I only like Crayola and certain other brand name crayons, markers, scissors and such. You can't usually find those brand names at discount stores.
If you already know that homeschooling is what you are going to do. The library is a great resource for homeschooling books about homeschooling and how to do it. You will be able to find out what style you want to use, textbooks and workbooks - like school, unit studies where several courses are combined and different grades can learn together, Classical. Charlotte Mason, and others. If you want to look around on the internet at some websites, here are some curriculum that I like (most are Christian based): MFWbooks.com (This is What I use) VeritasPress.com AmblesideOnline.org MathUSee.com CornerstoneCurriculum.com (Making Math Meaningful) Math-It (I couldn't find the website) EagleswingsEd.com (Considering God's Creation Science) GeoMatters.com (Galloping the Globe - geography) DianaWaring.com (History) Calculadder.com (Ready Writer - readiness) HoldThatThought.com (History timelines) Dorbooks.com (Phonics) LogosSchool.com (Math Sound Off) LoveToLearn.Net My mil has hated the fact that I homeschooled since the beginning. When my kids got older, she would pull them aside and try to talk them into going to school. My husband had to get involved. I finally just ignored her. I knew what we had decided and everyone except her has come around to the idea. My boys are grown now and I homeschool my grandson (K) and when she finds that out, she is going to croak!
hmm.. stuff I get at the dollar store.. Some workbooks... they have disney Princess and Barbie and they are all PINK, now there's what appeals to Sami LOL. my stapler and staples came from there. Not too worried about quality on that.. I don't staple THAT much and the thing works great. Stickers.. excellent for reward and you can get 2000 stickers for $1. (I didn't like the 5000 box they carry..stickers are too small) Foam shapes are fun from there for various stuff too. THe store here has Crayola brand crayons but it's the 24 box instead of the 64 box... the 64 is some generic brand. It just as well She only wants the pink one the red one and occasionally the purple ones anyhow. Ooodles of pencils. I think the kids eat pencils for snacks when I'm not looking??? Erasers go even faster than pencils. if I buy quality erasers.. no matter they get lost . Also they have Barbie math and reading flashcards of all sorts.. wipe off alphabet cards. I know they have boy versions of these sorts of things too, but I don't remember which.. I know I've seen batman and spiderman there before. Sami also loves the magnetic maps they have for geography. Yeah there are some things that are cheaper at wal-mart.. but not too many. I do wonder what becomes of our pencils and erasers though!! Outside of the dollar store I highly reccommend you consider how big a book shelf you think you will need to accomadate your new HS stuff. Then buy two of them rather than one. It grows, it has a life of it's own, all those books! Many people do school at home. My friend created a wall that is like a very busy real classroom wall... and it has a desk in there. if you are gonna do that set it up way early so the kids can get used to it and excited about "the first day of school". Sami goes and sees his "schoolroom" and just stares at it in amazement. I'm the opposite.. we do school where ever we get nice and comfy.. though I demad writing be done at the table "to make it pretty." I was at the Dollar store and they were about to throw away their cardboard Dixie animal plate display stand (you know those plates with the ears seperated?) I got them to give it to me.. the four sections create cubbies and the thing is cute... we have baskets in each cubbie to keep stuff she is working on so it's not all over the house. little bins or baskets are really helpful. All this to say.. just get a place for all the new stuff. It's easier if you are organized ahead of time.
Welcome to the board. As far as the family, again I agree with Jackie. Your dh is the head of the household and have him deal with that. You need to do what is best for your family. Right now it sounds like you need to focus on your kids and not on others. Take a bit of time to search all the websites and things mentioned here. Don't get overwhelmed. There are so many resources! But you will do fine. Try to narrow down what you are looking for and go from there.
My HS group was talking about family issues last time. I liked the concept that they refered to the dads as "the principal". That person to send people to when the problem issues crop up, be it disapproving family or the kids acting up themselves Also as a check and balance to mom choosing all the study materials. They made it sound so nice. iy made me want to go hire a principal for my HS too. LOL OOOhh and another thing to do to get ready is think up a name for your homeschool. Not only is it fun to do, but then you have something to put on the forms some places want before giving teacher discounts or online freebies. We named ours Compass Academy (because we are pointing kids in the right direction) and we chose a mascot because we needed a "official sounding School email address" and fanmail.com has email account based on mascots. So We are now the cougars and got ourselves a free account @cougars.com I know at least on family that got tired of "why aren't your kids in school" Questions when they went places so they made school T-shirts with their School name and motto on them and it cut down alot on those questions when they wear them all at once.
The name thing comes up every now and then on here! I've named ours "The Way of Wisdom Homeschool". And, I think Deena, decided to "open her own branch" of WOW, LOL! Faythe was upset with me the other day, because she entered a bookmark contest at the library that I honestly think she has a decent chance to win. It was a tiny space for "School", and I told her to just write "Home". She wanted to write the entire name. I usually write it on any application, etc. my kids fill out. I've considered "school uniforms" for field trips, but never followed through. Carl thinks that's a little far-fetched!
Wow I am so glad I found this board. You ladies have a buindle of information and looks like you will all be easy to talk to. To the question about what type we are looking for we would like to find a christion based program. I dont know if we want boxed or not as this is the first time we have looked into the books and things. I do know that I need to somehow determine what level one of my children is at so we can decide what grade level for him. Any idea how I can go about this? He is in the second grade but no where near ready for that. We asked for him to be held back but they refused. My othe Son in K is emerging in reading faster than he is so I am guessing they are around the same level in school. They dont tell me much at that school. It ticks me off. I will always feel guilty for ever sending my kids there. To the gal with the earaser problem if you find my pens or scissors while looking for them send them this way Thanks for all the stuff now I need to do all this homework you all gave me. LOL I cant waite to get my kids out of that school
