OK Ladies and Gents, I need a little help here. I am not too sure what I am going to do for next year (which will begin June 1 for us). To finish out this year I am just using bits and pieces of worksheets from books I found at the local school supply store. Its working fine for now. D/S is so anti-seatwork because they really overdid it at his school before I withdrew him. He is learning well. I just wonder if I need more structure to ensure I do not omit anything really important. gee whiz I am 43 years old, it's been a long time since I was in the first grade, and then all I needed to know back then was my address, phone number, counting to 20, ABC's and how to tie my shoes. Things have sure changed. He really does well with computer based products. He is very computer literate for a 6 year old. The great thing about him is that he is very motivated to learn if you can find a way to make it fun and interesting. But he does get bored by repetition and monotony (really who doesn't right?) and resists busy work with a passion. To really muddy the waters,my 4 year old d/d who will have completed 2 years of preschool and is equally bright and also easily bored if not challenged, will be starting homeschool kindergarten with me June 1 as well. She can't wait to homeschool and if d/s is working on something, she comes over and asks me to give her an assignment. Luckily I picked up some books for her too and so she always has something fun to do, if she has the urge after spending half the day at school. I need something engaging for both of them and don't want to make the mistake of ordering several different curriculum, throw them all against the wall and see if any of them stick. That to me is a very costly experiment. We live in west central Indiana and I am not aware of too many resources for curriculum in this area, so the only other option I can think of is to do as much research as possible and hope I make a good choice. Has anyone heard of the Mathematica Homeschool Package? The company that makes it, is located nearby, but I was just curious of other's impressions based on personal experience Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
I have not heard of that company, do you have a link? You're going to get varying answers here lol. I seem to be the oddball as far as curriculum goes for a first year homeschooler because I've read and been told that most do a full packaged curriculum just so they don't leave anything out and it's not so stressful. I on the other hand didn't go that route. I didn't just buy a bunch of stuff either. I did a lot of research- like you are doing I'm sure, and I am in tune with dd's learning style so that helped a lot. There are so many books and curriculum out there it's hard to narrow it down- took me 4 months and this is month 5 for us and I finally have everything I need lol. I can give you a list of what we're using and why and while you may not like the same thing, it can give you ideas at least. First off dd is a visual and tactile learner. She is in Kindergarten though everything we do is above grade level. If she can see it and touch it she loves it. She does love to listen to stories, but when it comes to actual schoolwork- the more visual and tactile the better! Math- Miquon- visual and tactile, uses cuisenaire rods. Dd is an abstract thinker and this falls right into how she sees things and does things. The curriculum was very cheap and the ideas in the teachers book are endless. I'm using Singapore as a supplement- mainly because dd likes bright colorful pictures and the K 2a and 2b books are about where the Miquon 1st year starts so it works perfectly. Grammar I'm using First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind. The lessons are very short but very effective. Phonics I am using Modern Curriculum Press Level C. I'm not crazy about the student workbook so much, but I looooove the teachers book. TONS of great ideas and it gives different teaching ideas for different learning styles. Science - BJU Science 1- wasn't my original choice but picked up the teachers book at a local consignment shop for cheap, started flipping through it and decided to pick up new student sheets to go along with it. Has some wonderful hands on activities and the text book is something dd can read. We just started that yesterday and are making a lapbook for the sun, moon, and starts. Spelling- Spelling Power. I went back and forth on spelling for quite some time. Ended up with this after a friend showed it to me. It's not a typical spelling program- no workbooks. But right along dd's lines because it's short and I do have a supplemental workbook she can use if she wants. History- Story of the World- AWSOME. I can't say enough good things about it. The activity book lists different crafts/activities for each lesson, lists extra reading for the lesson, we will have fun with this. I think that just about covers it lol. Art we're doing things I find online or whatever. She will also be starting a homeschool art class this Friday. PE we have homeschool PE at a local community center. We also have swimming every Saturday. I basically sat down and made a list of what makes dd tick and what interests her the most when she is learning. Then I started looking for different curriculums that met those needs. In the end I have 4 pages of curriculum lol. I narrowed it down and bought things as I went along over the past few months.
