We are new to homeschooling this year, and I have felt so overwhelmed. I have no idea what we should be doing, how much and how often. I keep comparing our work with the public schools, and that doesn't help at all because then I start panicking if they're learning something we haven't learned yet. As far as curriculum this year, we got Saxon math and LLATL, but we had to stop the LLATL because it was waaaay to easy for her. She's in first grade and this was stuff I would think they'd learn at the beginning of K. Ive been coming up with English on my own by doing lots of reading, worksheets, creative writing and things like that. History, science, art, music.....all of those I've been coming up with lessons on my own. Could someone who's been at this for a while please tell me what a first grade day should look like, and what they should have accomplished by the end of the year? Any advice at all would be so welcome! I feel completely alone.
You're all dressed up for the pool, complete with duckie float, but you're driving to a museum. You have to completely change your mind-set. WELCOME, and relax! A first grader should be doing actual school work for only 30-60 minutes per day to get all the necessary core stuff completed (reading, math, etc.). That doesn't mean the learning ends there, though! The rest of the day can be used for special interests, *gasp* playing, or *gasp* bonding with family and friends. Think how much time is wasted in public schools... lining up, bathroom breaks, roll-taking, waiting for other kids to catch up, special assemblies, lunches, etc. With one-on-one instruction that meets the needs of a child rather than the needs of a broad-abilitied class, the instruction goes much more quickly. Here's a pretty good list of what you'd expect a 1st grader to know before entering 2nd grade (and obviously some are just scratching the surface... like book reports & critiques... this is something you'd continue to work on for several years). This list of skills will vary by publisher, so when choosing curriculum, choose based on what's between the covers, not the grade level posted on the front of the cover. It's fine to go up or down a level without the need for panic. World Book Typical Course of Study If you really want to keep pace (whether too slow or too fast) with public schools, look at the CCSS (Common Core State Standards... the standards that most states use now): CCSS for Language Arts CCSS for Math
In first grade I'd make sure you spend regular time with phonics, reading, math, handwriting, and books you read aloud. I'd add other things you feel are important or things your child enjoys. There is no set amount of time or amount of work that is best. As you continue this journey you will begin to find the balance that suits your family best.
I was at a home school Mom's meeting this week. The speaker homeschooled 4 kids for 10 years. They are all grown and doing well - and happy they were homeschooled. She said the worst fear she had through it all was that she wouldn't do enough. Her kids entered high school in gr 10, and did great. She says the one thing she would change would be to ignore that nagging voice that always questions whether you are doing enough. Judge the work load by your child, their interests, their strengths and weaknesses. The rest will work out over time. There will be times you are ahead, and times you are behind, but it just doesn't matter. You are educating your child, not keeping up with the Jones's. Trust yourself, trust your kids, you'll both do great!
I think it's natural for all of us to wonder if we are doing everything we should. I would give her an end-of-year test every year. Find one that gives good detail about her results. I am not very familiar with the different tests, so I can't help with that, but I've heard some are better than others at giving you great detail on the areas your child needs improvement. Good luck!
When dd was in 1st grade this is what we did for her: History/Geography: Sonlight Core B Math: Horizons 2 Reading/Phonics: Horizons Phonics, Sonlight Readers 2, Wordly Wise A (vocab) LA: Sonlight LA 2 (Day 1:Copywork, Day 2: Mechanics, Day 3re-write, Day 4: writing. It also included a spelling list we used) Handwriting: A Reason For Handwriting Science: Sonlight Science B Art: Artistic Pursuits K-3 book1 Music: Story of the Orchestra Health: Horizons Health 1 (did not like it) This took us 2-3 hrs a day, max. Most days we were done by lunch. The reason I did all of those subjects is because that is what our state requires. You need to see if your state has required subjects or not. I personally liked Sonlight for two reasons, it is a literature approach to reading and history, and that Sonlight schedules it all out for you. I was very nervous teaching elementary grades for the first time and I did not want to miss dd learning a skill she needed. This program has all the planning done for me, which is what I needed then.
I also recommend the World Book Typical Course of Study. About Homeschooling also has some good starting points for some of the topics listed by World Book. http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/learning/a/courseofstudy.htm
I totally agree with relaxing. Enjoy these years. Read, play, visit places. There should be very little that looks like school at this point. I am going to respectfully disagree with those that have suggested World Book or anything else that tells you what your kid should know at this point. My husband banned those things from our house very early on because they just caused me to stress out. Your gut will tell you what your child is ready to learn, so don't rely on a book or website. Enjoy!
I completely agree with this! We also play lots of games that are educational. There are a lot of games that work your brain too, which is a wonderful building block for school later. Some of the games we enjoy are: Sum Swamp (addition, subtraction, odds/evens), Repeat or You're Obsolete (memory), Scrabble, The Great Word Race, I Spy Snap (attention and quick thinking), Big Fish Lil' Fish, Take Off (geography), Top Trumps--Presidents, Quirkle, Matching Madness, Spelldown, Know Your America, Rory's Story Cubes, etc....
I just wanted to say thanks to you all. I don't even know you, but your replies have really helped me relax and let go of that anxiety a little. It helps just knowing I'm not alone.
Homeschooling's number one rule is: NO RULES! Do what works best for you and your child. And that's the beauty of it. It is individualized for each student. For example, when my son was your child's age, he did first grade math, second grade reading, and history and science with his older sisters (grades 3 and 5). My oldest has gone all the way through calculus being homeschooled, but her younger sister is just now doing Geometry as a Junior, and I'm looking for a Consumer Math for her Senior year instead of Algebra 2. If you've got a kid who loves academics, go ahead and push it. If you've got one who takes a bit longer, slow down and don't fret it. And, as others has said, ENJOY!!! (Oh, yeah! Read, read, and read some more!!!)
I struggle with this too. One thing that has helped me alot is having a curriculum with some sequence in it. For example, with Saxon math, I can simply crunch the numbers and see about where he'll be in a year, two years, five years, etc. That gives me more confidence that he is on track. Same with Grammar. Growing with Grammar moves sequentially thru something like 8 books, and I can predict roughly where my son will be provided he does one lesson per day. That has helped me cut down on the anxiety alot. Another thing you can do is just come on this forum and tell us what your kid(s) can do. There is no shame! Everyone here has bright kids and slower kids and we're all in this together. Finally, remember that there is no place where your child is "supposed" to be. We HSers don't follow state guidelines for this and that subject. We just try to teach our kids something every day and are glad when this is successful. Hang in there.
