I am new to this forum. I am a mother of two. My son is 8 and my daughter just turned 7. They have been in public school and we are seeing how bad the schools are becoming. After doing research we know we want to homeschool but we are so overwhelmed by the different curriculum out there. I feel like sometimes we are making it harder than what it will be. I am looking forward to reading more posts from this forum and learning from all of you who have so much experience. Thanks
Glad to have you. There is a lot that can be learned here. There are many posts on different curriculum. You might also check on the internet at HSLDA(Home School Legal Defense Association) for the legalities for your state. That kind of tells you where to start.
It might help if you first think about what you what you want out of homeschooling and if you can identify your teaching style and your children's learning styles. Do you want freedom to study what your kids want when they want or do you want something all spelled out for you? Are your children visual, auditory, etc learners? Answering those questions can help you narrow down the playing field quite a bit. I just started last month. I just jumped right in to the whole homeschool thing. But I knew I would only feel comfortable with a curriculum that was spelled out for me step by step. Many people do not want that kind of curriculum, because homeschool was supposed to free them from the restrictions. Good luck to you. I am sure you will find some of your answers here
Hello! This is my first year homeschooling my twin first graders. I live in Texas, so we are free to homeschool anyway we choose. Which actually added to my anxiety, of course! ha! We are in November and we just got settled in a curriculum and a basic routine. But that's ok. Because who says that I have to follow the school systems schedule or calendar, you know? Also, (Not sure of your state) we can hire tutors for subjects and co-ops for some classes. We can homeschool out of a boxed curriculum, or not. The only true advice I can give is that telling you to relax will be counter productive as you won't because it is your kids education, right? Well, if you agree that any lifestyle change takes some getting used to, then please accept that it may take you about two months to find your groove, or curriculum. And yes, you HAVE to check the laws in your state. Shortest route to that information is HSLDA.com Until then, do some basic things. . . . 1. Quiz your kids in basic subjects to find out what they know - - No need to reteach that. - - All you need is paper an pencil for that. If you want, there are a series of books at most libraries called "What your Third Grader Needs to Know" (Exchange grade level where needed) It gives you a great layout of what is expected to graduate that particular school grade. They go from Kindergarten to 6th grade. One grade per book. 2. Have discussions about what your kids are curious about - - I use this to try to get them to read more. Mine read more about firemen, right now. They read the book, we discuss the story, event order, character motives, consequineces for actions, grammar, art project based on scene from story and so on. 3. Determine why you want to homeschool - - If it is simply for educational standards, then decide what standards are important and this should help you focus. I felt the need for my children to be educated in proper manners, Classical Music and Famous Painters as well asclassic literature. There was no curriculum that provided this, so we base lessons on the individual thing we are learning, much like how we would study the fireman book above. 4. Make sure to get your kids, you and your Husband or Partner on the same page, in regards to why you are homeschooling- - You may need a unified front when explaining to friends and family what you are doing, or why your life is in chaos. haha! 5. Come back here often! - - The women here are FANTABULOUS at everything from information, moral support, idea spawning and coming up with choice words for nosey relatives or neighbors' comments! 6. Buy only the curriculum or school supplies you would need for the current school year, or better yet, only for the current semester. - No matter how much a curriculum or plan may seem like a perfect fit, when you first start out, things and opinions change often! You don't want to be stuck with hundreds of dollars worth of stuff you may never use! Ok, that's my list! Write anytime! P.S. Here is a link to the books I talked about. You can also try ebay for them, but honestly, check your libraries first! Click Here for the book list Also, just for grins, if you go to amazon.com, you can "Look inside" the books!