My son is NOT a seatwork person either. We've scrapped our boxed curriculum for the rest of the year. If he asks for it, we do it. I'm letting him do computer games and videos and maybe 1 or two worksheets a day that I sit with him doing. I also have him read to me everyday. He's doing really well. For first grade, we're looking into different computer programs. I just signed up for Clever Island trial (www.cleverisland.com). We just signed up yesterday, so I'm not sure if we'll like it. It's not too expensive $11.99/month...and it looks like it has a lot. Also looks like they charge that flat fee and not per student, so even my eldest can use it as "fun". We're really looking into stuff for him....I'm concerned he won't get enough. My eldest is a charm and we're going with a boxed curriculum again b/c she loves the workbooks and seat work. Prefers it to anything. She likes playing on the computer too...and she's pretty bright. It's hard to know, but the best thing is to figure out what your child's learning style is and then find the curriculum that suits that style.
have you thought of looking at the classical method of teaching? That's basically what we're following. Not a lot of book work, but we do a lot of reading, hands on activities, poetry, memorization, ect. Dd LOOOOOVES worksheets, but I've got it to the point now where we only do one or 2 a day and that's for math and maybe phonics. It's taken us 4 months to get this far lol, but we are having fun!
As soon as I hear the "anti - seatwork" term...I tend to steer people toward unit study type programs. Here are several to get your research list started. http://www.hsiz.org/resources.asp?resourceCatID=388
We have been hsing since, dgs (12 years old - 6th grade) has been in K. We started with Abeka since the kindergarten he was going to used that. (we stopped ps in Feb. of K) He hates school. He would rather go outside, build a tree fort, disect a snake or help a neighbor work outside. He is definately a hands-on person. Unfortunately, a lot of subjects go untouched if I did that. If I sat him down and told him to do "whatever", he would make up all the excuses in the world why it would not benefit him. Today, he said he was sick. Since I was not feeling well, I told him, "OK, but you cannot play or go outside until your school work is done". He is now in there (at 5:43pm) doing his school work and just came out and told me he would be done by 7:00, but he is in the bathroom. I also have a 3 year old, who loves to do school. So, I decided to get the Abeka videos - let him do his school work with the videos and then pick and choose how much he needs of seat work to do. He learned so much when I used the videos, even though he hated it. I tried something different this year, he hasn't learned as much and he still hates it. Dgd is ready to school, I would like to spend time with her since she is wanting to "do school".
So he needs hands-on stuff gma, it sounds like? Can you search for curriculums that are more hands-on? When gpa is home, can they work on an engine or a dissection of something together? For history, he could dress up more (KONOS type stuff, maybe?)---like if he has to learn the Gettysberg Address, after he learns it, he could dress as Abe Lincoln, then say it as if he were the President giving a speech to thousands of people! Even if it is you, your dh and his sister! Drama, acting stuff out may be good for him. I wish you well! Maybe keep watching. I just read something (wish I could remember where!) that talked about hidden talents. Some children are not inclined towards studies, but they have talents that they will be able to use. So let them get experience with stuff they're interested in, and it may turn into a wonderful career for them! I think it was in a homeschool mag. I was reading a week or so ago.
I want to thank all of you for your advice. It really helps to have several to choose from, that others are familiar with. I will check each of them out. I am familiar with Abeka and I have to say its very thorough and well rounded, but d/s avoids it like the plague. Unfortunately his teacher at the old school used it as seatwork to keep the first graders occupied while she worked with the second graders and he'll have none of it. I am choosing my battles wisely these days and this isn't the hill I want to die on, if you know what I mean. He is discovering that learning is fun and doesn't have to be a war, so I need something that falls with in those lines. Thanks again!
