Ok first a little about me. I'm totally new to this site and mostly new to the homeschooling world. I am the youngest of seven and my mom homeschooled us. However, she passed away from cancer when I was 12. My dad lost the love of his life and simply fell apart. As a result me and some of my siblings never really finished school. I finished through about 8th grade and then took my GED since I was way behind and had to work at a young age. Anyways, fast forward 10 years and I am a stay at home mom with 3 beautiful girls and a wonderful husband. God has been very good to me. : ) Jana will be 5 in Oct. Isabelle will be 3 and Keira my baby is 2 months old. So here's the deal, I want to homeschool. I feel that it is the best educational option but where do I start? I have no generation above me for advice. I have only an 8th grade education myself. I have gone to the homeschool convention but there is sooo much information thrown at you there that I think it overwhelmed me more than it helped, ha. I do know that I want my girls to learn from life and the world around them as much as possible but I also recognize that I need to have some organization to it somewhere. So where would you recommend starting to someone like me?
I recently found this site and I love it! Depending on your 5 year old's abilities you can start at the beginning or skip to getting ready 2. Easy Peasy All in One homeschool: http://allinonehomeschool.wordpress.com/ My 3 year old is doing getting ready 1 and my soon to be 6 year old will be starting first in September. I will be using these programs plus a few workbooks and text books that have been handed down to me. It really is sufficient and it's all free!
My kids are older, so I'll save the resource advice to other. My advice to you is to relax and enjoy the ride. You can do this. Teaching is not about knowing it all. The teacher learns along with the student. I have learned so much teaching my kids. Just take one step at a time. You know how to count, read and write. You have all the skills you need to start. As the years pass, take the attitude that you are learning with them. The goal of homeschooling is to teach your children to learn, not just memorizing facts.
Do you know what kind of curriculum you would like to use? I use a variety of different materials. I use CLE for math and LA. It is ten workbooks per subject per year. Then we also use Sonlight which is box of great books with a huge instructors guide that includes a schedule and notes. I really like both of he programs. I especially love reading to my kids
First of all...Welcome!!! Don't let the amount of stuff out there, all the homeschool blogs, or other people freak you out. It can be overwhelming. I am sure you are capable of schooling your daughter. Use the search on this site and you will find tons of ideas about organization, curriculum, and types of homeschooling and philosophies. There are also eSchool options (public school at home) if you would like some additional structure, assistance, and accountability. We are using K12 this year partly because of the free curriculum and association since we don't have any local co-ops or homeschool groups in which we can participate.
I think that one of the biggest keys is knowing that if you try a curriculum and it doesn't work for you and/or your child for whatever reason that it's not a failure. That's why there are so many options out there. Because not everyone teaches the same way and not everyone learns the same way. Try to determine your dd's learning style and look for curriculum that are geared that direction would be my advice. We've tried and hated several things over the years and we've tried and loved several things over the years, it's really trial and error until you find what works best for you.
Here is my standard advice to new homeschoolers. http://www.therubynotebook.com/homeschooling-where-to-start/ Now in response to your situation, don't worry, many of us have no generation above us to ask for help. Some even have to deal with parents or in-laws that are very opposed to homeschooling. So don't feel bad about that part, it's normal. Find support from other local homeschoolers.