Sheila and Tina are our "residence experts" when it comes to getting started. They both work with "Smoothing the Way" in Texas, which is sort of a mentoring program for newbies. I'm posting a link for another thread that Sheila just responded to. I think a lot of what she has to say is just as relevant to you! Here's the link: http://www.homeschoolspot.com/showthread.php?t=3772 As far as curriculum goes, it depends on you and what you're comfortable with. I've always been one to do my own thing. I like to go to the library and find get lots of books, and come up with neat ideas. But others prefer a "boxed" curriculum. That would drive me CRAZY, even my first year. But for others, it's just the thing. Don't be in too big a hurry to rush out and buy something. Think about what you're interested in. One of the big questions that will limit your choices is whether you want a Christian or secular world view in what you teach. If you know other HS'ers, ask them what they use. Borrow their books, see what you think of them. Sometimes libraries have curriculum you can check out and see how well it fits you before buying. Hopefully, we'll be able to help give you ideas. Feel free to ask. If there's a particular curriculum you're interested in, probably SOMEONE on here knows something about it!
homeschooling works differently for each family. Think about how you want to homeschool, units, boxed, workbook, unschool, ect. Once you know what you are looking for it will be easier to decide what to purchase. you also want to check out the HSLDA to make sure you know what the laws are in your state. By the way, it is great to have you here
Hi and WELCOME!!! These other ladies have already given you great advice! Just know that you are not the only one overwhelmed with all that's available! I STILL get overwhelmed sometimes, and this is our 9th + year of homeschooling! Allow yourself and your children some time to adjust to mom being a teacher, and not going away to a school. Start out light---reading to them, art projects and fun things that are at least somewhat educational, so that they get in the swing in a FUN way, and learn to enjoy homeschooling! Then, when you're all more comfortable with it, add another subject or two, etc. That eases you all into it, and makes it easier to adjust. Remember that this is homeschooling, not "schooling at home". So it's okay if you start school at 10 am, and lay on the couch while reading history (just an example)! You find the schedule that works for YOU! The ladies here have many varied schedules, depending on family needs and daily life. So don't let that worry you! I now use different materials, whatever I have researched and feel that will work for my child or children. But my first year to "officially" homeschool, I used a "boxed" curriculum for my 2nd grade ds. It gave me peace of mind that I was covering what I should for that grade level, and, with lesson plans for the teacher made out already, help us adjust to homeschooling, and see how to run our home school! I'm also not greatly gifted in organizational skills, so having the plans made out already helped keep us moving through the curriculum! Best wishes to you! Hope you stick around!
I would spend some time with google and find some curriculum/objectives lists from various school systems. Preferably in your home state but if not from others. You can then use these as check lists and quiz your students to see where they are at in each subject Then you can use that information to help with grade level placement in homeschool materials. Since you will be starting mid year, this might help you find a starting point in materials if they are intended for a full year. Or you can eliminate certain chapters if things are in a different order.
I know at our library they have books called WHAT YOUR THIRDGRADER SHOULD KNOW. I don't know how many grades these are printed for but I liked the third grade one so much I bought it on ebay. I know I saw them at Barnes and Noble. It spells out what they need to learn each school year and for me it helped. Beth
Thanks for all of the great advice. I have already been on some of the recommended websites and they have great info. I am going to check on the books too. Thanks for the welcome. I look forward to reading more on this forum and learning more from you.
Hello, I am from Kansas and the mother of 4 children, which the middle child, 2nd grade is being homeschooled. I took her out of p.s. due to her falling behind and the school, after testing and me being her voice, said she is just a student who will always struggle. However, they were more than willing to give her more time to take test. We found that odd, until after research, all the test taking in school they do, which is alot, is for $$ from the federal goverment, dependent on many kids pass at percentage levels. Short story, we did struggling in the beginning, it's been about 2 months. Now I am blessed to learn her learning style, see her expressions when she masters a word or concept. She is so smart and she is actually learning so much. I am so blessed. I do have the guilty feelings of pulling her out of school, but she said to me, she likes being home with me and told me she is learning alot more at home than school. From the mouth of babes.
You might ask around, I found out, alot of families in our church homeschooled. Some moms brought books in for me to look at to help me. Others gave suggestions plus I went to the libarary and found homeschool books. Also there is alot of homeschooling support groups that can give you direction. Hope this helps
